From Passion to Compassion

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1) Padampani or "Lotus in Hand.' This is a very ancient form, often depicted standing, holding a lotus (padam) in one of the hands (pani).

2). Eleven-Headed, Thousand-Armed Avalokiteshvara

3). Four-Armed Avalokiteshvara

Padampani Avalokiteshvara stands here on a multi-colored lotus pedestal with feet pointing in the opposite directions. His extended right hand makes the Varada (boon-granting) mudra, while the left supports a stalk which ends at a blossoming pink lotus at his shoulder. His body is hued a rich red. This is a symbol of sensuality and also the color of passion. Here it represents the vigorous energy of individualistic passion transformed into an all embracing universal compassion.

Over his left shoulder is draped the skin of a wild deer, representing his ability to subdue the untamed delusions. A traditional commentary explains: "This particular deer is said to live upon mountains in the margins between the snow and rock. It has incomparable physical strength, but is extremely compassionate by nature. One of the hunters' tactics is to enter its territory and pretend to fight among themselves with swords. Seeing this, the deer becomes impatient with compassion and emerges to mediate between them, which provides the hunters the opportunity to kill it. Merely touching its skin with one's feet calms the mind and endows it with bliss."

The soft treatment of the deity's facial features combined with the suppleness of his limbs gives him an almost feminine demeanour. This reveals the artist's detailed acquaintance with the mythology of Avalokiteshvara, since the beautiful Tara of Tibet and the graceful Chinese goddess Quan Yin, are both emanations of Avalokiteshvara himself. The slightly closed intoxicating eyes and the dot on the forehead (serving both as a mark of feminine beauty and enlightened wisdom) are all pointers to his dual status. Further, the three conch-like curving lines on his neck symbolize the sweetness of his speech. This is an attribute of both male and female deities.

The embodiment of compassion is adorned with sumptuous jewels and flowing robes. The dhoti clinging to the lower limbs is painted over with dragons and a knotted blue apron with tassels serves as a waistband. The painter's exceptional hold over the human anatomy is amply evident in the deft manner with which he has balanced the male and female sides of Avalokiteshvara without giving prominence to one aspect over the other but being fair to both.

Another unique feature of the artwork is the almost complete domination of the painted surface by a sea of densely packed, repeating scrollwork, including the nimbus framing Avalokiteshvara. This grants an almost ethereal, otherworldly glow to the composition and is symbolic of the endless, infinite extension beyond ordinary, mundane reality, merging into a higher invisible realm.

Click Here to View the Thangka Painting along with its Brocade

Of Related Interest

The Mandala of Compassion

A Captivating Smile of Compassion

The Height of Compassion

The Night of Compassion

The Thousand Arms of Compassion

The All-Embracing Compassionate Vision

On the Lookout for Distressed Souls

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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.