{"id":2279,"date":"2022-11-28T03:26:25","date_gmt":"2022-11-28T03:26:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/collections.thus.org\/?post_type=artifact&p=2279"},"modified":"2023-05-19T16:57:17","modified_gmt":"2023-05-19T16:57:17","slug":"chakrasamvara-vajrapani","status":"publish","type":"artifact","link":"https:\/\/collections.thus.org\/?artifact=chakrasamvara-vajrapani","title":{"rendered":"Chakrasamvara, Vajrapani"},"content":{"rendered":"

The composition of this unusual thangka is notable for the separate shrines devoted to four individual deities.\u00a0 The blue, four-headed and twelve-armed meditation deity Chakrasamvara appears in the upper left of the central panel with his red consort Vajravarahi. Their union symbolizes the\u00a0 transcendence and the fusion of Buddhist wisdom and compassion. An arch of flickering flames depicted behind the couple denotes pristine awareness. The numerous hand-held ritual implements signify the steps\u00a0 and actions on the path to awareness. The Brahmanical deities Bhairava and Kalaratri, representing <\/span>nirvana <\/span><\/i>and <\/span>samsara<\/span><\/i>, are trampled underfoot on the lotus base, denoting Chakrasamvara\u2019s mastery over the dualism\u00a0 of mundane existence and spiritual liberation. The four Yogini of Great Bliss <\/span>(mahasukha) <\/span><\/i>appear within the\u00a0 flaming aureole.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

To the right of Chakrasamvara, the wrathful blue protector deity Vajrapani strides to his right in a militant\u00a0 posture (<\/span>pratyalidha<\/span><\/i>), holding a diamond scepter (<\/span>vajra<\/span><\/i>) in his raised right hand and ritual bell (<\/span>ghanta<\/span><\/i>) in the\u00a0 left, wearing a tiger-skin loincloth, golden crown and jewelry, and a long necklace in the form of a snake with\u00a0 its head entwined with its tail. Vajrapani, the protector of Vajrayana tantras, is intimately associated with\u00a0 Garuda, the ancient Indian mythological winged guardian and destroyer of <\/span>naga <\/span><\/i>snakes, and five multicolored\u00a0 <\/span>garudas <\/span><\/i>appear within the flames behind this deity. Guru Rimpoche and two Buddhas are depicted behind\u00a0 the composition of the flaming aureoles of Chakrasamvara and Vajrapani.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Eleven-headed Avalokiteshvara stands in the lower left quadrant of the painting, with his faces arranged in\u00a0 ascending tiers, surmounted by the head of red Amitabha, the <\/span>bodhisattva<\/span><\/i>\u2019<\/b>s <\/span><\/i>spiritual progenitor.<\/span>\u00a0Avalokiteshvara is accompanied by two four-armed <\/span>bodhisattvas <\/span><\/i>standing to each side in front of a\u00a0 lobed arch, with tantric deities to the left and right above and two seated lamas facing inwards at the apex of\u00a0 the shrine, both with hands in the teaching posture (<\/span>dharmachakra mudra<\/span><\/i>).\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

White Tara appears at the lower right of the painting, seated on a lion throne.\u00a0 A small figure of a Tibetan monk seated on a lotus flower is depicted just in front of her throne. Tara is\u00a0 surrounded by eight emanations\u2014the protectors of the <\/span>\u2018<\/b>eight fears<\/span>\u2019<\/b>\u2014appearing within a multicolored\u00a0 mountain setting.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

An Indian <\/span>pandita <\/span><\/i>in a red cap and two <\/span>mahasiddhas <\/span><\/i>appear in the upper register together with Tibetan monks.\u00a0 Various deities together with mounted Vedic gods of the directions are depicted either side. A lay priest\u00a0 appears in the lower left of the picture performing a consecration ceremony next to an array of ritual objects,\u00a0 with a row of offerings on tripod stands depicted on the lower margin. Protector and wealth deities in the\u00a0 lower register include Panjarnata Mahakala, Sri Devi, Jambhala, Kala Jambhala, Kakamukha Mahakala, and\u00a0 mounted mountain deities subdued into the service of Buddhism by Guru Rimpoche. The prominent presence\u00a0 of Guru Rimpoche above the four principal deities might suggest that this rare painting is affiliated with the\u00a0 Nyingma order of Tibetan Buddhism.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"featured_media":2837,"template":"","century":[53],"condition":[],"donor_code":[],"donor_info":[30],"location_housed_where":[],"object_type":[68],"orgin":[236],"class_list":["post-2279","artifact","type-artifact","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","century-16-17th-century","donor_info-gift-of-john-c-rezk","object_type-painting-other","orgin-tibet"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/collections.thus.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/artifact\/2279","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/collections.thus.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/artifact"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/collections.thus.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/artifact"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/collections.thus.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2837"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/collections.thus.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2279"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"century","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/collections.thus.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcentury&post=2279"},{"taxonomy":"condition","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/collections.thus.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcondition&post=2279"},{"taxonomy":"donor_code","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/collections.thus.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fdonor_code&post=2279"},{"taxonomy":"donor_info","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/collections.thus.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fdonor_info&post=2279"},{"taxonomy":"location_housed_where","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/collections.thus.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Flocation_housed_where&post=2279"},{"taxonomy":"object_type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/collections.thus.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fobject_type&post=2279"},{"taxonomy":"orgin","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/collections.thus.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Forgin&post=2279"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}