The #WinterSolstice may be the darkest day of the year, but it also marks the return of light. ☀️ Starting tomorrow, our days grow a little longer and brighter. This sculpture shows Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche) in his manifestation Rays of the Sun (Nyima Oser). Legend tells that after five years of practice in a charnel ground, he cleared away fear and darkness through sheer spiritual power, like sunlight breaking through the night. Look closely: he’s seated as a tantric practitioner on an animal hide, with a radiant sun—Nyima Oser’s signature attribute—hovering above his left shoulder. ________ Nyima Oser, One of the Eight Manifestations of Padmasambhava; Tibet; 18th century; gilt copper alloy; Rubin Museum of Art; gift of the Shelley & Donald Rubin Foundation; F1997.31.22 (HAR 700022) #WinterSolstice #HimalayanArt #RubinMuseum