Chakrasamvara and Vajravarahi

Tibet

On view at The Met Fifth Avenue in Gallery 253

Chakrasamvara and his consort, Vajravarahi was a favored subject for visualization in Tibetan Buddhism, as experienced by an advanced tantric master meditating upon the Chakrasamvara Tantra text. The couple, seen standing in sexual embrace, are key deities in the Vajrayana system, uniting two of the most powerful ideas in esoteric Buddhism, wisdom, embodied in Vajravarahi, and compassion, the essence of Chakrasamvara. His name, which translates as Circle of Bliss, embodies the powerful union of these two fundamentals tenets of Buddhism. Chakrasamvara tramples beneath his feet the wrathful forms of Shiva and Parvati, Bhairava and Kalaratri, symbolizing the removal of such obstacles to the Buddhist pathway.

Chakrasamvara and Vajravarahi, Gilt bronze with inlaid turquoise, Tibet

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Chakrasamvara and Vajravarahi, Gilt bronze with inlaid turquoise, Tibet
Chakrasamvara and Vajravarahi, Gilt bronze with inlaid turquoise, Tibet
Chakrasamvara and Vajravarahi, Gilt bronze with inlaid turquoise, Tibet

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