Gelugpa Refuge Tree

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The tree stands in the waters. The tree is an ancient symbol having its roots in the life-giving primal waters, and which rises up by way of earth into the higher layers of air, its crown extending into the universe. In cosmic thought, the concepts "tree" and "mountain" are interchangeable. The cosmic mountain, Mount Meru, where the gods live. is also located in the cosmic ocean.

Located in the center of the presentation sits Tsongkhapa (founder of the Gelug Order), who is the believer's guru on the spiritual path. He bears a small Buddha figure on his chest which, in turn, also bears a depiction of the Adi Buddha on his chest. This represents the spiritual ascension of nirmankaya by way of sambhogkaya to the shunyata realm of dharmakaya.

From the central figure of Tsongkhapa, two rays of light emanate and end in congregations of venerable masters who represent the Madhyamika and the Yogacara schools.

On the bottom row of the tree are rendered the four lokpalas, the guardians of the four directions. Above them are dharampalas, followed by dakinis. The thirty-five confessional Buddhas make up the next two rows. Above them are four rows, made up of the important group of deities from the four Tantra categories, who point the way to liberation. Yidams, personal guardian deities that are associated with specific Tantras, namely Yamantaka, Guhyasamaja, Chakrasamvara, and Hevajra, make up the next four rows, and are depicted below the central figure's throne.

Above the central figure of Tsongkhapa, a series of bodhisattvas and tulkus (enlightened incarnations of religious predecessors) extends up into the sky where, to the right, Shakyamuni sits. In the upper left, in Tushita heaven, sits Maitreya, the Buddha of the Future, who will come to earth 5,000 years after the Buddha, when the teachings will have dwindled to nothing, and hunger, illness, murder, and mayhem prevail everywhere.

The cosmic dimension is also revealed by the presence of the god Indra, in the lower left. Indra is the king of the Heaven of the thirty-three Gods who live on Mount Meru. At the lower right, a monk has been depicted to represent the relationship of the believer to the arboreal congregation. The monk is making a symbolic offering of the universe in the form of a mandala.

This presentation is not only a collection of deities and saints, but is also a concentration aid for the believer who can approach the presentation as a mandala, and penetrate to the essence of veneration by way of the various groups of deities and teachers. This type of thangka is often used to give religious instruction to laypersons.

This particular type of tree portrayal often renders a religious tradition that starts off with the founder of a monastic order, for instance, an abbot or a guru, who in this particular case is Tsongkhapa. Because believers take refuge in those who are portrayed on the branches of the tree, with their teacher or church father as the central figure, a portrayal of this kind is also sometimes called a Tree of Refuge.

Gurus are expected to follow an unbroken line that goes back to Shakyamuni. So each guru transmits the Dharma after having received the teachings and an explanation of them from the his own guru. This is portrayed as many offshoots on a branch, and many branches on a trunk, while the trunk finally goes back to the root of the teachings.

Each of our thangkas comes framed in silk brocade and veil, ready to be hung in your altar.

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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.