ThistibetanBuddhawascraftedoutofmetalalloyandhastracesofgild.

Theobjectshowsthe
Buddhatouchingtheground,whichtheRubinMuseumsaysisreferringtothemomentjust
beforehisenlightenmentwhenhecalledtheearthtowitnesstheimpendingmomentofhisfull
awakeningtothenatureofreality.TheobjecthasBuddhassignaturecranialprotuberanceand
elongatedearlobes.

Cymbalsareusedduringceremoniesandritualdances,andplayedavarietyofways.Thispair
ofdomedcymbals,orrolmo,arecraftedoutofMetalalloyandthehandlesfrombluesilk
ceremonialscarves,orkhadak,usedfrequentlybyMongolianBuddhists..Theyoriginatedin
Mongoliaandareusuallyaccompaniedbydrums.


Craftedoutofpigmentandcloth,thisTibetanpaintingtellsjatakatales,ortalesofBuddha's
pastlives.Theyarepresentedassmallvignettesandarrangedaroundacentralimageofthe
Buddha.Landscapeelementsareusedtovisuallyseparatethetales.Thepaintingtraditionally
includesthestoriesoftheBuddhaspreviouslivesasabodhisattva,king,merchant,andanimal.
ThescenesintheupperrightcornerofthispaintingdepictwhentheBuddha,inhislifeasan
elephant,savedagroupofstarvingwanderersintheforestbysacrificinghisbody,hurling
himselfoveraledgefortheirsustenance.