The Primordial Buddha Vajradhara

Tibet

Not on view

The Buddha Vajradhara is a divine manifestation of the totality of Buddhist teachings and is credited with being the source of the Buddhist tantric texts. Here, he holds a vajra and a bell that symbolizes energy (male) and emptiness (female). This sculpture is remarkable for the many surviving original inset pieces of turquoise and semiprecious stones and for the silver wire inlay in his dhoti (loincloth). These components indicate his divine status and evoke the crystalline nature of the heaven where he resides.

The Primordial Buddha Vajradhara, Gilt copper alloy with inlaid silver filaments, turquoise, and semiprecious stones, Tibet

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The Primordial Buddha Vajradhara, Gilt copper alloy with inlaid silver filaments, turquoise, and semiprecious stones, Tibet
The Primordial Buddha Vajradhara, Gilt copper alloy with inlaid silver filaments, turquoise, and semiprecious stones, Tibet
The Primordial Buddha Vajradhara, Gilt copper alloy with inlaid silver filaments, turquoise, and semiprecious stones, Tibet
The Primordial Buddha Vajradhara, Gilt copper alloy with inlaid silver filaments, turquoise, and semiprecious stones, Tibet

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