Some authors make a distinction between unconditional love and conditional love. ( September 2012) ( Learn how and when to remove this template message) Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Please help improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. It is this path of compassion that leads to true happiness and enlightenment.This section does not cite any sources. Soon I discovered that just as in Christianity, in Buddhism the source, the starting point, the path to true freedom and happiness is love, in this case a love called ‘compassion’ which is defined as an active striving to free all beings, including ourselves, from suffering. Prompted by the smiles on their faces, I read all that I could about Buddhism and especially Tibetan Buddhism. In my childhood I had seen such smiles of ecstasy on the faces of the statues and paintings of Jesus, our Blessed Lady, the angels and the saints and I had learnt that the central message of Christianity is love, an unselfish, all-encompassing love, an unconditional giving of oneself to God and one’s fellow-beings that appears foolish to many, but which in reality brings a freedom, joy and wealth of spirit that no material objects could possibly bring. To me, these were not foolish, empty smiles, but rather smiles that reflected an inner freedom, peace and joy, while also bringing peace and joy to the hearts and minds of their beholders. The first of these was the compassionate smiles that radiated from the faces of many of the statues of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, saints and lamas that I saw. " Looking back over forty years ago to when I began to form the collection, it was a combination of things that drew me towards Tibetan Buddhist and related art. As for the reasons behind his collecting journey, here are the words by the collector himself: Interestingly, despite being drawn to Tibetan Buddhist art, he is a devoted Roman Catholic. The collector is an Irish-American who has spent most of his life living among the Chinese. Nyingjei Lam, meaning 'the Path of Compassion', is a renowned collection in the Buddhist art circle. Indeed, over a lifetime Milarepa is famously credited with composing one-hundred-thousand songs.Ī thangka depicting episodes from the life of Milarepa, Eastern Tibet, 18th century | Another lot from the collection of Nyingjei Lam, Sold: US$2.54 millionĪt this sale of Himalayan art, eight lots came from the collection of Nyingjei Lam, including the abovementioned silver figure and a thangka depicting episodes from the life of Milarepa (see photo above). In the hope of purifying his actions, he turned to Buddhist path and gained acceptance as a full-fledged disciple under the guidance of Tibetan master Marpa.Īfter years of difficult apprenticeship with Marpa, he finally attained his long-sought goal of spiritual awakening, and henceforth praised his beloved guru in song and verse. In order to seek revenge, Milarepa began to study black magic, murdering thirteen-something people attending a wedding feast at their relative's house. Then, at his mother’s insistence, he unleashed a powerful storm across his homeland, destroying the village's crops just as they were about to be reaped.Ī kind-hearted man to the core, Milarepa was overwhelmed by remorse and came to regret his terrible crimes. Unfortunately, when he turned seven, his father passed away, and all their properties were stripped by Milarepa's uncle and aunt. Milarepa was born into an affluent family in western Tibet, where he and his younger sister were raised with love and lived with his parents in a mansion that had many servants. There are numerous books and movies about the life of Milarepa Yet, before devoting himself to Buddhism and spiritual practice, Milarepa was in fact a teenage murderer who had committed crimes. Up to the present, there are numerous books and movies about the life of the saint. Milarepa (1038-1122) remains one of Tibet’s most charismatic saints, whose biography has inspired generations of devotees. He was best known as a Tibetan Buddhist master, a yogin, and a spirtual singer-poet. Henry Howard-Sneyd is Chairman of Asian Art, Europe and Americas based between London and New York, and the house's lead auctioneer globally in Asian Art – though the present sale was carried out by his colleague. After fees, it sold for US$2.1 million to a telephone bidder with paddle number L0027 represented by Henry Howard-Sneyd. Opening on a bid of US$1 million, the present lot was hammered after seven bids for US$1.7 million. Sale: Indian and Himalayan Art, including Masterpieces from the Nyingjei Lam Collection Lot 108 | The Nyingjei Lam parcel-gilt silver and gilt-copper figure of Milarepa
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