Thousand Arms of Compassion

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Item Code:	TQ89
Specifications:	Tibetan Thangka Painting
Dimensions	Size of Painted Surface 15.5 inches X 20.0 inches Size with Brocade 25.0 inches X 34.0 inches

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This supremely drawn and painted thangka portrays Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara with thousand arms and eleven heads. Avalokiteshvara is one of the most popular deities of Mahayana Buddhism. He is the compassion of all Buddhas and the patron deity of Tibet. In this manifestation Avalokiteshvara is also known as Samantamukha or the “All-sided one” – the god who looks every direction to save all creature. The eleven heads of Avalokiteshvara are arranged in five series from below upwards of 3,3,3,1 and 1. The topmost head is that of Amitabha Buddha, the spiritual father of Avalokiteshvara. There are several legends of the origins of the Ekadashamukha Avalokiteshvara. According to one version, Avalokiteshvara managed to empty the hells and ensure that there was potential salvation for everyone. Enthused, he reported this to his spiritual father, Amitabha, who told him to take a look behind himself. Almost instantly the underworlds began filling up again with new sinners who had not escaped from samsara. Sinking into despair, Avalokiteshvara wept so pitifully that his head burnt. Amitabha attempted to assemble the pieces but did not entirely succeed. He supplemented the pieces to make nine complete faces, each with gentle expression. Above this he placed the blue demonic head of Mahakala that functions to ward off evil, and at the very top, for protection, his own head. Moreover it is also said that ten of his faces indicate his attainment of ten Bodhisattva stages, with the eleventh, the face of Amitabha Buddha, indicating his being the incarnation of the universal compassion of all Buddhas. The ten faces may also stand for his looking after beings throughout the ten directions of universe, the eleventh face representing the all-encompassing Buddha wisdom. Ten of his faces also indicate his attainment of ten Bodhisattva stages, with the eleventh, the face of Amitabha Buddha, indicating his being the incarnation of the universal compassion of all Buddhas.

The thousand compassionate arms extend his helping hands toward all beings. Each hand has an eye to see their sufferings in innumerable worlds. According to a Tibetan tradition, thousand-armed Avalokiteshvara incarnated himself as a pious, monastic monkey and went to meditate in the mountains of Tibet. After being forcefully wooed by a charming impassioned ogre, he resigned his vows, married her, and produced the ancestors of the Tibetans. Thus he is considered to be their ‘Manu’ the actual progenitor of their race.

Later on Avalokiteshvara incarnated as the Tibetan king, Sron-btsan-sgam-po along with his companion Tara as their queens, and brought their first civilization. Moreover, Avalokiteshvara manifested himself 333 times on earth for the purpose of saving mankind, and that all the manifestations were human, with the exception of the miraculous horse Balaha, and masculine, with exception of the female forms of Kuan-yin in China and Kwan-non in Japan. All the Dalai Lamas,Kings and Gesar of Ling are considered as incarnation of Avalokiteshvara. His most famous verse reads, “Your thousand arms, the thousand world emperors, your thousand eyes, the thousand Buddhas of the good eon, you show whomsoever whatsoever civilizes them – I bow to holy Avalokiteshvara!” Thus the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara represents the force of compassion that the Tibetan considered responsible for the transformation of Tibet from an ordinary land of violence and egotism to a paradise of the Dharma of Om Mani Padme Hum – the mantra of universal compassion. The concept of thousand arms Avalokiteshvara corresponds to the essence of the Thousand Buddhas of the Bhadrakalpa. The eyes located in palms of all the hands means that nobody escapes Avalokiteshvara’s great compassion.

He is shown here standing on moon-disk on lotus in the center of the temple. The complexion of his body is white. The array of arms resembles a large halo encircling the gentle body against the aureole. His main arms hold the major symbols and perform the main gestures Bodhisattva. His right hands hold a rosary and a wheel of the teachings. His left hands hold a lotus, a bow and a vase of elixir. In front of his heart his two hands are held in the prayer gesture, holding the wish-fulfilling gem. His remaining arms are in boon-granting gesture. The throne of Avalokiteshvara indicates that he has perfected the six-paramitas (transcendences).

He wears exquisitely designed jewelry - crowns, necklaces, hoop earrings, armlets, bracelets and anklets. The skin of antelope is over his left shoulder, referring to his ascetic experience. Moreover he wears silk scarves and floral dhoti.

The temple is decorated with floral motifs while the pillars depict elephants, lions and yoginis. The top center is filled with three votive stupas and just below is the figure of Shakyamuni Buddha. The foreground depicts vases and seven wrathful demonic faces. The background is filled with multi-color flowers and leaves. The extended brocade is woven with dharma chakra and stylized lotus flowers. This painting is very suitable for sadhana and practices of Avalokiteshvara.

This description is by Dr. Shailendra K. Verma, whose Doctorate thesis is on “Emergence and Evolution of the Buddha Image (From its inception to 8th century A.D.)”.

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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.

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