Bhaishajyaguru (Medicine Buddha) and His Seven Brothers

Email

Whatsapp

Facebook

Pinterest

Twitter

Copy link

There are seven emanations of Bhaishajyaguru. Of these eight, Bhaishajyaguru is the most important exponent. He attained great popularity and is the only one who is depicted by himself without the other seven. It is said that multiplication of the god into seven arose out of the invocation for seven days with seven images, in the desire to be freed from disease and untimely death. In popular belief, looking at or touching a thangka of medicine Buddhas has a curative effect.

The Medicine Buddha sutra emphasizes the healing value of creating an image of the Medicine Buddha as well as chanting the text. The cult of Medicine Buddha is very popular in Tibet, China, Mongolia, Korea and Japan. He is also called Bhaisajyaraja, Healing Buddha, Manla, and the Lord of the Physicians. The Medicine Buddha is said to dispense spiritual medicine when properly worshipped. Tibetan physicians take initiations to practice the sadhana of the Medicine Buddha. Tibetan medicine is mainly based on the ancient Indian Ayurvedic system. Healing the body is very important to Tibetans since a healthy mind, necessary to develop spiritual qualities, can best exist in a healthy body. The physician concentrates on restoring the balance within the body and the mind. Tibetan doctors generally study and memorize many medical texts and thangkas, learning to diagnose the patient through pulse taking and urine analysis, learning herbal pharmacology and other treatments, studying psychology and apprenticing many years before he or she can practice.

In the present painting Bhaishajyaguru is seated in vajraparyankasana on moon disk on a lotus flower on lion throne in a mountainous landscape. The complexion of his body is dark blue like lapis lazuli and radiates healing rays of energy. He holds myrobalan, a medicinal plant in his right hand and a bowl containing medicine nuts and leaves in his left hand. The Medicine Buddha wears beautiful monastic red robes, profusely decorated with floral motifs in gold. His curly hair is black and there is a jewel on the top of his head in blue colour. There is a brilliant aureole behind him with floral gold border. Large jewels are set into the border of the aureole. There is a parasol above the head of Bhaishajyaguru. Two brothers of Bhaishajyaguru are depicted in upper corners, while the two are shown seated each side of Bhaishajyaguru and three are depicted in the foreground. The hand gestures of Seven Brothers of Bhaishajyaguru are different, while their body complexions are gold and light red. The extended border of the painting depicts dharmachakra and endless knot.

Select Bibliography

Barbara Lipton & Nima D. Ragnubs, Treasures of Tibetan Art, New York, 1996

Ben Meulenbeld, Buddhist Symbolism in Tibetan Thangka, Holland, 2001

J.C. Huntington and D. Bangdel, The Circle of Bliss: Buddhist Meditational Art, Ohio, 2004

Lokesh Chandra, Transcendental Art of Tibet, Delhi, 1996

Marylin M. Rhie & Robert A.F. Thurman, Wisdom and Compassion: The Sacred Art of Tibet, Thames and Hudson, 1996

Marylin M. Rhie & Robert A.F. Thurman, Worlds of Transformation: Tibetan Art of Wisdom and Compassion, New York, 1999

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.)".

Click Here to View the Thangka Painting along with its Brocade

Free Shipping. Delivered by to all international destinations within 3 to 5 days, fully insured.

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.