The exhibition displays different types of mandalas including paintings, three-dimensional works, portable mandalas, and ritual objects that are related to mandala ceremonies. The mandala, a Sanskrit word meaning “circle,” is one of Himalayan Buddhism's most ubiquitous symbols, is created as an artistic aid for meditation. Depicting a realm that is both complex and sacred, the mandala is a visualization tool meant to advance practitioners toward a state of enlightenment.
While many of the works in the exhibition are from the collection of the Rubin Museum of Art in New York, the show also includes masterpieces from other museums and private collections from around the world, including the Kimbell Art Museum, the American Museum of Natural History, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Ethnographic Museum of the University of Zurich, and the Namgyal Monastery in Dharamsala, India.