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| Shakyamuni Buddha Courtesy of BAM/PFA |
I
stand with Julia White, Senior Curator of Asian Art at the Berkeley Art Museum,
before a gigantic gilt bronze Shakyamuni Buddha from 14th century
Tibet. “The top comes off of
course,” she informs me. “You can
remove the ushnisha?” I ask.
“Absolutely. And then you
can see inside,” White replies. I
can’t help myself so I ask, “What do you see when you look inside the
Buddha?” “Absolutely nothing. The Buddha is empty” she says with a
smile.
The
Shakyamuni Buddha is the centerpiece of “Himalayan Pilgrimage: Liberation Through Sight,” a University
of California Berkeley Art Museum exhibit showcasing Vajrayana Buddhist art. The purpose of the exhibit is to take
the viewer on a pilgrimage of sacred objects across India, Nepal, and
Tibet. Through the course of the
journey, the installation reveals how art creates an environment for liberation
as well as serving as a direct vehicle for enlightenment.
The
most important set of images in the exhibit are a complete collection of seven
tangkas, or paintings, of the Great Fifth Dalai Lama and his lineage. The Fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lobsang
Gyatso, was the first to acquire the title of Dalai Lama, his predecessors
retroactively designated with the name.
Painted within the seven exquisitely detailed tangkas are Tibet’s
historical and mythical kings, the heavenly floating figures of later Dalai
Lamas, a profusion of foliage revealing auspicious symbols, amusingly lifelike
attendants, and a surprising array of monkeys, birds and fish. The seven paintings are also unusual
because of their creation after the sudden and untimely death of the Ninth
Dalai Lama as a clear statement of political and religious authority.
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| Tara Courtesy of BAM/PFA |
There
are many beautiful treasures to discover within the collection. An impressive 9th or 10th
century Avalokiteshvara from Kashmir begins the tour. “It’s a very early and a very human Avalokiteshvara. There are clear references to earlier
Indian artistic traditions,” explains White. The piece reflects the broad shoulders, sinuous body, and
open expression of earlier Buddhist art from India. A serene Tara from 17th century Nepal, whose
partner resides in the Victoria and Albert Museum in London, has beautifully
detailed robes and a unique headdress that incorporates shimmering leaves. A 14th century
Bhaishajyaguru, or Medicine Buddha, from Tibet reveals evidence of adoration.
“The lips, eyes, and ushnisha have been repainted, demonstrated that they were
venerated by devotees” White explains.
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| Penden Lhamo Courtesy of BAM/PFA |
“The
consecrated material in these objects was removed before we ever received them…
but we still handle them as though they were consecrated,“ says White. The objects clearly don’t lack for power. The exhibit carefully balances
male and female representations as well as peaceful and wrathful emanations of
enlightened power. White includes
a beautiful 17th century Prajnaparamita from Tibet to represent a
peaceful deity with multiple arms and hands in the dharmachakra, or teaching
mudra. A small but skillfully
detailed 17th century Penden Lhamo, the protector of the Dalai
Lamas, “is probably a derivative of Kali” offers White, and she rides
triumphantly on the skin of her son who refused to turn away from cannibalism.
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| Vajrapani Courtesy of BAM/PFA |
Appropriately,
the most powerful objects are placed in a small room on the side of the
exhibit. A rare and fragile 17th
or 18th century Karma Kagyu protector deity from Tibet is outlined
on black with dakinis dancing across the sky and the protector and his consort
riding ghostly mounts through swirling clouds. Another gorgeous tangka splashes the colors of sunset
against black, an 18th century Kubera carrying a mongoose spilling
jewels from its mouth to represent victory over the nagas, symbols of
greed. “People think that wrathful
figures represent evil, but they don’t.
They represent the power of enlightenment” White says as she discusses a
16th century Tibetan Varjapani
dancing in a halo of flames to represent the powerful fearlessness of
the enlightened mind.
My
two favorite objects from the exhibit represent this dualistic expression of
enlightened activity. A small gau,
or traveling shrine, made by Chinese imperial craftsmen holds a stone image of
Simhavaktra from the Pala dynasty in India. The image of Simhavaktra, a fierce lion-headed dakini, is
only a few inches tall yet conveys its supple yet fierce nature. My other favorite is a 15th
century Bhaishajyaguru, or Medicine Buddha, from Tibet. He sits quietly with little flowers of
gold and turquoise stones set over his ears. The peaceful healing power of enlightenment and the wrathful
blaze of fearless liberation are two sides of this exhibition. Appreciating both objects as equally
profound offers the opportunity to see something very rare indeed: the possibility of liberation through
sight. The Himalayan Pilgrimages
exhibition challenges its viewers to see and appreciate both sides of a
spectrum of enlightenment, and for that opportunity alone it’s well worth a
visit.
Himalayan
Pilgrimage: Liberation Through
Sight
June
15- November 25
Berkeley
Art Museum
UC
Berkeley Campus
2626
Bancroft Way
Wednesday
through Sunday, 11-5, Fridays 11-9
Tickets
$10
