Tibetan Buddhist - The Kalachakra Mandala (Brocadeless Thangka)

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Following this is a thin circular band of vajras which indicates the transition to the world of knowledge.

The next circle contains the eight dharmachakras that refer to the historical Buddha setting the wheel of the teachings into motion. Letters between the wheels indicate various deities.

Next is the ring of fire, rendered florally in rainbow colors. Fire in Tantrism means knowledge. Without knowledge (prajna) there is no possibility of arriving at supreme understanding. Here, fire also means that believers who enter the mandala are purified, as it were, and at their passage through the purging fire, their ego and all their illusions will burn away.

Then there is a circle of lotus petals. Here the spiritual realm begins and one enters the mandala.

Esoteric Buddhist thought believes that the cosmic mountain, Mount Meru, where the gods live, is in the center of the cosmic ocean.

The Kalachakra mandala has as its center Mount Meru with the four corners of the world around it. On a flat plane, only the projection of this can be seen. The four corners are rendered as four gates that are each colored differently. Each cardinal direction is indicated by a color. The elements of earth, water, fire, air, and ether that are symbolized by the structural portions of a stupa and thus are also present in Mount Meru, are indicated in the mandala by the various squares. Through the entrance gates, the believer gets inside the mandala.

According to tradition, Shakyamuni Buddha is supposed to have communicated the Kalachakra tantra in the mystical land of Shambhala. It is in the heart of Shambhala, in the center of a palace with nine stories, that there is believed to be a large Kalachakra mandala.

Shambhala is a mythic kingdom, believed to lie somewhere to the north of Tibet, surrounded by high, snowy mountains. Shambhala is a paradise on earth. Its people are not acquainted with illness or hunger and nothing but happiness prevails. This practically unattainable utopia can only be found by people who are sufficiently pure of spirit and free of ignorance. The Panchen Lamas are said to reincarnate as kings of Shambhala. At the topmost layer of the painting can be seen the various kings of Shambhala.

This enviable paradise led to numerous literary and artistic speculations in the West. The one that became most famous was the creation of the ideal world of Shangri-La in the James Hilton novel Lost Horizons, first published in 1933.

Of Related Interest:

Book: Sacred Mandala of Buddhism

Tibetan Thangka Painting: Vishwavajra Mandala

Sterling Silver Pendant: Mandala Box Pendant with Filigree

Article: The Buddhist Mandala - Sacred Geometry and Art

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.