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of art , a world diametrically opposed to the cold , materialistic world controlled by Wall Street and the election campaign we have just left behind before entering the museum . Here , at the Rubin Museum , we find ourselves immersed in the silent and profound domain of our soul and mind , offered another journey meant to transform us into the embodiment of the divine , leading us to enlightenment , supreme awareness , necessary for the attainment of inner peace . That this spiritual journey is offered to us by way of the most exquisite visualization of beauty and harmony is a testimony to the utmost importance of beauty and art in achieving enlightenment in Himalayan culture We work our way down the spiral staircase to the tankras and mandalas of the 5 floor , and down to the 4 floor , with its rich display of paintings and hanging scrolls depicting monsters , beheaded bodies and mangled corpses . Strangely enough , each severed head is a metaphor for goodness : the annihilation of hatred , anger , vengeance and greed , an overcoming of negative emotions and transforming the dark side of our mind in order to gain release from our inner demons , needed to reach peace of mind , something that we in the West expect from psychotherapy . These works are the rich visualizations of our never-ending battle to overcome our negative emotions and human limitations . Yes , this is another world by every measure . The works of art are not , as in the West , meant to function as a self-expression or manifestation of an individual artist ' s creative force - none of the works is signed - but to awaken a direct and immediate experience in the mind to help one grow closer to higher awareness , and enlightenment . Rubin Museum of Art ( RMA ) 1 50 West 1 7 St . at 7 Ave . New York City www . rmanyc . org Lama ( Teacher ) - Karmapa 9 , Wangchung Dorje , Tibet , bronze , Collection of Rubin Museum of Art
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