Home Buddhist Altar, 2015

28, 29, 30. White Tara, Amitayus, Six-Syllable Lord of the World (Shadakshari Lokeshvara)

Amitayus (Center), China, Qing dynasty, 18th century; gilt bronze; H. 7 1/8 in.; The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, Vassar College, Gift of Daniele Selby ’13, 2014.31.4.

White Tara (Left), Sino-Tibetan, 19th century; bronze with cold gold and inlays; H. 7 in.; The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, Vassar College, Gift of Daniele Selby ’13, 2014.31.1.

Six-Syllable Lord of the World (Shadakshari Lokeshvara) (Right), Tibet, 18th century; gilt bronze; H. 5 3/4 in.; The Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center, Vassar College, Gift of Daniele Selby ’13, 2014.31.3.

Home Buddhist Altar, 2015

Home Buddhist Altar, 2015.

Lay Buddhist practitioners often set up a home altar as a focus for daily offerings and meditative activities. In this photograph, the personal altar has both painted and sculptural representations of Buddha Shakyamuni at the highest levels; Shadakshari Lokeshvara sits on the top shelf to the Buddha’s right. Other bodhisattvas are placed below, and the symbolic substances on the lowest level indicate homage to the enlightened principles that the figures on the altar represent.