Unplug, step away from the chaos, and embark on a journey of self-knowledge and transformation with Awaken.

Awaken presents the Tibetan Buddhist path to enlightenment with 37 artworks from the 7th to the 21st century, drawn largely from the collections of the Rubin Museum of Art, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.

As you navigate the exhibition, you’ll learn how powerful artworks, such as sculptures, hanging scroll paintings, illuminated manuscript pages, and ritual items, help practitioners develop awareness and recognize that everything is interconnected. Inspired by the journey to awakening, you may begin to realize that your own perspective is changing and glimpse into what is known as the awakened state of mind.

Awaken: A Tibetan Buddhist Journey Toward Enlightenment is accompanied by a catalog, which further explores the artworks and the philosophical concepts discussed in the exhibition.

Awaken: A Tibetan Buddhist Journey Toward Enlightenment was originally curated by John Henry Rice, E. Rhodes and Leona B. Carpenter Curator of South Asian and Islamic Art, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, and Jeffrey Durham, Associate Curator of Himalayan Art, Asian Art Museum of San Francisco.