The Berndt Museum presents

The Light Within

14 September – 9 December 2023

The Berndt Museum holds the largest public collection of Tibetan thangkas in Australia.

The thangka is a sacred scroll painting originating from India 2,000 years ago. These ritual objects sacred to Buddhists travelled with monks across the Himalayas into Tibet and Bhutan where they have been used for centuries. Traditionally they depict Buddhist teachings and ancient historical events and are used for ritual and meditation. 

The Light Within, presents a single thangka,Guru Rinpoche Padmasambhava with Tutelary Deities, which was collected by Ronald and Catherine Berndt in 1952-53. This complemented with a public program of meditation and discussion presenting a rare opportunity to view this religious consecrated object within its intended context.

Image:

Guru Rinpoche Padmasambhava with Tutelary Deities, Collection of Ronald & Catherine Berndt (1994/0686)

Photograph Lyle Branson courtesy of the Berndt Museum