The Mandala of Buddha Ratnasambhava and Cosmic Buddhas

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Ratnasambhava is seated in diamond posture in the center of the square of the inner mandala. His identifying gesture is boon granting gesture, with right hand extended down, palm outward. His left hand is in meditation position and holding a pindapatra. There are four gateways in the inner square, protected by guardian deities. The protector deities also guard four corners of the square.

Over the four gateways of outer square are the images of Amoghasiddhi Buddha. The wrathful deities are protecting the corners of outer square of the mandala. The walls of the outer circle are decorated with stylized designs and Adepts. The Ferocious deities are also depicted on either side of each gate outside the walls. The square is surrounded with four circles. The outer one is of charnel ground and stupas, followed by a circle of ground and stupa, followed by a circle of fire fence, which is florally rendered here. Then there is a circle of auspicious symbols, images of Buddha and Adepts etc. After this comes a circle of lotus petals. Here the spiritual realm begins and one enters the mandala.

The Four mandalas of the Cosmic Buddhas are depicted outside the central mandala of Ratnasambhava. The mandala of the upper left corner is of Amitabha Buddha, the god of infinite light. The inner squares of all mandala have four gateways protected by guardian deities. The squares of these mandalas are surrounded with four circles – fire fence, charnel ground and stupas and lotus petals, respectively.

On the upper right corner is the mandala of Akshobhya Buddha, unshakable, the lord of the vajra clan. The mandala at the lower left corner is of Vairochana, the Lord of the Buddha clan. His hands are in preaching gesture. The lower right corner has the mandala of Amoghasiddhi, the Buddha of infallible magic. His right hand is in abhaya mudra, while the left hand, held in meditation position, is holding a pindapatra (begging bowel). The upper center is beautifully rendered perhaps with Shadakshari Lokeshvara. His both the hands are in anjali-mudra. A Buddha is seated at the bottom center and is surrounded with wrathful deities. The scene reminds the event of temptation of Shakyamuni by Mara.

The landscape contains the figures of wrathful and peaceful deities; Adepts, devotees; offerings, stupas, lakes etc. The painting has a border of syllable mantra in Tibetan script. This is perhaps a rare and handsome thangka of the Buddha Ratnasambhava. All the figures are brilliantly drawn painted.

Select Bibliography

A. Getty, The Gods of Northern Buddhism, Tokyo, 1962

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

B. Bhattacharyya, The Indian Buddhist Iconography,Calcutta, 1968

Marylin M. Rhie & Robert A.F. Thurman, Wisdom and Compassion: The Sacred Art of Tibet New York, 1997

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.)".

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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.