Jigme31 Dec 2024
Pravira Tara, the Heroine [1/21]
Pravira Tara swiftly dispels obstacles and hostile forces while accomplishing a variety of enlightened activities.
Mālā
Every recited mantra is a seed of goodness sown. Mālā helps you cultivate this garden of the mind, allowing peace to blossom amidst the chaos of daily life.
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Heritage
Sơn Son in the flow of Vajrayana.
As in centuries past — when Kaundinya brought Buddhism into our country and let it harmonize with the culture of the ancient Vietnamese — Vajrayana Buddhism is finding its way, step by step, into the quiet beauty of Vietnamese temples. In this current, SonMani offers traditional Vietnamese lacquer as a living vocabulary for the thangka.
Wisdom
The Encyclopedia of
Tibetan Symbols and Motifs
169plates12chapters512pages
This study of the sacred art of Tibet is the fruit of eight years of patient painting and a lifetime of reflection on the origin and the hidden meaning held within each line — drawn out of one of the great visionary traditions of humankind. Thousands of individual details are composed into 169 plates, figuring the ritual implements and the stylized forms in which they appear. The contents read like a luminous tapestry, woven from the origin, the meaning and the use of these symbols — sourced from India, Tibet and China — on the loom of Buddhist wisdom.
A classic for those who love Tibet, for painters and designers, and for every seeker turning Eastward in search of the meaning of a life.
- Author
- Robert Beer
- Translator
- Jigme— translated and annotated
Documentary
Vāsanā
An independent documentary on “karmic imprint” (vāsanā). The film follows people who seem worlds apart — separated by time zones and thousands of kilometres — yet bound powerfully together by the wisdom of Buddhism and a love of art.
Why do we venture forth and sacrifice so much to follow our intuition?
Is there an invisible thread that links and drives us all?
What is the true meaning of this life?
The documentary is a tribute to the artists Robert Beer and his partner Gill Farrer-Halls, as well as to the Vajrayana artists and practitioners in Nepal and India. It carries multiple layers of meaning and messages — addressing questions of faith, perseverance, humanity, and the strength to overcome adversity.
This is also the next step in our journey of “a mix of passion and insanity.” In the challenging conditions of an independent project, we take on various roles and fully self-fund the production.
Articles
Essence. Wisdom. Passion.
SonMani curates, translates, and brings you compelling knowledge of tradition, history, and art.
Jigme31 Dec 2024
21 Manifestations of Tara
There are three main traditions depicting the 21 manifestations of Tara: the Atisha, the Longchenpa, and the Suryagupta tradition.
Jigme30 Dec 2024
Tara, The Divine Saviouress
Tara is a compassionate deity, rescuing sentient beings to escape the ocean of samsara and reach the shore of liberation.