"This study of the sacred art of Tibet is the result of eight years of meticulous brush drawing, and a life-time spent researching and reflecting upon the inner and often hidden meanings and origins encapsulated in this most complex of iconographical traditions. Several thousand individual drawings arranged as a series of 169 plates illustrate the many variations in style and individual expression of these ritual objects. The text interweaves the origins, meanings and functions of these symbols, derived from India, Tibet and China, into a comprehensive tapestry within a Buddhist conceptual framework. This book will become a classic not only for all those interested in Tibetan religious culture, but for artists, designers and others who look eastwards in a search for meaning."--BOOK JACKET.