Himalayan Art Resources

Item: Ratnasambhava Buddha - (Peaceful Appearance)

སངས་རྒྱས་རིན་ཆེན་འབྱུང་གནས། 宝生佛
(item no. 65462)
Origin Location Tibet
Date Range 1300 - 1399
Lineages Sakya and Buddhist
Material Ground Mineral Pigment on Cotton
Collection Rubin Museum of Art
Notes about the Central Figure

Classification: Deity

Appearance: Peaceful

Gender: Male

Interpretation / Description

Ratnasambhava, Buddha (Tibetan: rin chen jung den, sang gye): a principal buddha within Vajrayana Buddhism representing the qualities of enlightenment and residing in the southern quarter of a mandala.

"Arising in the southern direction is Ratnasambhava on a horse, lotus and sun throne; with a body yellow in colour the right hand is placed in the mudra of supreme generosity." (Dragpa Gyaltsen, 1147-1216).

"In the middle of a ground of lapis lazuli is a jewelled throne - bestowing numerous attainments. On top is a thousand petalled lotus - unstained by worldly faults. Wisdom and means appear as a sun and moon. Above this, as the essence of all qualities is Ratnasambhava. With a radiant body having the colour of blazing gold, one face, two hands, the right is in supreme generosity -- fulfilling the wishes of beings. Performing meditative stabilization, the left is in the mudra of meditation. Seated with the two feet in vajra posture - method and wisdom, and having the thirty-two marks and eighty examples of excellence. For the purpose of satisfying - well adorned with jewels and beautiful silk garments. Adorning the body are a million light rays issuing and returning; having a voice possessing sixty separate tones and a mind continuum of immeasurable pristine awareness." (Bhikshu Konchog Ozer, 15th century).

In the bottom register on the left side is Vaishravana Riding a Lion followed by four Jambhala-like figures, blue, white, red and green. On the right side are the two principal protectors of the Sakya School of Tibetan Buddhism - Panjarnata Mahakala and Shri Devi.

Jeff Watt 9-2005

Front of Painting
English Translation of Inscription: (No inscriptions on the front).

Related Items
Exhibition Appearances
Exhibition: RMA Masterworks, January 28th, 2021
Exhibition: Mandala, The Perfect Circle (RMA)

Publications
Publication: Selection of Works - Painting (RMA)

Thematic Sets
Subject: Masterworks (Buddha, 佛陀, སངས་རྒྱས།)
Collection of RMA: Painting Masterworks Page
Subject: Five Buddhas (Early Painting Sets)
Buddhist Deity: Ratnasambhava, 宝生佛, སངས་རྒྱས་རིན་ཆེན་འབྱུང་གནས། (Masterworks)
Buddhist Deity: Ratnasambhava Buddha Main Page
Collection of Jourdan-Barry
Subject: Five Buddhas Main Page (Directions, Tantric, Symbolic)
Buddhist Deity: Ratnasambhava Iconography
Collection of Rubin Museum of Art (RMA): Main Page
Collection of RMA: Best of Collection 1
Subject: Deity Colours - Yellow Main Page (Increasing Activities)
Buddhist Deity: Ratnasambhava (Charya & Yoga Tantras)
Subject: Torana, Ratnasambhava Buddha (Early Animal Depictions)