The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs

If you are looking for beautiful, black and white line drawings of Tibetan (and Chinese) art then this book is for you. The book has 169 plates (some plates have over 40 pieces/objects) accompanied by a detailed explanation of its origins, meanings, and uses. The plates/objects are crisp and clear, which make is easy to...umm..."study" (all text and illustrations are protected by copyright law, of course.)Included in this book are:Landscape elementsFlowers and treesAnimals (with the beautifully intense snow-lion)Narrative subjects (Four Friends)Cosmology (with a beautiful full-page astrological diagram)Mudras (postures of hands and feet)The Chakravartin and his Seven Precious PossessionsAuspicious symbols (endless knots, golden fishes, et. al.)Various peaceful offerings (covers 55 different Gzi stones)The Wheel of Sharp WeaponsWrathful offering, tormas, and Ritual Fire HearthsGeometric borders, patterns, designs, and motifs (more plates than any other chapter!)Robert Beer does a phenomenal job of researching, collecting, and illustrating Tibetan sacred art. The book is printed on the highest quality paper giving you the best images possible.If you are simply studying or researching Tibetan art, or as I am, designing a Tibetan tattoo, this book is for you. It is easy to use, fully explained, and a great all-around reference. I HIGHLY recommend this book.

This book is not only an incredible collection of art, it is also wonderfully explanitory. R. Beer tells the mythos and history behind each set of images in a logical and easy to read format. I only wish that it was in full color (rather than just black and white); however, the author gives full details of how each image is traditionally coloured.I -highly- recommend this book to anyone who is interested in Tibetan culture.

Other reviewers have praised the usefulness of this beautiful book for those interested in Tibetan Religious Art and Vajrayana Buddhism. No doubt the efforts of this author to make this most complex of traditions more accessible and intelligible deserves our gratitude. However I would like to particularly point to the artistic quality of the plates. Today in the time of computer graphics and push-button reproduction of images, it is hard to find anyone under the age of 70 who has taken the care to acquire artistic skill and apply it as Robert Beer has done. The plates in this book are all originally composed, not just copied. They are accomplished by drawing with the finest imaginable brush and ink (no computerized improvements here). In other words, we are talking a labor of love which is also a masterpiece. Each plate yields new detail and delight on each viewing. I write this to tempt those who are not devotees of Eastern religion but are lovers of fine art to invest. It will yield hours of pleasure in the seeeing for the rest of your life.

I would like to recommend this book to anyone who is seriously interested in practising Vajrayana Buddhism, as it accurately decribes and illustrates every ritual item. Appropriate guidance is given throughout the book in terms of usage, purpose and source of origin for each motif. A treasure to be kept before it vanishes from this world.

Robert Beer's book is a feast, a master work. I will turn to it time and time again. No practicing Tibetan Buddhist should be without this in her library. Thank you so much, Mr. Beer for what you have given us. As I was reading your book, I was looking at my thankgas more closely than I ever have before, understanding them in ways I never could before.