Yoga and Meditation

It was in the 6th and 5th centuries BCE that Buddhist art was implemented in the Indian subcontinent to document the life of Gautama Buddha. Throughout Asia the dharma of the Buddhist of the religion spread and developed as it came into contact with the various cultures in its path. Practitioners and artists who created Tibetan art used a style that is known as aniconic, which was the use of Buddhist symbology and iconography without the actual use of the image of the human figure. In the first century CE, the human appearance of the Buddha started to become prominent in the Tibetan art at the time and this practice continues even unto this modern day. Buddhist art followed the believers in the Buddhist religion wherever it developed throughout all of Asia, in every Buddhist temple.

The art of Tibet has always been thought of as religious in nature, particularly that of Buddhist art in Tibet and all over the rest of Asia and the ancient Himalayan kingdoms like Bhutan, Nepal and Ladakh.

The Tibetan Buddhist art that was created previous to the middle of the twentieth century was steeped in traditional techniques and devoted to the vision of sacred iconography. Not only are the works of these early Tibetan Buddhist artists festooned with the central topics of philosophy and spirituality, they were also dedicated in showing the energy of the aesthetics that Tibetan Buddhist art was known for as it came into eminence during the growth of the various schools of Buddhism all over Asia and the regions it influenced with its presence over the years.

In the fourth century saw the emergence of the Mahayana Buddhist influence. This particular influence emphasized those who wished to forgo achieving Nirvana in order to help those others in need. The deity Chenrezig is commonly depicted as a thousand armed deity with a single eye in each hand in the Tibetan art of this Buddhist influence.

Another great influence in Tibetan Buddhist art is the Tantric influence, its main symbol being the diamond thunderbolt. Tantric influence art is most often depicted as having many gods with angry faces that actually represent guardians of those who are dedicated to the practice and teaching of Tantric Buddhism and the purging of negative thoughts.

The in the Himalayas, a religion with shamanistic foundations known as Bon brings to Tibetan Buddhist art a wide variety of local gods. These local deities are often depicted in Tibetan temples along with statues of the Buddha. These shamanistic gods were once considered harmful, but are now subjugated and in the service of Buddha.

A great variety of techniques are used in Buddhist meditation in order to achieve mindfulness, concentration and the promotion of well being. Ancient texts were set down by priests and other practitioners of Buddhism to preserve the core techniques that are passed between teachers and pupils.

As Tibetan Buddhist art flourished it had a great influence on the development of art in the Hindu religion. In the tenth century Buddhism nearly disappeared from India due to the brisk expansion of Islam along with Hinduism in India.