Buddha and His Two Disciples (Tibetan Buddhist )

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$295

Gautama Buddha, or the Shakyamuni Buddha, is a philosopher and spiritual teacher who founded Buddhism. While being born a prince, Buddha saw firsthand the suffering of the people around him and was moved to seek enlightenment. He succeeded in this pursuit and this thangka depicts the Buddha in the pose he did when he reached enlightenment. Buddha can be seen sitting in a lotus-position, cross-legged with feet facing upwards. His right hand is in an earth-touching mudra, to symbolize his enlightenment and the moment he called on the earth as the witness to his achievement. His other hand is in a meditative mudra, facing upwards with his begging bowl on top.

On his head is the ushnisha or the cranial bump that represents his expanded intelligence and wisdom. He has an urna on his forehead, an auspicious mark that signals of a third "eye" that can see through the universe of suffering. His earlobes are elongated which signals his compassion to listen to the sounds of the world. Meanwhile, his lips are in pink contrast to his golden skin, which represents the wisdom that passes through them when he teaches. This thangka depicts Buddha in a robe of a monk seated in a meditative pose. He sits atop a moon disc on a multi-colored lotus throne. The moon disc represents absolute truth and often associated with peaceful deities while the lotus throne represents purity. He is also flanked by his two disciples, Maudgalyayana and Sariputra. They also stand on a lotus throne which is colored orange (or yellow-toned) for wisdom and pink to represent the Buddha himself. Sariputra is the one usually depicted to the Buddha’s right. At the top are victory banners which represent Buddha’s triumph over the four obstacles or maras.

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Item Code:	TX98
Specifications:	Tibetan Thangka Painting
Dimensions	Size of Painted Surface 12.5 inch X 17.5 inch Size with Brocade 22.0 inch X 32.0 inch

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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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