GENERAL DESCRIPTION
The Vajrabhairava Tantra, attributed to Shakyamuni Buddha (6th century BCE), is part of his transmission of the Tantras. Tantras are complex esoteric teachings meant for the rare disciples capable of understanding and practicing them. The characteristics of fearsome divinities such as Vajrabhairava may be understood as connoting higher truths, but they must not be taken in a literal, concrete manner. Surrounded by flames and skulls, Vajrabhairava and his female conterpart, or shakti, embrace in an ecstatic union that obliterates earthly dualities and reaches nirvana. They trample gods, humans, and animals underfoot. Vajrabhairava is bull-headed and grasps lethal weapons. The violence and sexuality of the sculpture, and its frightening dramatic power, are deliberate: the bronze image helps a devotee pass beyond his fear of suffering and death, and his attachment to worldly desires into a state of knowledge and pure being. A literal view would leave little room for understanding Vajrabhairava as a supreme manifestation of the Buddha’s wisdom, loving-kindness, and universal compassion. The deeper meaning involves the Buddhist conviction that loving-kindness and compassion are of little value unless they are guided by profound wisdom and backed by sufficient energy and power.
Adapted from
- "Vajrabhairava," in Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection, ed. Bonnie Pitman (Dallas: Dallas Museum of Art; New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2012), 103.
- R. W. Clark, "Vajrabhairava," in The Arts of India, South East Asia, and the Himalayas, Anne R. Bromberg (Dallas: Dallas Museum of Art; New Haven: Yale University Press, 2013), 173.
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- Heilbrunn Timeline of Art History, The Met~Read more about Tibetan Buddhist art.
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General Description
The Vajrabhairava Tantra, attributed to Shakyamuni Buddha (6th century BCE), is part of his transmission of the Tantras. Tantras are complex esoteric teachings meant for the rare disciples capable of understanding and practicing them. The characteristics of fearsome divinities such as Vajrabhairava may be understood as connoting higher truths, but they must not be taken in a literal, concrete manner. Surrounded by flames and skulls, Vajrabhairava and his female conterpart, or shakti, embrace in an ecstatic union that obliterates earthly dualities and reaches nirvana. They trample gods, humans, and animals underfoot. Vajrabhairava is bull-headed and grasps lethal weapons. The violence and sexuality of the sculpture, and its frightening dramatic power, are deliberate: the bronze image helps a devotee pass beyond his fear of suffering and death, and his attachment to worldly desires into a state of knowledge and pure being. A literal view would leave little room for understanding Vajrabhairava as a supreme manifestation of the Buddha’s wisdom, loving-kindness, and universal compassion. The deeper meaning involves the Buddhist conviction that loving-kindness and compassion are of little value unless they are guided by profound wisdom and backed by sufficient energy and power.
Adapted from
- "Vajrabhairava," in Dallas Museum of Art: A Guide to the Collection, ed. Bonnie Pitman (Dallas: Dallas Museum of Art; New Haven and London: Yale University Press, 2012), 103.
- R. W. Clark, "Vajrabhairava," in The Arts of India, South East Asia, and the Himalayas, Anne R. Bromberg (Dallas: Dallas Museum of Art; New Haven: Yale University Press, 2013), 173.
Fun Facts
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Catalogue essays
Artist/designers
Cultures
Geography
Process/materials
Historical periods
Individuals
Subject terms
rules
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