COVER by Romio Shrestha

White Tara: The Divine Mother (multimedia painting on scroll). Romio Shrestha is a master in the artistic traditions of Nepal and Tibet. He directs a school of artisan-craftsmen in the Katmandu valley of Nepal. White Tara, as well as the cover of this month’s Gift Guide, Avalokiteshvara: The Vision of Selflessness, are part of a collection of scroll paintings reproduced in the art book Celestial Gallery. Shrestha and his team of artisan monks use hand-ground malachite, lapis, and marigolds–at times painting with three hairs of a cat’s tail.

Described as the “Mother of all Buddhas,” White Tara functions as a savior and protector. In her left hand she holds a lotus, symbolizing the mind’s innate purity. Her right hand is extended in a gesture bestowing good fortune. On both palms, as well as on the soles of her feet, are eyes of transcendent wisdom. On the Gift Guide’s cover, Avalokiteshvara wears the robes of a bodhisattva, a celestial being who returns to the world to bring others into the realm of enlightenment.

For more information about Shrestha’s work and the book Celestial Gallery, which is available in bookstores in February, contact the distributor, Ten Speed Press, at (800) 688-2218, the publisher at www.mandala.org, or Devi Jacobs at www.devijuice.com.