Tibetan Buddhism, with its vast pantheon of peaceful and wrathful deities, presents a rich and often bewildering visionary world, one that is obviously infused with profound esoteric meaning and artistic allusion. But what does it all mean, and how can the uninitiated Western viewer begin to understand it?

Robert Beer has studied and practiced Tibetan thangka painting for thirty-five years and is recognized as one of the world's leading experts in the field. In this deck of 48 cards he illustrates and explains, through detailed line drawings and lucid text, some of the core attributes of Tibetan Buddhist art, such as auspicious symbols and offerings, cosmological elements, mythical creatures, ritual implements and weapons, and hand gestures, or mudras. The words and images are excerpted from Beer's classic Handbook of Tibetan Buddhist Symbols (Shambhala/Serindia, 2003).

48 Cards, Size: 3 1/4 x 4", $9.95