History of Tibet

History of Tibet: Tibet Roof of the World  from Friends of Tibet New Zealand.

Tibet Online - Why Tibet? Tibet, an independent nation until the Chinese invasion, is now faced with extinction. Links to culture and art

Tibetan History site by T. T. Moh, Professor of Mathematics at Purdue University.

Tibet Visual History Online - historical photographs of Tibet taken by British colonial photographers between 1908 and 1950. (VisualTibet.org was down last I checked - but check the exhibits linked on this page)

Tibetan and Himalayan Art and Culture

Himalayan Art: Explorations Great stories for "kids of all ages". These stories contain lessons about good and evil, often focusing on the importance of kindness, generosity and compassion.

Tibetan Folk Tales Tibetan Digital Library. this site has links to culture, art and religion.  I particularly liked The Creation (this link was obtained from CD by Karen Chace.

Himalayan Art Project See exhibits and links to paintings, sculpture, textiles, mask and more. Excellent resource for art of Tibet. Alternate site- Himalayan Art.org. See Exploration for Kids - stories. Art of India and Tibet.

Early Tibetan Manuscript Covers Anna Maria Rossi and Fabio Rossi present Guardians of the Sacred Word, a fascinating exhibition celebrating the splendor of Tibetan manuscript covers.

Early Portrait Painting in Tibet  "Portraiture figured prominently in Tibetan art between ca. 1000 and 1400 A.D., and yet almost nothing is known about its functions and its significance" Article by Jane Casey Singer

Sculptural Heritage of Tibet Buddhist Art in the Nyingjei Lam Collection

Sacred Visions - Metropolitan Museum of Art -- selection of images and captions from the exhibition Sacred Visions.

Himalayan Visions Drawings by Phillip Sugden "...In many of the drawings, the images themselves have become only focal points in a process that has less to do with the subject than with the creative experience."

Patan Museum Collection -- exhibits cover a long span of Nepal's cultural history and some rare objects are among its treasures. Their meaning and context within the living traditions of Hinduism and Buddhism are explained

Tibet Art and Culture Site is in French - has drawings of children.

Sacred Mandalas

"The Mystical Arts of Tibet" Sacred music and dance - Mandala sand painting photo exhibit and more! Traditionally most sand mandalas are destroyed shortly after their completion. This is done as a metaphor of the impermanence of life. See this process on Sharon Kennedy's site - Art-rageous

Tibetan Painted Mandala    An Introduction to the Mandala 

The Structure of the Painted Mandala  In its most common form, the mandala
appears as a series of concentric circles, its deities housed in a square structure with four elaborate gates, sometimes described as a four-sided palace or temple. 

The Mandala in Tibet Tibetans became familiar with the mandala early in their introduction to Buddhist art and culture, a process begun with the first ruler of the historical period, Songtsen Gampo.

The Mandala in Practice The mandala is brought to life by rites. Visualization,
the inward, mental construction of a mandala, plays a crucial role in esoteric Buddhism.   

Early Tibetan Mandalas: The Rossi Collection Early Tibetan Mandalas - The Rossi Collection 

Vajravarahi Mandala Central Tibet (Taklung monastery), ca. 1200

Mandala of Jnanadakini  Painting is from a set of mandalas previously associated with Ngor monastery --  A Nepalese artist Tibet -later 14th century...

Vajravarahi Abhibhava Mandala phag-mo mngon-'byung-gi dkyil-'khor 
Central Tibet, 14th century 

Sand Mandalas History and explanation of mandalas, with photos - California Museum of Art.

Tibet: Tradition and Change   Mandala of Sarvavid Vairochana

MORE on Mandalas and Sacred Geometry

Contemporary Tibetan Art 

Mechak Center for Contemporary Tibetan Art - A mix of contemporary art - many drawing upon traditional themes in Tibetan culture.

Asian Art - links page  -  Sacred Geometry links

A friend sent me this beautiful quote on what it means to generate compassion and love:

"Before we can generate compassion and love, it is important to have a clear
understanding of what we understand compassion and love to be.  In simple
terms, compassion and love can be defined as positive thoughts and feelings
that give rise to such essential things in life as hope, courage,
determination, and inner strength.  In the Buddhist tradition, compassion and
love are seen as two aspects of the same thing: Compassion is the wish for
another being to be free from suffering; love is wanting them to have
happiness." ~ His Holiness the Dalai Lama, from "The Compassionate Life"