Thousand Arms of Compassion

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Name: Thousand Arms of Compassion
Brand: Exotic India
SKU: TK72
Price: 235.00 USD
Availability: InStock

$235

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Item Code:	TK72
Specifications:	Tibetan Thangka Painting
Dimensions	Size of Painted Surface 17.0" X 22.5" Size with Brocade 28.5" X 37.0"

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Avalokiteshvara is the Bodhisattva of compassion and the manifestation of compassion of all Buddhas. Buddhist legend claims that Avalokiteshvara manifested himself 333 times on earth for the purpose of saving mankind, and that all the manifestations were human, with the exception of the miraculous horse Balaha, and masculine, with exception of the female forms of Kuan-yin in China and Kwan-non in Japan. He is supposed to have been incarnate in the Tibetan king sRong-tsan-sgam-po, as well as in every successive Dalai-Lama, and is the principal tutelary deity of Tibet. There are 108 different forms of Avalokiteshvara, each with his own mantra. Moreover Tibetans believe that the legendry Bodhisattva, the eleven-faced, thousand-armed Avalokiteshvara, incarnated as a pious, monastic monkey and went to meditate in the mountains of Tibet. After forcefully wooed by a charming, impassioned Himalayan ogre, he resigned his vows, and produced the ancestors of the Tibetans. Thus he considered to-be their "Manu", the actual progenitor of their race. In addition Avalokiteshvara is considered to be the deity who still incarnates as their lama teachers, helping them with their arduous liberating evolution and instructing them in the wisdom that makes it possible. His most famous verse reads, "Your thousand arms, the thousand world emperors, your thousand eyes, the thousand Buddhas of the good eon, you show whomsoever whatsoever civilizes them I bow to holy Avalokiteshvara!" Thus the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara represents the force of compassion that the Tibetan considered responsible for the transformation of Tibet from an ordinary land of violence and egotism to a paradise of the Dharma of Om Mani Padme Hum the mantra of universal compassion.

This supremely beautiful black painting of the Bodhisattva of compassion is perhaps one of the finest black thangkas. The painting portrays this incarnation of inconceivable mercy in his most powerful forms, with eleven faces, one thousand eyes, and one thousand arms. The thousand compassionate arms extend his helping hands toward all beings. Each hand has an eye to see their sufferings in innumerable worlds. Ten of his faces indicate his attainment of ten Bodhisattva stages, with the eleventh, the face of Amitabha Buddha, indicating his being the incarnation of the universal compassion of all Buddhas. The ten faces may also stand for his looking after beings throughout the ten directions of face, the eleventh face representing the all-encompassing Buddha wisdom. Texts relate that three of the heads are Bodhisattva heads, three are fierce, three are peaceful, one is a wrathful head of Mahakala, and the final one is Avalokiteshvara's spiritual father, Amitabha Buddha.

Avalokiteshvara stands frontally on a floral disk on lotus flower on mountainous landscape. The array of arms resembles a large halo encircling the gentle body against the aureole. The eight main arms hold the major symbols and perform the main gestures Bodhisattva. His right hands hold a rosary and a wheel of the teachings, and make the boon-granting gesture. His left hands hold a lotus, a bow and arrow, and a vase of elixir. In front of his heart his two hands are held in the prayer gesture, holding the wish-fulfilling gem. His remaining 992 arms are in boon-granting gesture.

Avalokiteshvara is adorned with crown, earrings, necklaces, armlets, bracelets, and anklets; floral flowing scarf and dhoti with multicolored leggings. The skin of antelope is over his left shoulder and tied diagonally like a scarf, referring to his ascetic experience.

At the top of the picture sits Amitabha Buddha in clouds with rainbow light, while both the upper corners are filled with stylized clouds. At the bottom, in the centre, is a lake over which are auspicious offerings. Each side of the Bodhisattva's aureole and foreground are filled with finely drawn high peaks, covered with snow, lakes, trees, rock formations, waterfall, auspicious offerings and natural vegetation. The bottom left and right corners depict pairs of swan and antelope, respectively.

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.

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