iiinova — where your digital self keeps evolving

Reposted by Ariana M

Asheesh Kapur Siddique @asheeshks.org · 20/09/2026

The US higher education system is not equipped to correct for the effects of systemic injustice and underfunding at the high school, middle school, and elementary school levels.

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Ariana M @arianam.bsky.social · 05/07/2026

AI use = deficit for job seekers “…new hires who were seen as “AI natives” are turning out to have alarmingly shallow ideas. So much so…that his firm now actively avoids seeking out AI-literate STEM graduates, and opts to comb through humanities students instead.” futurism.com/future-socie...

futurism.com

Bosses Horrified as "AI Native" College Graduates Hit the Workplace

"AI native" college graduates are hitting the workplace -- and, as experts warned, bosses are finding their performance disappointing.

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High Peaks Pure Earth @hpeaks.bsky.social · 21/06/2026

A Great List of Online Resources for #Tibetan Studies tibeto-logic.blogspot.com/2026/06/a-gr...

tibeto-logic.blogspot.com

A Great List of Online Resources for Tibetan Studies

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Kate Lingley 龍梅若 @klingley.bsky.social · 07/05/2026

Remarkable installation by Tuan Andrew Nguyen on the High Line in NYC: a reproduction of one of the standing Buddhas of Bamiyan (as it looked at the time of its destruction in 2001), furnished with shiny steel hands cast from melted-down artillery shells found in Afghanistan.

View of a sandstone standing Buddha, carved to represent one of the Great Buddhas of Bamiyan. Parts of its face and legs are missing, as are its hands, to replicate the state of the original in 2001 when it was destroyed. Where its hands once were, shiny gold-colored metal hands are mounted as if floating in mid-air. The background is a cityscape of New York highrises.

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Natalie M Avalos @nataliemavalos.bsky.social · 25/04/2026

Well this is a problem

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Ariana M @arianam.bsky.social · 03/03/2026

Amazing events @moaubc.bsky.social —talks, panels, and tours—coinciding with #AASVancouver! #tibet #himalaya

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Ariana M @arianam.bsky.social · 05/02/2026

It’s okay to find solace! The extraordinary Kurtis Schaeffer (UVA) speaking tonight about the 9th Je Khenpo of #Bhutan on “How to Live in Hard Times” Many thanks to Mangalam for the online option! www.mangalamresearch.org/how-to-live-... #buddhism #himalaya

mangalamresearch.org

How to Live in Hard Times - Mangalam Research Center

How to Live in Hard Times: Examples from Buddhist Lives The talks in this series respond to our need for inspiration in this moment, as scholars and as human beings. Each scholar has identified an his...

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Ariana M @arianam.bsky.social · 26/01/2026

A must-see—incredible contributions by Laura Lodoe & Kunsang Kyirong, historical and contemporary content, fully bilingual signage, & remarkable curation by Dr. Fuyubi Nakamura. MOA hosting special events during #AAS2026 and Dr. Nakamura organized a conference panel. #himalaya #tibet #ubcmoa

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Ariana M @arianam.bsky.social · 29/07/2025

Thinking a lot about karma and opportunities to witness it ripening… Thus, #ThangkaTuesday features the Wheel of Becoming (Bhavachakra; སྲིད་པའི་འཁོར་ལོ།) which illustrates #Buddhist ideas of cause & effect, realms of rebirth, aka samsara. 📷: Natl Gallery Prague via HAR #himalaya #buddhistart #karma

A Buddhist painting centered on a large circle divided into six sections like spokes of a wheel. In each section are small figures, human, animal, and various non-humans. At the center are representations of poisons and their effects. The diagram is superimposed on the front of a humanoid figure with bulging eyes and a fanged mouth.

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Ariana M @arianam.bsky.social · 25/06/2025

Another site doing things with AI that none of their users want—this time academia.edu making AI-generated “podcasts” about our scholarship… #AcademicSky

A person wearing a plaid skirt and black sweater stands with their back against the wall, labeled “me”, facing them is another person wearing similar clothing but with the addition of black tights. The second person is labeled “Any Company”. They are standing so that they are viewed from behind, and are holding a tuba up on their shoulder so that its bell obscures the first person’s face, seemingly swallowing them. The tuba is labeled “AI”.

Personal note: AI is a an energy hungry hallucination-prone bullshit machine being forced on us by desperate VC d bags and tech bros who want to recoup their investments. AI makes us dumber.

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Ariana M @arianam.bsky.social · 17/06/2025

#ThangkaTuesday transatlantic edition. It’s wheels up from Bhutan & this Yeshe Tsogyal keeps coming to mind—her gorgeous garments, especially the subtle striping on her wrap, and the adornments in her hair. Simply sublime! 📷: me, pvt collection, Bhutan #himalaya #himalayanart #bhutan #buddhistart

Detail from a Himalayan Buddhist painting, showing a seated woman wearing a colorful green top, blue outer garment, and red trousers with gold details.

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Ariana M @arianam.bsky.social · 11/06/2025

#ThangkaTuesday was on hiatus—now back with this beauty from the newly opened Wangduechholing Palace Museum in #Bhutan. It took us a while, but we think we know which Je Khenpo it is. (18th!) Thanks to the WPM team for the guided tour & invitation to speak. #buddhistart #himalaya #fulbright

Traditional Bhutanese Buddhist painting, vertical format, focused on a large scale human teacher wearing red & orange robes and a red hat, surrounded by other Buddhist teachers and deities shown in smaller scale.

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Ariana M @arianam.bsky.social · 26/05/2025

Excited to see this talk on Tibetan scripts by Pentsok Rtsang! #himalaya #tibet

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Ariana M @arianam.bsky.social · 21/05/2025

Belated #ThangkaTuesday entry comin’ in hot with a tiny detail of three cave-dwelling, red-robed yogis propitiating a rather remarkable phallus (man? spirit?) #himalaya #buddhistart #bhutaneseart

Detail of a painting showing three Buddhist practitioners, seated cross-legged, wearing red robes, and holding musical instruments and offerings. They are all looking at a being with two arms and legs, facial features on its torso, and a huge spurting phallus where a human head would generally be located.

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Ariana M @arianam.bsky.social · 12/05/2025

We dodged a bullet—imagine what continued funding for the arts would have contributed to. All those people thinking about & responding to, and (shudder) finding joy in, the human condition… Great that this will reduce creative expression & thoughtful engagement even more rapidly 👊🇺🇸🔥

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Ariana M @arianam.bsky.social · 29/04/2025

From the Yum Chenmo above to the trio of figures below, this Dorje Sempa yab yum is atypical. At least 2 artists contributed, with a steadier hand rendering the main deity pair as compared to the flanking Kagyu & Drukpa Kagyu lineage figures. 📷: NMB #ThangkaTuesday #himalaya #bhutan #buddhistart

A Bhutanese traditional vertical format painting of Buddhist deities and masters. The main figures, a deity pair, are largest in scale at center and are flanked by a series of smaller lineage figures. A yellow seated deity is above their heads, and a buddha, a bodhisattva, and a meditational deity are below.

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Reposted by Ariana M

Angela S Chiu @chiuangelas.bsky.social · 26/04/2025

Sotheby's is about to auction off remains of the Buddha taken by colonial officials from India in 1898. "For the Buddhists who deposited them-as for Buddhists today-the gems, & his bone & ash, all belong to the Buddha & shouldn’t just be sold to the highest bidder." religionnews.com/2025/04/22/a...

religionnews.com

Auctioning the Buddha's relics is perpetuating colonial violence

(RNS) — For the Buddhists who deposited these relics — as for Buddhists today — the gems, bone and ash all belong to the Buddha and shouldn’t just be sold to the highest bidder.

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Ariana M @arianam.bsky.social · 22/04/2025

Generosity is the theme of this #ThangkaTuesday. This charming Vajradhara (རྡོ་རྗེ་འཆང་།), Holder of the Indestructible, is in a private collection shown to me years ago. I adore its simplicity & beauty, and that little extra head tilt. My gratitude to those who have shown me so much. #himalaya #bhutan

Two hands hold up a small embroidered thangka for the camera. The fabric ground is black and torn in places, while the figure, stitched in golden thread, depicts a cross-legged, two-armed, crowned deity sitting on top of a lotus.

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Ariana M @arianam.bsky.social · 31/03/2025

Since 2020, I've noticed more images of & initiations for Black Manjushri (འཇམ་དབྱངས་ནག་པོ།), a form of the #Buddhist bodhisattva of wisdom believed to help those experiencing #anxiety, depression, or other disturbances in their mental state. #himalaya #thangkatuesday 📷: Zanabazar Museum

A small painting of a dark blue male deity wearing a red garment on his lower body. He's sitting cross legged "lotus style", wherein the top of each foot rests against the calf of the opposite leg so that the soles of his feet point skyward. Below him is a red lotus and a golden "halo" of light appears behind his body, while another, smaller, flame-edged halo emerges from his shoulders and encircles around his head. His right arm extends out at shoulder level, his hand grasping the handle of a vajra-hilted sword that he brandishes above him. In his left hand is the stem of a lotus, bends up and to the right, terminating in a pink bloom that holds aloft a rectangular traditional Himalayan Buddhist book.

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Ariana M @arianam.bsky.social · 27/03/2025

This timeline cleanse brought to you by Drukyel Dzong in Paro. #bhutan 🇧🇹

In the foreground are terraced fields prepared for upcoming spring planting. At midground, a bright white fortress with red and golden roofing has its upper walls punctuated with wooden framed windows. Surrounding the building are tall trees, and to the left, a series of family houses dot the hillside. Tall mountains, some snow covered and above the tree line, expand the scene further. A mostly cloudy sky includes a peek of blue, and the light reflected through the clouds makes the white fortress seem to shine slightly.

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Ariana M @arianam.bsky.social · 11/03/2025

How to paint the overcoming of ego? In #Himalayan #Buddhism, vanquished ego & other obstacles to achievement can appear as a garland of severed & decaying heads strung on entrails, or as figures being trampled underfoot... 📷: Loeb (L) & Tang Museum (R) #ThangkaTuesday #Tibetanart #Buddhistart

Detail of a painting showing garland of severed and decaying heads encircling the lower half of a blue deity, who also wears jewelry and snake ornaments. The figure's feet stand in the ballet first position atop a personified obstacle, a male lying on his back with an anguished expression.

Detail of a blue ox pressed atop, and likely forcefully copulating with, a prone human figure with a dismayed expression on his face. The ox is the vehicle of the deity pair that stands atop it, and the human represents the subjugation of obstacles. A lotus base atop a rocky outcropping appears below.

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Ariana M @arianam.bsky.social · 09/03/2025

In #Himalayan #Buddhism, compassion doesn't always cut it, especially for stubborn obstacles. In this mural, a Buddhist master flings a blazing ritual sculpture (torma; གཏོར་མ་) toward the enemies, who are in turn peppered with a rain of fiery daggers from the sky. 📷: Me, Paro, Bhutan #buddhistart

Bhutanese mural showing a figure wearing a black hat and dark blue robes holding a blazing object on a tray, while nearby red-robed monks play ritual horns and drums. They stand on an outcropping, the other side of which are warriors trying to attack but being assailed by flaming daggers hurtling from the sky.

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Ariana M @arianam.bsky.social · 04/03/2025

Escapism is the word of the day for today’s #ThangkaTuesday. Sick of/from samsara, #Buddhists can turn practice to one of several Pure Lands. Rebirth there means enlightenment is guaranteed, so matter how long it takes. I often teach this work from the Met showing the Land of Great Bliss (2004.139)

An elaborate painting of a Buddhist heaven realm with a large Buddha seated at center, surmounted by a tree full of sumptuous offerings of musical instruments and flowers, as well as throngs of devotees.

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Ariana M @arianam.bsky.social · 28/02/2025

ལོ་གསར་བཀྲིས་བདེ་ལགས། Happy New Year! May the Year of the Wood Snake bring joy, good health, and happiness in abundance. 📷: Detail of a thangka of Tsepakme, Williams College Museum of Art (M.2024.22.11)

Detail from a Tibetan painting showing two phoenix near light blue water. On the other side of the water are heaps of round, colorful, stylized gems and other precious offerings, along with lotuses.

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Ariana M @arianam.bsky.social · 25/02/2025

#ThangkaTuesday inspo: Tibetan equivalents of #Medieval goth manuscript lions. Some paintings of Buddhas & teachers have lions in the thrones, referencing the Buddha Shakyamuni (Lion of the Sakya Clan) #Buddhistart #Himalaya 📷: L: Detail, Drakpa Gyatso's throne R: Detail, Menlha's throne via HAR

Detail of a painting showing the detail of a Buddhist throne, made of multicolored lotus petals, under which are geometric forms of the throne structure. A small white snow lion with bulgy eyes and pert tail occupies one portion of the throne base, perhaps pondering his fate as he stares, unseeing, over his right front leg. A blue gem with stylized flames is in the space nearby.

A detail of a snow lion throne element from a Tibetan painting. The lion, mouth agape, stands and looks up toward the sky. Its bushy black eyebrows give Eugene Levy a run for his money.

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Ariana M @arianam.bsky.social · 18/02/2025

Sickness stinks, but Buddhists in the #Himalaya can call on several deities to help heal. This #ThangkaTuesday highlights Ta Chak Khyung Sum (རྟ་ཕྱག་ཁྱུང་གསུམ།), a single deity who packs the power of three: blue Chana Dorje, the green horse head of Tandin, and white Khyung. #tibetanart #buddhism

Painting of a standing, two armed dark blue deity with three eyes, stretching out his right hand and holding his left hand at heart level. He's standing on a lotus and is surrounded by orange and red flames. In his upswept hair is a small green horse's head and above the hair is a white mythical bird called a Garuda.

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Reposted by Ariana M

Andrew Quintman @andrewquintman.bsky.social · 17/02/2025

Inspired by @bryandaniellowe.bsky.social's manuscript that was never meant to be read, here's another: a long consecration inscription on the back of a Tibetan portable scroll painting (thangka) of Milarepa, in the shape of a stūpa. #ManuscriptMonday 1/

Long Tibetan consecration inscription in the shape of a stūpa on the rear of a hanging scroll (thangka) portrait of Milarepa. Photography © The Art Institute of Chicago.

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Ariana M @arianam.bsky.social · 14/02/2025

Special Valentine's Day edition: the 'magnetizing' power deity Kurukulle. Her flowery bow, arrow, hook, & lasso are sure to snare that special someone...but only if you have the proper initiation, instructions & empowerment to try! #thangka #buddhistart #himalaya #valentinesday

A painting of a standing, golden colored, four-armed female deity in a dancing posture, with one leg raised. She holds a bow, arrow, hook, and lasso made of flowers. Surrounding her are flames and dozens of smaller, two-armed manifestations that are red in color.

Overview of the full painting, showing all the assembled figures, with a red Buddha at the top center. Down below are offerings of stylized gems and items to please the senses.

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Ariana M @arianam.bsky.social · 11/02/2025

Take a break from doomscrolling with #ThangkaTuesday, featuring green Tara (སྒྲོལ་ལྗང་།), who saves Buddhist faithful from the eight great fears, one of which is snakes. #TibetanBuddhism #BuddhistArt #Himalaya #Buddhist #Buddhism #TibetanArt

Detail of a painting of a green, two-armed figure sitting on a lotus, surrounded by a multicolored halo, holding out her right hand toward a small snake. She also holds a blue lotus flower in each hand.

A vertical format traditional Tibetan Buddhist painting showing eight green female figures, each of which is sitting on a lotus and surrounded by a halo around their head and another around their body. The haloes are orange while the rest of the composition is mostly green, blue, and gold, with some pink in the lotuses. Each figure holds out her right hand to gesture toward the representation of an obstacle.

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Ariana M @arianam.bsky.social · 04/02/2025

For #ThangkaTuesday, and for no other reason whatsoever, here are some #Buddhist images of leopards eating faces: Padmasambahva & Yeshe Tsogyal in a thangka of the problem-pinning deity Dorjé Phurbu, as tigers and leopards dig in to some face flesh nearby. #tibetanart #leopards #himalaya

Detail of a painting showing a seated Buddhist master in robes holding ritual implements. Next to his halo to the right, a leopard eats the face of a prone human, while a bird removes the entrails of another body above. Below the master's lotus base, another feline bites into a body.

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elisa freschi @elisafreschi.bsky.social · 04/02/2025

Wisconsin-Madison conference: The submission portal for the 53rd Annual Conference on South Asia will open on Saturday, February 1, 2025, for all proposal types. The theme for this year's conference is Inequality. The 53rd ACSA is scheduled to meet in-person, October 22-25, 2025 (Wed-Sat). 1/

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Ariana M @arianam.bsky.social · 28/01/2025

Exhausted by evildoers? #Buddhists might consider Bhūtaḍāmara practice. A peek: “Make a fist with your left hand And extend your middle finger and thumb. This mudrā makes female spirits appear in person And causes the destruction of all evildoers." #ThangkaTuesday #Himalaya #ObstacleRemoval

A vertical format Himalayan painting. The center of the composition is dominated by a standing, dark blue, four armed, two legged figure encircled in red and orange flames, standing on top of a personified obstacle that lies between the main figure's feet and multicolored blue, pink, orange, and green lotus petals–a flower that signifies the main figure's enlightened actions. Below are three small seated Buddhist masters, each on their own louts, wearing monastic robes and hats indicating they are from the Nyingma and Kagyu traditions. At bottom left is a shirtless seated adept, or practitioner who has separated themselves from society. He also sits on a lotus and is surrounded by a halo. A lay devotee in white robes with a red halo sits cross-legged on a lotus raising his hands in respect. Across the top is a register of five figures; the two on the ends are bodhisattvas, and between them are three Buddhas. Below each bodhisattva is a master teacher. To the left is a teacher from the Geluk tradition and on the right is a Sakya practitioner. Together, nearly all the major traditions of Tibetan Buddhism are present. The main image, Bhutadamara Vajrapani, holds a lasso–used to bind obstacles–in his left hand, and a dorjé, or symbol of the indestructible, in his upraised right hand. His remaining two hands are crossed at the wrists at the center of his chest, with his red palms facing outward and little fingers linked in a distinctive gesture associated with this form of Vajrapani.

14th century sculpted image of Bhutadamara Vajrapani from the Gyantse Kumbum in central Tibet. The main figure is in the same dark blue, four armed, two legged form surrounded by flames and standing on a figure lying down on a lotus base. On either side is a smaller dark blue, two armed, standing attendant figure, each of whom also stands on his own louts and holds his own dorje implement in his upraised proper right hand.

Another horizontal format thangka of Bhutadamara Vajrapani, this time with a more open landscape surrounding him. Each of the corners is occupied by a bodhisattva seated on a lotus: at top right is the four-armed white Chenrezig Chakzhipa (Cintamani Lokesvara), an embodiment of compassion; bottom right is the eight armed, three-faced, white long life deity Namgyelma (Ushnishavijaya); bottom left reveals the white long life deity Drolkar (White Tara), recognizable by her 7 eyes (Saptalocana); and top left, seated amidst clouds, is Norgyunma (Vasundhara), the golden goddess of good harvest and abundance. Directly above Vajrapani's head is a small gold circle, in which appears to be the longku (sambhogakaya) form of Mitrupa (Aksobhya). The flames around the main figure are pink and orange, while the midground on either side of him show recessive distance through its small, rounded hills.

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Ariana M @arianam.bsky.social · 21/01/2025

How can evil be averted? Himalayan Buddhist traditions deploy protective imagery in paintings, murals, block prints and amulets. Images of weapons, inscriptions invoking powerful protectors, and other symbols are believed to keep baddies at bay. #ThangkaTuesday #himalaya #buddhism #protection

A painting that is on woven cotton ground with a dark blue background. We can tell it is well-used by creases and areas of pigment loss where it's been folded and refolded. The composition is dominated by a stylized representation of a flayed nude male, as if he has been opened up from neck to pelvis. There are no viscera or bones present; instead, his skin is arranged in a square shape. His arms, also flayed, are raised up so that each of his still-intact hands holds a lock of his long black hair, extended outward as if pigtails. His emotional state is evinced only by his downturned mouth. At the bottom, his boneless legs are bent at unnatural angles, and his genitals are clearly visible. Superimposed on the flayed body is an intricate diagram, the outermost circle of which is a ring of curvilinear, stylized fire. Inside are a series of successively smaller forms, most of which are also circular. Some reveal weapons, while others are inscribed with protective syllables. Toward the centermost portion is an eight pointed "sharp weapon" as viewed from above (reminiscent of a throwing star), inside which are additional rings of syllables and an eight-petalled lotus. At the centermost point is a six-pointed star, also inscribed with protective syllables.

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Ariana M @arianam.bsky.social · 19/01/2025

Research fellowships to spend a year visiting at Cambridge. Available to those based in the Global South & specializing in the arts and humanities—includes #Nepal, #Bhutan, #India, and #Mongolia. Apps due 28 Feb. #academicsky #humanities #fellowships #himalaya

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Ariana M @arianam.bsky.social · 16/01/2025

Research fellowships up for grabs thanks to the Council of American Overseas Research Centers & the National Endowment for the Humanities—and include #Nepal, #Mongolia, #India, & #SriLanka, among others Apps due Jan. 25, so step lively! #CAORC #NEH #fellowships #academicsky #Himalaya

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Ariana M @arianam.bsky.social · 14/01/2025

For #ThangkaTuesday, behold Dorje Drolo, a tiger-riding, flame-emitting manifestation of Padmasambhava. His fleet-footed Felidae ensured their safe transport to Paro Taktsang, a cliffside cave in western #Bhutan, where enemies were smote as insights were achieved. 📷 Shuzo Uemoto, pvt. collection

A Buddhist master manifesting in an aggressive, maroon-faced, two armed form, standing on the back of a tiger. His right hand is raised in the air and holds a representation of indestructible force, while his left is outstretched and extended outward, elbow straight, so that the iron dagger he holds points down at hip level. He wears layers of colorful robes: jade green, orange, and dark and cerulean blue, with golden details. His three eyes bulge, his fangs bite his lower lip, and he is adored with both a three-skull crown and a severed head garland. As if that weren't wrathful enough, he and his tiger mount are surrounded by orange and red curvilinear flames.

View of the full painting, with the tiger-rider at center. Surrounding are approximately twenty small scenes, each of which detail events from the central figure's life. They include architectural settings, in which the teacher is speaking to assembled Buddhist monks and laypersons. In some scenes, he teaches outdoors in nature. Other settings show him teaching in heavenly worlds and subhuman realms, where he teaches non-human beings. The background is primarily mountains, rocks, and sky in dark green and blue, however, the scenes that constitute the composition are predominantly red and orange.

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Ariana M @arianam.bsky.social · 06/01/2025

It’s #ThangkaTuesday! Evisceration is surely no fun, but when it does happen, hopefully it’s by two dragons who rip out your heart so that it falls into the eager, outstretched, waiting arms of non-human beings, who will almost certainly nom it. #buddhistart #tibetanart #himalayanart #buddhist

Detail of a vertical format painting on stretched cotton using ground mineral pigments. The background is variegated greens. At the top, flying in the air, are two thin dragons, one reddish and one dark greenish and both with orange manes. Their thin bodies are twisting, with limbs outstretched as they face one another. Their forelegs rip apart a small human figure whose intestines uncoil into the red dragon’s mouth. Their forelegs rip human’s chest has a bloody wound and his heart is shown falling out of the chest cavity and falling down toward two standing figures below. One figure is dark red and seems to have scales. Its back is to the viewer and its arms are outstretched as if readying itself to catch the falling heart.

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Ariana M @arianam.bsky.social · 31/12/2024

#ThangkaTuesday features a favorite #Buddhist master, Pema Lingpa (1450-1521), a treasure revealer from #Bhutan. Especially enthralling are the masterful details of the robes, throne, and cushions–dragons swirl, lotuses unfurl, and there's just auspiciousness everywhere. #buddhistart #painting

A painting in vertical format. At center is a cross-legged seated figure with a broad, round face, his features small and centered. He wears an elaborate red hat with the image of the sun and moon at center, and a finial element–specifically, a ritual implement called a dorje–extending from the crown. He wears many layers of garments, the innermost a Buddhist monastic garment with red edges folded across his chest, and partly visible is one sleeve of a maroon garment decorated with gold auspicious symbols. A yellow and red outer garment surrounds him and puddles around his crossed legs. He sits on an elaborate throne with snow lion decorations beneath it. In front is a low table covered with Buddhist ritual implements, and in front of that is a row of offerings, including gems, conch shells, elephant tusks, and other precious substances. The foreground and midground have green peaked mountains, and in the left bottom corner is a standing dark blue power deity surrounded in flames. At bottom right is a master practitioner with dark brown skin. He has a halo and wears a white inner garment, red meditation band, and has a rich red outer garment. A green halo surrounds the head of the main figure, as do white, pink, red, and orange lotus flowers in varying stages of bloom. The top corners have bodhisattva figures–a white four armed seated male figure at upper left, the embodiment of compassion, and a yellow two-armed seated male figure at upper right, who is the embodiment of wisdom.

Detail of the painting, showing the intricate details of the left side of the main figure's robes and the cushions and throne on which he sits. The fine brushwork includes vegetal, floral, and geometric patterns, as well as dragons and stylized rocks and water.

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Ariana M @arianam.bsky.social · 24/12/2024

Under the wire, it's #ThangkaTuesday, featuring yogis and yoginis in caves–special shout out to @andrewquintman.bsky.social, who suggested these siddhas. Machik Labdrön (11th c.) is our first focus. Renowned for her mastery of severance practice (གཅོད་), thangka reflect she was a regular retreatant.

A portion of a biographical painting showing a small female figure, a Buddhist master, sitting cross-legged in a cave together with five disciples as well as three ritual sculptures called torma. To the left, the same female master sits in front of a small ritual table with another torma and two offering implements, as a four armed deity appears above in a circle, indicating she is experiencing a direct vision of it, an act that further reinforces her high levels of meditative achievement.

Another painting detail in which Machik Labdron appears in three different caves and twice within a temple. The cave at left shows her in a red meditation band going across her body from her right shoulder. Three disciples sit in front of her as she is seated in a meditative position. The middle cave also includes a white tent form; Machik wears the same red band but is shown solo, raising a double sided drum with her right hand and holding a skull bowl in her left. Below, in a blue cave, she is shown seated sans adornment and implement, as two small devotees kneel with their hands raised in gestures of respect. In the golden-roofed temple at right, Machik sits alone in the upper level in a meditative posture. On the lower level, Machik is shown seated in mid-ritual, holding up a double sided drum and blowing into a thighbone trumpet, with three people surrounding her in gestures of respect.

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Ariana M @arianam.bsky.social · 17/12/2024

With grading done, it's finally the holiday break. Thus, this #ThangkaTuesday is dedicated to teeny tiny details of caves–sites of #Buddhist retreat, initiation, teaching, miracles, and treasures both revealed & concealed–and where nary an email is received.

A detail of a Tibetan painting showing a brown rock cave with blue and green outcroppings. At center, a seated Buddhist teacher wearing red and orange robes and a red pointed hat holds a rectangular Buddhist text and holds out his right hand in a gesture of discussion. Around him are nine monks, also wearing red and orange, who are smaller in size and thus less senior. The hatless monks have texts as well, and are in a range of postures–listening, discussion, reading, and debate.

A blue green cave has a red-hatted teacher sitting inside, holding a rectangular white text. Next to him is a small table with a gold vase. In front of him is a golden-complected person seated and leaning forward in a humilific position. A seated Buddha is to the right, who is looking at a white cloud, on which are several offering goddesses.

A monk wearing a red pointed scholar's hat is seated in a cave. His left hand holds a bell with the clapper pointed up, while his right hand holds a double sided drum. To his right is a small table with ritual implements and vessels, as is a table behind him. A multicolored fabric canopy hangs above him. He is looking toward a smaller scale female, who is a bright white color. She has two lotus flowers in her hair, and extends a skull cup towards the monk with her left hand while holding a devination arrow in her right.

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Ariana M @arianam.bsky.social · 10/12/2024

Kicking off #ThangkaTuesday with a work from the National Museum of #Bhutan, featuring the nation's founder, Zhabdrung Ngawang Namgyal (1594-1651), surrounded by previous incarnations and lineage figures, some of whom are conflated with bodhisattvas. Photo by Lobsang Norbu, NMB

A rectangular canvas in vertical format, painted with ground mineral pigments. At center is a figure in large scale, taking up about one third of the total painted surface. He is a Buddhist teacher of the Drukpa Kagyu tradition, wearing a red folded hat, a red meditation band crossing his body from the right shoulder, a pale red garment over his shoulders and left hand, and a red inner robe. A red and gold outer garment puddles around his seated body. Above him and around him are a series of bodhisattvas, shown in crowns and jewels, secular kings, and other monks and teachers. Directly above his head is the figure of the red Buddha of Longevity.

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Ariana M @arianam.bsky.social · 30/11/2024

Finishing up final lectures, featuring personal faves that get students talking–contemporary #Tibetan and #Himalayan artists who repurpose, revisit, and reimagine traditional #buddhist imagery and symbols. L: Karma Phuntsok's Natural Buddha (karmaart.com) R: Shrine at Sera Gon, by Dudul Dorjay

A contemporary painting showing a seated buddha with his right hand extended down to touch the earth. His left had holds a dark blue alms bowl. The buddha wears orange robes with a blue inner lining; his chest is bare and, like the rest of his body, is a luminous golden color, with the exception of reddish palms and soles, marks of physical beauty. Below the buddha is a lotus base, painted in bright orange, pink, green, and blue. Rich foliage surrounds the buddha–tropical plants, like palms and deciduous trees. Interspersed throughout the trees and air are animals and birds mostly found in Australia, including koala and cockatoo.

A Buddhist shrine from Gyantse Monastery in Tibet. At the center is a large clay sculpted buddha that wears orange silk robes donated by the faithful. Traditional white silk offering scarves hang from the buddha's offering bowl. Above him is a multicolored tapestry, and around him are sculpted golden and colorful throne elements, and two standing attendant figures wearing crowns, all of which show respect and honor. To the left is a sculpture of an aged figure, a sage seated in a rocky cave. Around the shrine are photos and reproductions of Buddhist teachers and on the left are some artificial flowers.

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Ariana M @arianam.bsky.social · 18/11/2024

Hello followers, who range from academics I know and/or admire to old friends with unexpected handles (looking at you, dandelion!), and a slew of new people. A heads up for what you'll find in my feed: details from traditional art, mostly #Buddhist, mostly #Himalayan

A detail from a traditional Tibetan Buddhist painting, showing four seated red- and yellow-clad monks near an ornate minty green table. Three are making offerings while one, larger in size and thus higher status, sits listening to a teacher. In the foreground, two artists are in the process of preparing their own thangka; one is working diligently on his canvas while the other scratches his head, perhaps perplexed by how to translate the teachings into visual form.

The entire composition, with the Buddhist monks below now appearing diminutive compared to the massive figure of the master, Situ Panchen Chokyi Jungle (1700-1774), in the act of giving instruction. At bottom right is a pond of lotuses and birds, while directly above Situ Panchen's head is Drolkar (White Tara), a deity central to his practice. At left is a long inscription in gold, full of prose describing Situ Panchen's acts of patronage, particularly those of paintings associated with the 11th century Buddhist text, the Wish-Fulfilling Vine.

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Ariana M @arianam.bsky.social · 11/11/2024

New starter pack: Art Historians of South Asia and the Himalaya. Niche for now, we need more colleagues #onhere, esp. those from the region. Please share names to add & encourage others. go.bsky.app/2cGRKRC #starterpack #SouthAsia #Himalaya #arthistory #visualculture #materialculture #academia

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Ariana M @arianam.bsky.social · 09/11/2024

And for those whose work focuses on South Asia, any culture, tradition, or discipline—though likely humanities and social sciences at its core go.bsky.app/BugNwc7 This list too is a work in progress; please comment to be added or suggest adds. #southasia #academia #asianstudies #humanities

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Ariana M @arianam.bsky.social · 09/11/2024

A Buddhist Studies Starter Pack is up and running! Envisioned as primarily academic, it’s also a place for librarians, publishers, and professional societies that work with Buddhist Studies to connect. It’s a work in progress—add and share widely. go.bsky.app/VQ843Yv #Buddhism #Buddhist #academia

The Sanchi stupa, a half dome-shaped reliquary surrounded by a circumambulatory path, is a pilgrimage site for Buddhists and tourist attraction for persons of all faiths.

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Ariana M @arianam.bsky.social · 08/11/2024

All in on BlueSky now & looking for the Buddhist Studies starter pack! And if I can’t find it, I’ll make it.

Bright sunshine streams upward from a greyish cloud, illuminating lighter clouds above

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Ariana M @arianam.bsky.social · 06/09/2024

A very happy #906day to all who celebrate

Small one foot waves emerge from turquoise, aqua, and jade hued water, rolling on to a sliver of white sand beach that stretches into the distance along the right side. Above, a large pis sky is dotted with cirrus clouds, and in the distance are sandstone bluffs nearly covered with conifer forest.

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