Lunch Time at The Rubin Museum.

What is better than spending an hour in a warm, small, yet rich temple-like museum, with Buddhas displayed all around you? And did you know there is a shrine and meditation room? YES.

The murals within the temple feature esoteric images and narratives. The gallery presents full-scale photographic reproductions of some of the murals. These state of the art facsimiles allow for an even view of the murals than currently possible by visiting the temple. Fridays after 6:00 pm is free. Enjoy!

Bodhisattvas are traditionally described as beings who aspire to attain enlightenment and help others to achieve it. They can be male or female and are portrayed adorned with crowns, jeweled ornaments, and garments of Indian royalty. The greatest of the bodhisattvas are near enlightenment and are regarded as deities with abilities nearly equal to those of buddhas. They can be identified by distinctive attributes that symbolize their particular enlightened qualities – such as the book and sword, representation of wisdom.

The Lukhang or “Temple of Water Spirits”, is located behind the famous Potala Palace in Lhasa and is sometimes referred to as the secret temple of the Dalai Lamas. It is dedicated to water related serpent deities (Sanskrit: naga; Tibetan: lu), reflected in its name. During the construction of the Potala Palace, a large pit where the building materials were dug out of the ground gradually filled with water. The Sixth Dalai Lama (1683 – 1706) built the temple on a small island at the center of this new lake in order to pacify its water spirits and local deities, who may have been distributed by the disruption of the earth. Oce a year public rituals of appeasement used to be performed at the site and participants would gather from all around Lhasa, bringing their offerings and partaking in the festivities.

Green Tara – One of the most beloved deities in Himalayan and Central Asian Buddhist traditions, Tara, known as the “savouriness”, is often appealed to through the recitation persons alike. It is said that reciting this mantra with devotion many times strengthens one’s connection to the female deity, solicits her protection, and accumulates merit, increasing positive karma.