The Medicine Buddha made twelve vows about how he would help living beings after attaining enlightenment.  The holistic healing of  the mind and body was an important focus of his vows: he promised to help eradicate pain, disease, and disabilities of all kinds, as well as promote good health and optimal flourishing. This particular representation of the Medicine Buddha comes from a beautiful artwork by Vietnamese-born UK artist Leslie Nguyen Temple. A one of a kind piece that mixes painting with ancient techniques of silk brocade appliqué.  

Along with this image of the Buddha, we pulled together images of serenity that come from our days on the Tibetan Plateau. The calming blue of the holy lakes surrounded by white capped mountains, the electric blue found in the prayer flags scattered to the four winds, the wooden roofs in many homes that are painted blue to echo the color of the bright sky, the blue of Lapis Lazuli, the precious stone with its healing power (often used in traditional thanka painting in a sandy form as the color of total awareness) and the blue of azurite used to dye wool to weave Tibetan carpets.             

We also looked at some of our favorite Tibetan contemporary artists and added details for their artworks: the face of a deity by Tülku Jhamyang, the powerful eye of Rabkar Wangchuk and the delicate blue peony of Nyima Dhondup.