Seven-Eyed Tara Mandala with Five Dhyani Buddhas

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The Seven-Eyed Tara or White Tara is the special goddess of long life. She symbolizes perfect purity, and is believed to represent Transcendent Wisdom, which secures everlasting bliss to its possessor. She too has the power to grant wishes, remove obstacles and to protect from danger and distress. She is the Consort of Avalokiteshvara.

The cult of Tara is very popular in Buddhist countries, especially in Tibet, Mongolia, China, and Nepal etc. In Nepal she is popularly called Sapta-Lochani Tara or Seven-Eyed Tara as she has seven eyes of knowledge – three on her face, two on the palms of her hands, and two on the soles of her feet. The ceremonies of Tara are an integral part of Karmpa rituals. Her Mandalas are worshipped from third to ninth every month. On auspicious days there are special services to White Tara. In the daily ritual practices of the most important monasteries, at seven in the morning takes place the meditation on the Mandala of Tara, this includes the recitation of her sadhana texts. The Tibetans pray to her for long life, for human life is infinitely precious.

Here White Tara is seated in a circle in the center of the Mandala which rests on brilliantly drawn crossed vajra. There is a square outside the center circle which is divided into four triangles and decorated with stylized designs. The walls of the building are also decorated with geometric, stylized and floral designs. There are four gateways in the square with auspicious offerings in them. The area outside the building is filled with stylized design in gold. The building of the Mandala has an outer circle of flames protecting the inner residence which is florally rendered here. The circle is followed by the circle of lotus petals. Here the spiritual realm begins and one enters the Mandala.

Across the top of the painting are Five Dhyani Buddhas, from left to right are – Akshobhya, Ratnasambhava, Vairochana, Amitabha and Amoghasiddhi, respectively. All the Buddhas are seated in vajraparyankasana on lotus flower supported by leaves. The left corner depicts one more image of Goddess White Tara. The lower right corner is filled with the figure of wrathful Vajrapani. The bottom center depicts perhaps a lotus plant which flourished up to the top and five Dhyani Buddhas, mentioned above, are actually seated on lotuses of this plant. Moreover middle ground and foreground portrays clouds, trees, rocks and lakes, respectively. The painting is very much suitable for sadhana and rituals as it depicts the images of Cosmic Buddhas, Vajrapani along with the Mandala of long life Goddess White Tara.

Select Bibliography

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

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

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

Lokesh Chandra, Transcendental Art of Tibet, Delhi, 1996

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.