Tsepakmé, the Buddha of Unlimited Life, 19th century. Distemper on cloth, Eastern Tibet style. Maker(s) not known by WCMA. The Jack Shear Collection of Himalayan Art

Watch the program here:

In this talk, held in conjunction with the exhibition Across Shared Waters: Contemporary Artists in Dialogue with Tibetan Art from the Jack Shear Collection, Georges Dreyfus will explain the theory that is behind the deities that one finds on Tibetan Thangka paintings.

He will also briefly touch on their ritual use; however, he will mostly focus on the tantric practices that they aim to depict and support. The talk will last about 45 minutes with time for Q&A from the audience afterwards.

Georges Dreyfus spent fifteen years in Buddhist monasteries before receiving in 1985 the title of Geshe, the highest degree conferred by Tibetan monastic universities. He is currently professor of religion of the Department of Religion at Williams College. He has published several books, including The Sound of Two Hands Clapping: The Education of a Tibetan Buddhist Monk, and many articles on various aspects of Buddhist philosophy and Tibetan culture.