Past Exhibitions 2019

The Second Buddha: Master of Time

Artist Unknown (Tibet), Padmasambhava, 19th century, pigment on cloth, 28 ¼ x 20 inches, image courtesy of the Rubin Museum of Art

Installation view, The Second Buddha: Master of Time, Tang Teaching Museum, 2019

Artist Unknown (Tibet), Padmasambhava, 15th century, silver, gilt copper alloy with inlays of turquoise and coral, image courtesy of the Rubin Museum of Art

Artist Unknown (Tibet), Padmasambhava as Guru Drakpo, 15th century, pigment on cloth, 25 ¾ x 21 inches, image courtesy of the Rubin Museum of Art

Installation view, The Second Buddha: Master of Time, Tang Teaching Museum, 2019, photo by Chris Massa

Artist Unknown (Tibet), Padmasambhava as Loden Choksé, 17th century, silk appliqué, 84 1/8 x 71 5/8 inches, image courtesy of the Rubin Museum of Art

Artist Unknown (Tibet), Eight Manifestations of Padmasambhava, 16th century, copper alloy, image courtesy of the Rubin Museum of Art

Artist Unknown (Central Tibet), Padmasambhava (detail), 18th century, pigment on cloth, 68 7/8 x 39 ¼ inches, Rubin Museum of Art, gift of Shelley and Donald Rubin

Artist Unknown (Tibet), Ritual Dagger (kīla; purpa), circa 14th century, ebony, ivory with pigment, 12 ¼ x 3 ¼ x 3 ¼ inches, Rubin Museum of Art, gift of Carlton and Holly Rochell in honor of Donald Rubin

Artist Unknown (Kham Province, Eastern Tibet), Padmasambhava with Lineage Teachers (detail), 19th century, pigment on cloth, 53 x 29 ¾ x ½ inches, image courtesy of the Rubin Museum of Art

The Second Buddha: Master of Time presents the story of the legendary Indian Buddhist master Padmasambhava. Also known as “The Lotus-born,” “Precious Guru” (Guru Rinpoche), or “The Second Buddha,” Padmasambhava is widely credited with bringing Buddhism to the Tibetan lands. The ancient legends of Padmasambhava have transcended vastly different periods and cultures, carrying as they do universal messages about the power of human emotions, human achievement and triumph over adversity, self-transformation, impermanence, and the nonlinear nature of time. Legend holds that Padmasambhava was an enlightened being, capable of seeing through time to predict troubled times in the future. In order to aid future generations, he hid his teachings, known as hidden treasure teachings (terma), throughout the Tibetan lands for his disciples to discover.

The Second Buddha explores the visual and material world centered on Padmasambhava through sculpture, Tibetan scroll paintings (thangkas), textiles, and manuscripts from the 13th through 19th centuries. The exhibition will also include interactive tablets with augmented reality technology that visitors can use to further explore the artworks and discover the past, present and projected teachings of Padmasambava.

The exhibition is accompanied by a richly-illustrated publication co-produced with the Rubin Museum, featuring essays by Benjamin Bogin, Associate Professor of Asian Studies at Skidmore College; Lewis Doney, Research Associate at the Centre of Buddhist Studies at the SOAS University of London; Daniel A. Hirshberg, Assistant Professor of Religious Studies at the University of Mary Washington; and Elena Pakhoutova, Rubin Museum Curator of Himalayan Art.

The Second Buddha: Master of Time is presented by the Rubin Museum of Art and the Tang Teaching Museum and Art Gallery at Skidmore College. The exhibition is curated by Rubin Museum Curator of Himalayan Art Elena Pakhoutova and organized for the Tang Museum by Assistant Director for Curatorial Affairs and Malloy Curator Rachel Seligman. Support for the exhibition is made possible in part by Bob and Lois Baylis, Barbara Bowman, Lisina M. Hoch, E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Foundation, Friends of the Tang, Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, the Ellen Bayard Weedon Foundation, and contributors to the Rubin Museum 2017 and 2018 Exhibitions Fund.

The Second Buddha Programming

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Exhibition Name

The Second Buddha: Master of Time

Exhibition Type

Group Exhibitions

Place

Wachenheim Gallery

Dates

Feb 9, 2019 - May 19, 2019

Curators

The Second Buddha: Master of Time is curated by Rubin Museum Curator of Himalayan Art Elena Pakhoutova and is organized for the Tang Museum by Assistant Director for Curatorial Affairs and Malloy Curator Rachel Seligman.