What role do saints play in Buddhist traditions? Art collector Tenzin Tethong discusses this subject with Donald Lopez, Professor of Buddhist Studies at the University of Michigan. In his new book Seeing the Sacred in Samsara: An Illustrated Guide to the Eighty-Four Mahāsiddhas, Dr. Lopez presents a series of full-color paintings of each of the eighty-four Indian mahasiddhas, tantric Buddhist saints known for their supernatural powers, esoteric iconography, and wild, seemingly transgressive behaviors. Lopez offers historical, aesthetic, and religious insights into the works, while Tethong talks about his remarkable family history and the origins of the paintings.

Donald S. Lopez Jr. is the Arthur E. Link Distinguished University Professor of Buddhist and Tibetan Studies and Chair of the Department of Asian Languages and Cultures at the University of Michigan. He specializes in late Indian Mahayana Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism and is the author of numerous books, including A Study of Svatantrika, The Madman’s Middle Way, and Prisoners of Shangri-la.