The Dalai Lama's Secret Temple

by Ian A. Baker, Dalai Lama XIV (Introduction), Thomas Laird (Preface)

The chapel was reserved exclusively for the Dalai Lamas as a place of meditation and spiritual retreat, and for centuries the murals guided them in mystical contemplation. On a willow-covered island in a sacred pond behind Tibet’s Potala Palace is a pagoda-roofed temple that was built in the eighteenth century. Unknown artists created a series of mysterious paintings on the walls of the temple’s private chapel, and these masterpieces of Tibetan art are reproduced in this extraordinary publication. The chapel was reserved exclusively for the Dalai Lamas as a place of meditation and spiritual retreat, and for centuries the murals guided them in mystical contemplation. At the heart of the book are 150 color photographs of the murals and their temple by Thomas Laird. Ian Baker’s text places these remarkable works within their historical and cultural perspective and is augmented by accounts from other Tibetan sources. A special feature of the book is an introduction and quotations by Tenzin Gyatso, the Fourteenth Dalai Lama. 150 full-color photographs and 33 black-and-white illustrations

Genres: Buddhism, Art, Spirituality

216 pages, Paperback

First published October 1, 2000

Reviews

[Mahmoud Awad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Pros:
+ Annotations provided, in English and their original Tibetan!
+ Bodhisattvas of the Eastern mural listed, numbered, and extremely well-organized in the text.
+ Surprisingly interesting commentary on the peculiarities of the 5th Dalai Lama and pre-Buddhist Bon religion.
+ Concise, simple English assessment of the esoteric traditions. Would make a very serviceable supplement for Intro to Buddhism course-load.

Cons:
- Plates detailing North and Western murals are challenging to follow sequentially. A legend in the character of the Eastern mural would be useful - but given the exquisite attention to detail in the mural-maps after each chapter heading, this may a trivial concern.

[Lindsay Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book reveals the secret wall paintings inside the Dalai Lama's secret meditation chamber in Tibet's Potala Palace - paintings never before seen outside of inner Tibetan Buddhist practice. Long kept secret, the Dalai Lama indicates that he believes it is now time to release these images to the world with the hope that they will speed the enlightenment of all serious practitioners. The paintings printed and explained in the book are no less than revelatory to anyone who has studied the Tibetan Buddhist tradition deeply.

[Nigel_s · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just like the Caves of Elephanta, Ian Baker decodes one of the worlds most enchanting places. A place where only the most enlightened of Tibetan Buddhist monks would be allowed to visit.