The imagery of Tibetan tantric symbolism is potent and often shocking to those unfamiliar with the meanings of Buddhist art. In this podcast Professor Thurman explores how art is used in Buddhist Cultures as a way to stimulate the mind to develop the imagination needed to conceive of enlightenment & Buddhahood.

Using selections from the Tibet House US Repatriation + MET Collections Professor Thurman details the rituals, rites, and texts involved in the quest for spiritual detachment from the corporal body.

This recording is an excerpt from the Annual Lecture on South and Southeast Asian Art talk “Ritual in Contemplation: Text and Tools in Tantric Buddhism” given at The Metropolitan Museum in 2012.