Review by Jerry Cullum, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, February 26, 2004...

VIZARTS: WHEN BUDDHISTS FLY

REVIEW: The Flying Mystics of Tibetan Buddhism

LONG BEFORE COMIC BOOK superheroes, there were tales of people who could fly. A century or so ago, Tibet's stories of flying monks and mystics became part of the lore, especially in pulp fiction. Now we can see the real thing, or at least the real art, in Oglethorpe University Museum's "The Flying Mystics of Tibetan Buddhism."

Fans of curator/writer Glenn Mullin's intelligently entertaining approach to Tibetan culture will take delight in this show's wall text, as Mullin tells stories most of us have never heard and compares one mystic to Bob Hope. Art historians will observe that he also explains (briefly) the styles of the art, as well as telling the stories behind it.

But the stories are charmers. Those of us adding to the national epidemic of obesity might note that the Buddha reportedly told an overweight disciple that he had been a huge, greedy sea monster in a previous life. When the other monks expressed skepticism, the Buddha sat one of them on his shoulders and fast-flew him off for an aerial view of the giant creature's skeleton.

Those who remember the flying mystical couples of last year's "The Female Buddha" show at Oglethorpe will be delighted with an exquisite, understated painting that features the mystic Ghantapada and his female sexual consort. Mullin notes that Tibetans have reproduced the image often, "perhaps as an ode to the magic of love . . . and of course the celebration of the human ability to fly."

There's lots more, even though this is a smaller show than "The Female Buddha." There are a few sculptures of flying divinities more like angels than miraculous mystics. But many paintings portray historical individuals, such as the eighth-century mystic Padma Sambhava, who reputedly flew on numerous occasions. The Buddha's own supernormal feats, flying included, are celebrated in a major festival.

Stories like this are much rarer in our history, where only a few saints and magicians are said to have engaged in ancient aerial acrobatics. We cherish our comic-book superheroes precisely because they can do things we do only in our dreams. Tibetan Buddhism, on the other hand, suggests that flight is just an offhand benefit of spiritual attainment. It may require equal spiritual attainment to be able to see it happen.

So how much of this is real? As in all questions involving Tibet, the answer may depend on what you mean by "real."

The artwork is real. Go look. You may find yourself swept off your feet.