The Five Dhyani Buddhas

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The five Dhyani Buddhas are:

Ratnasambhava

Amitabha

Amoghasiddhi

Akshobhya

Vairochana

Just above him sits Amitabha, better known as the Buddha of longevity. He displays the dhyana mudra. By meditating on him, the delusion of attachment becomes the wisdom of discernment. The dhyana mudra helps in achieving this transformation.

At the top right sits Vairochana. He displays the Dharmachakra mudra, and helps mortal beings overcome the delusion of ignorance by transforming it into the wisdom of reality.

At the top left is Amoghasiddhi displaying the abhaya mudra. By meditating on him, the delusion of jealousy is transformed into the wisdom of accomplishment.

Finally at the center of the bottom layer is shown Ratnasambhava displaying the varada mudra. Under his spiritual guidance, the delusion of pride becomes the wisdom of sameness. The Varada mudra is the key to this transformation.

At the right hand of the central image of Akshobhya can be seen Vaishravana the god of wealth, seated upon a white snow lion. His large, rounded body is golden-yellow in color and his expression stern. In his right hand he holds a banner of victory and in his left a mongoose, an animal associated with good fortune, which is shown vomiting jewels.

At the left hand of Akshobhya is Mahakala in his incarnation as Mahakala Panjaranatha or the Lord of the Pavilion. This particular form of Mahakala, easily recognized by the wooden gong he carries across his arms, is a favorite protector of the Sakya Order. He stands heavily upon a human corpse, and holds in his hands a huge vajra chopper and a large white skull bowl full of the blood and guts of demons turned into elixir. He carries across the crook of his elbows an ornamented wooden gandi gong, used in Buddhist monasteries to call the Buddhist monks to assemblies, symbolizing his vow to protect Nalanda monastic university and by extension all Buddhist monasteries.

Finally at the extreme right in the lower layer stands Vajrapani, deep blue in color. He wears a tiger skin cloth wrapped around his waist. This is a symbol of fearlessness. Both of his hands are in the threatening mudra used for overcoming hindrances, and in his right hand he holds a vajra, or diamond-hard scepter. Just as the Olympian Zeus brandishes a thunderbolt as a symbol of his might, Vajrapani wields a vajra symbolic of the enlightened power of spiritual awakening.

This thangka is characterized by a disciplined mastery over line, and though the painting is enchantingly colorful, the hues nevertheless are restrained, lending a homogeneity to this diverse composition made up of both peaceful and wrathful deities.

Each of our thangkas comes framed in silk brocade and veil, ready to be hung in your altar.

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Unveiling the Divine Art: Journey into the Making of Thangkas

A Thangka is a traditional Tibetan Buddhist painting that usually depicts a Buddhist Deity (Buddha or Bodhisattva), a scene, or a mandala. These paintings are considered important paraphernalia in Buddhist rituals. They are used to teach the life of the Buddha, various lamas, and Bodhisattvas to the monastic students, and are also useful in visualizing the deity while meditating. One of the most important subjects of thangkas is the Bhavacakra (the wheel of life) which depicts the Art of Enlightenment. It is believed that Thangka paintings were developed over the centuries from the murals, of which only a few can be seen in the Ajanta caves in India and the Mogao caves in Gansu Province, Tibet. Thangkas are painted on cotton or silk applique and are usually small in size. The artist of these paintings is highly trained and has a proper understanding of Buddhist philosophy, knowledge, and background to create a realistic and bona fide painting.

The process of making a thangka begins with stitching a loosely woven cotton fabric onto a wooden frame. Traditionally, the canvas was prepared by coating it with gesso, chalk, and base pigment.

After this, the outline of the form of the deity is sketched with a pencil or charcoal onto the canvas using iconographic grids. The drawing process is followed in accordance with strict guidelines laid out in Buddhist scriptures. The systematic grid helps the artist to make a geometrical and professional painting. When the drawing of the figures is finalized and adjusted, it is then outlined with black ink.

Earlier, a special paint of different colors was made by mixing powdered forms of organic (vegetable) and mineral pigments in a water-soluble adhesive. Nowadays, artists use acrylic paints instead. The colors are now applied to the sketch using the wet and dry brush techniques. One of the characteristic features of a thangka is the use of vibrant colors such as red, blue, black, green, yellow, etc.

In the final step, pure gold is coated over some parts of the thangka to increase its beauty. Due to this beautification, thangkas are much more expensive and also stand out from other ordinary paintings.

Thangka paintings are generally kept unrolled when not on display on the wall. They also come with a frame, a silken cover in front, and a textile backing to protect the painting from getting damaged. Because Thangkas are delicate in nature, they are recommended to be kept in places with no excess moisture and where there is not much exposure to sunlight. This makes them last a long time without their colors fading away. Painting a thangka is an elaborate and complex process and requires excellent skills. A skilled artist can take up to 6 months to complete a detailed thangka painting. In earlier times, thangka painters were lamas that spent many years on Buddhist studies before they painted.