Having Equal Compassion For All (A Masterpiece Painting of The Four-Armed Avalokiteshvara)

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Shadakshari Lokeshvara or the Six-syllabled Lord of the world embodies his six-syllable mantra, Om Mani Padme Hum. The six syllables of the mantra are the seed syllables of the six realms of the wheel of life. Om is white and stands for the good realm; Ma is green and stands for the demigods or asura realm; Ni is yellow and stands for the human realm; Pad is blue and stands for the animal realm; Me is red and stands for hungry ghost realm; Hum is black and stands for the hell realm. Avalokiteshvara helps to brings all beings from the six realms into enlightenment.

It is believed that the sacred syllables invoke the Buddhas of the six realms, who are manifestations of Avalokiteshvara as he appears to the beings there to alleviate their suffering. The six realms, or forms, of rebirth as mentioned above are hell beings, hungry ghosts (preta), animals, human, demigods and gods. By repeatedly intoning the mantra, Tibetans and many others who do practices centering upon Chenrezig invoke the presence of a Buddha for the benefit of beings in each of those realms, as well as for increasing their own compassion.

In this painting Chenrezig is seated in vajraparyankasana on a moon disk on a lotus flower against a brilliant aureole and moon disk. The complexion of his body is white which symbolizes purity and he has a smiling, enchanting countenance, as he is filled with compassion for all beings. He looks down with tranquility, as he has equal compassion for all. He has four hands, the main hands are held in front of the heart, and holding wish-granting gem, which symbolizes for the spirit of enlightenment that consists of love and wisdom. His right hand holds a rosary, symbolizing that Avalokiteshvara draw forth beings from phenomenal existence. His left hand holds a beautiful full-blown lotus flower, a sign that he serves living beings but is free from attachment. He is adorned with sophisticated gold jewelry indicating his supreme status in the Tibetan Buddhist Pantheon. He wears a five-lobbed gold crown with flowers and precious stones. His lavish scarf with liberal use of gold covers both his shoulders. His lower garment (dhoti) too is similarly rich.

In front of the deity is a bowl of offerings. At the lower left corner of the painting is Manjushri, and to the right is Vajrapani. The top two corners are inhabited by wrathful dragons emerging from stylized clouds. The color scheme of the composition is very well-thought of, with the radiant form of the deity at the center drawing the viewer irresistibly to itself. Not only that, all the figures, including the smaller ones at the bottom, are extremely well-outlined, speaking volumes about the deft control the artist has over his line-work, the most fundamental skill any good artist must possess.

In Tibetan iconography, the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara has three principal forms:  

With two arms, known as Padampani (lotus-bearer) Avalokiteshvara.	With four arms, known as Chenresig.	With one-thousand arms and eleven heads, known as Sahsrabhuja Lokeshvara.

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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.