The Art of Awakening

Praise

“The Art of Awakening is the one book that every student of Tibetan art, aspiring tangka painter, and Vajrayana practitioner really should have. Vast in its scope and authenticity, this definitive work by master artist Konchog Lhadrepa and his student Charlotte Davis is a phenomenal repository of knowledge on all aspects of Tibetan art and its practice. This is the book I always hoped to write but never did, and instead can learn so much from it. For this is a masterwork of the purest Dharma, which I pray will be translated into many different languages.”—Robert Beer, author and illustrator of The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs

“The Art of Awakening is a comprehensive guide for those wishing to learn about the rich tradition of Tibetan tangka painting. In particular, this book is an essential resource for those wishing to know the inside meanings involved in the creation of a tangka painting, and the key elements of dharma practice that are essential for the aspiring tangka painter. In this day and age when the growing commercialization of perfunctory tangka paintings is ever increasing, Konchog Lhadrepa and Charlotte Davis’ contribution to the preservation of an authentic tradition of sacred art is admirable.”
—Pema Namdol Thaye, master artist and author of Tibetan Thanka Painting: Portrayal of Mysticism

“Sacred art is an element of the spiritual path. For the artist, every day of his or her work should help him or her to progress a few steps further on such a path. For the other practitioners who see their art and benefit from it, sacred art is a support for meditation, a blessing and a visual representation that ‘liberates by seeing’ just as sacred music liberates through hearing, the blessing of a spiritual master liberates through touch, imbibing sacred substances liberates by taste, and meditation liberates by thought. ‘Liberate’ here means to liberate from the bondage of the five mental poisons, which destroy inner peace—hatred, covetousness, ignorance, pride, and jealousy.”
—Matthieu Ricard, author of Happiness

“Preserving the sacred arts is part of the preservation of the dharma.”—Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche, author of The Great Medicine That Conquers Clinging to the Notion of Reality