Search Archive

Vajrayogini with Celestial Palace

རྡོ་རྗེ་རྣམ་འབྱོལ་མའི་དཀྱིལ་འཁོར།

Vajrayogini with Celestial Palace

རྡོ་རྗེ་རྣམ་འབྱོལ་མའི་དཀྱིལ་འཁོར།

Framed tangka depicting red dakini within a six-pointed red star, actually two intersecting empty tetrahedrons. These intersecting tri-sided pyramids represent the source of Dharma (Sanskrit: Truth) in Budddhist symbology. Some ancient texts describe it as the cervix of reality. The three corners of one pyramid represent the three marks of existence: suffering, impermanence, and egolessness, and the three corners of the other the three gates of liberation: wishlessness, signlessness, and emptiness. This exceptional painting is one of the only known Tibetan paintings attempting “true” perspective and was executed by a master painter. Naro Khachoma (literally “Naropa’s skydancer”) is in the center of her cosmic environs. She holds her Kapala (skullcup) brimming with the blood of the ego in an upstretched left hand. This same arm shoulders her Kathvanga staff which indicates her skill and means. Her right hand holds a downward facing Drilgu, (Tib. Vajra chopper (Skt. Katrika) that severs the grasp of the go. A group of Sakya and Gelug lineage teachers and flying fairies occupy the story above. And Vajradharma, the progenitor Buddha of the lineage resides in the uppermost story of the celestial palace. In the sky outside at the top of the painting root lamas and celestial beings cavort. Tantric animal headed gate keepers guard the entrance gates. The surrounding flaming protection mandala consists of the typical eight cremation grounds that surround the world systems of the painting the presumed donor figure, a lama is depicted in a temple of Eastern Tibetan architectural style. In the lower left corner, Cittipatti, the skeletal couple who are Vajrayogini’s protectors dance in a pose of interlocked arms and legs while the black protector, Pladen Lhamo, rides a donkey below.

Dimensions: 37" x 23"; framed 45" x 32"

Related Artifacts