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The Five forms of Tsongkapa (je zigpa nga den) are based on the visions of Kedrub Geleg Pal Zangpo (1385-1438) of his teacher Tsongkapa (1357-1419).

These five special forms are depicted either in one painted composition showing all five forms of Tsongkapa grouped together, generally surrounding the mahasiddha form of Tsongkapa, or they are depicted each in their own painted composition making a set of five paintings in total. The five special Tsongkapa forms are also commonly seen as minor figures at the top of other Gelug Tradition painted compositions and painting sets of all types and subjects.

Tsongkapa Five Forms Main Page

Tsongkapa Five Forms Outline Page

Longdol Lama Incarnation Lineage Set (klong rdol, ngag dbang blo bzang 1719-1794) [TBRC P22]. Longdol Lama is a subject in Tibetan Art History because he has ten
pre-incarnations that are depicted in a seven painting set. Some of the
incarnations still need to be identified either through the
inscriptions on the front of the paintings or from other literary sources. Longdol Lama Ngagwang Lobzang was an important scholar and Gelug teacher of the 18th century. He has an especially interesting pre-incarnation lineage that includes the mahasiddha Dombi Heruka, Serlingpa - a teacher of Atisha and Marpa Chokyi Lodro the founder of the Marpa Kagyu Tradition of Tibet.

A unique characteristic of Himalayan style art is the creation of painting and sculpture sets as a single large composition. A second unique feature of Himalayan art is the creation of Incarnation Lineage paintings and painting sets. The notion of the same recognized human or living entity, such as the Dalai Lama, knowingly inhabiting a series of bodies through numerous generations is unique to Tibetan and Himalayan Buddhism. Therefore, Incarnation Lineage paintings and sculpture sets are a unique feature of Himalayan & Tibetan Style Art.

Fortunately for the purposes of study a number of the important incarnation lineages fall into natural groupings. The first group is concerned with the first recognized, or accepted, incarnate lama of Tibet, commonly said to be the Gyalwa Karmapa. Within the over-all tradition of the Karmapas, the Karma Kagyu Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism, there are also the incarnate lineages of Shamar, Situ, Gyaltsab and Nenang Pawo. These five lineages of incarnations all belong to the same religious tradition and naturally form there own group. According to tradition, added to those are the Karma Tinlepa and the Treho Tulku although so far no painting or sculpture sets have been found that depict the two unique additional incarnation lineages.

The second important group is that of the Dalai Lama, Panchen Lama and Desi Sanggye Gyatso. The foundations for these incarnation lineages were developed at the same time in the 17th century and seemingly as a coherent inter-connecting group of three with each incarnation in a generation relating directly with the other incarnations. Examples of this inter-relationship are the Panchen Lama pre-incarnation of Atisha and the Dalai Lama pre-incarnation of the student Dromton. At the time of the 4th Dalai Lama the Desi pre-incarnation was Altan Khan who first used and offered the title 'Dalai Lama.'

Another natural group related in life and in incarnation lineage is Jamyang Kyentse Wangpo and Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye.

In each composition that depicts a complete incarnation lineage the central figure is surrounded by the previous incarnations. The earliest of these pre-incarnations for each central subject is almost always an Indian Adept (mahasiddha), a great Worthy One (arhat), or a bodhisattva such as Maitreya as with the Tai Situ incarnation lineage. Each of these originating pre-incarnations is a direct student of Shakyamuni Buddha.

Sometimes there are competing systems for enumerating and naming the former births. One such notable figure that has two variant lists, or an abbreviated list and a long list, is the Panchen Lama of Tibet. The long list of Panchen Lama pre-incarnations includes Padmasambhava and Jowo Atisha. The Dalai Lama list includes King Trisong Detsen and Dromton. The 8th Tai Situ of the Karma Kagyu Tradition apparently also claimed to be the re-incarnation of Taranata from a completely separate unrelated incarnation lineage system belonging to the Jonang Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. The 32nd Sakya Tridzin Wangdu Nyingpo also boasts Padmasambhava as a pre-incarnation and claims to be the 2nd Padmasambhava of this 'age.' Both the Gelug Longdol Lama and the Karma Kagyu Tai Situpa claim to have the pre-incarnations of both Dombi Heruka and Marpa Chokyi Lodro in common.

The incarnation lineages, names and groups of related figures discussed here are only those that have identifiable works of art depicting those individuals. There are hundreds of other incarnation lineages in Tibetan and Himalayan Buddhism. It is possible that many of the paintings of Lamas that are currently unidentified are actually incarnation lineage paintings.

Incarnation Lineages Outline Page

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Jamgon Kongtrul (1813-1899) was a prolific writer of the 19th century as well as a compiler of the works of other scholars. He gathered together and included their written works into larger compendia of contextualized material and structered encyclopaedic collections - numbering approximately 150 volumes. Many of these works are invaluable resources of iconographic information and indispensable for the study of Himalayan and Tibetan art history. The most famous of Jamgon Kongtrul's compilations are called the Five Treasures:

1. The Treasure of Encyclopaedic Knowledge (shes bya kun la khyab pa'i mdzod), a massive work  covering all of the common and uncommon subjects of Tibetan Buddhism.

2. The Treasure of Precious Instructions (gdams ngag rin po che'i mdzod), the most important texts of eight of the principal transmission lineages of Tibetan Buddhism known as the Eight Chariots.

3. The Treasure of Kagyu Mantras (bka' brgyud sngags kyi mdzod), a collection of the most important practices of the Kagyu Tradition.

4. The Treasure of Precious Revealed Treasures (rin chen gter mdzod), the largest compiled collection of rare Nyingma Termas (Revealed Treasure teachings).

5. The Treasure of Extensive Teachings (rgya chen bka' mdzod), primarily Jamgon Kongtrul's own writings such as the commentaries on the Hevajra Tantra and the Khon Tradition Vajrakila, etc.

"The Kagyu tradition [Outline Page] originated in the 11th century with the Tibetan translator Marpa (mar pa), his famous disciple Milarepa (mi la ras pa) and his disciple Gampopa (sgam po pa), who merged the lay tradition with the Kadampa (bka' gdams pa) monasticism and scholarly focus that he had previously studied. Gampopa founded the first Kagyu monastery, Daglha Gampo (dwags lha sgam po) in Dagpo, southern Tibet. Following Gampopa the tradition split into multiple autonomous subsects, listed below. All claim allegiance to the tantric teachings of the Indian Mahasiddha tradition, primarily that of Naropa, in the form of the Six Doctrines of Naropa (na ro chos drug) and the doctrine of Mahamudra. The Kagyu were also heavily involved in the transmission of the Chakrasamvara, Hevajra, among other tantras of the Second Propagation era.

The traditional - though not very old - way of classifying the Kagyu lineages was evidently invented by members of the Drugpa Kagyu. These are all covered by the general term Dagpo Kagyu (dwags po bka' brgyud), the name stemming from the monastery Gampopa founded in 1121." (Dan Martin, 2009)

A new outline page for the Protectors of the Kagyu Tradition has been added. More links will be added as more examples of the special protectors of the various traditions are acquired.

Additional images and links have been added to the Refuge Field Main Page and Outline Page.

Karmapa Masterworks Page: there are many paintings that depict the Karmapa Lamas in all of their incarnations from the 12th century up to the 20th century. Some of the paintings are masterworks as well as good examples of the various Tibetan painting styles popular over the centuries. The small selection of works represented here are only what is currently available on the HAR website. There are many more paintings and sculpture in museum and private collections that are not yet included in the HAR database.

Karma Kagyu Outline Page "The Kagyud Tradition developed from the teachings of Naropa and Maitrepa. The main founders of all the sects of the Kagyud are the three Great Masters: Marpa, Milarepa and Gampopa. From these three Masters the Kagyud Lineage scattered into the four major and eight minor Lineages. It was from Gampopa's disciple, Phagmo Drupa that most of these lineages of the Kagyud Tradition came, spreading in many different directions. Presently there are four which have not faded and still exist: the Karma Kagyud, Drukpa Kagyud, Drigung Kagyud and Taglung Kagyud. The Dharma lineages of the others have become very subtle or thin (having mostly been absorbed into larger lineages)."

(Excerpt from the Opening of the Dharma, A Brief Explanation of the Essence of the Limitless Vehicles of the Buddha. Written by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Lodro. Translated by Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Gyatso, Malaysia, October 1984).

Choying Dorje was both a Tibetan artist and a religious teacher - head of the Karma Kagyu (Kamtsang) Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism - the 10th Karmapa (1604-1674). His art is unique and the style recognizable. The paintings are known for bright colours, simple repetitive human figures and great detail and care when depicting animals and birds. Arhats were a popular theme as well as deity figures such as Avalokiteshvara, Tara and Marichi. The only nearly complete set of paintings known to have been done by Choying Dorje, and still in existence today, are a set of paintings depicting the Life Story of Shakyamuni Buddha.

Of the nearly two hundred works of art that Choying Dorje created during his life, and subsequently recorded in the various biographies, approximately thirty pieces are currently known to exist. The paintings are most plentiful with agreement amongst most scholars as to their authenticity and attribution. However, with the sculpture, there are fewer known pieces and a greater disagreement as to which sculpture can be accurately attributed to Choying Dorje. (See the Choying Dorje Outline Page).

A new outline page for the Karma Kagyu Lineage Painting Sets has been added to the site. This page accompanies the Lineage Sets Main Page posted previously. Dozens of new thematic image set pages have been created and hundreds of images have been reviewed in the process of trying to re-construct as many Karma Kagyu painting sets as possible. The principal lineage painting set is the 'Golden Garland' which depicts the lineage from Vajradhara, Tilopa, Naropa, Marpa, Milarepa and Gampopa to the 1st Karmapa Dusum Kyenpa. There are other painting sets which appear to be primarily incarnation lineage sets however more research needs to be done. Links to the five main incarnation teachers, Karmapa, Shamar, Situ, Gyaltasb and Nenang Pawo, are found on the Outline Page, Painting Sets Page and the Karma Kagyu traditions Main Page.

Lineage Painting Sets make a up a substantial portion of Himalayan and Tibetan art. The two largest single groups of lineage painting sets are the Sakya Lamdre Lineage and the Karma Kagyu Mahamudra Lineage. The Karma Kagyu sets have been organized into a list and same set paintings grouped togther. Curently there are twenty-nine different sets identified on the HAR site. The first set has also been expanded into a custom page to re-construct the likely total number and order of the paintings. See Painting Set 1.

Tonpa Shenrab Outline Page uploaded. The page lists and links all of the various Bon art and iconography, paintings and sculpture, related to Tonpa Shenrab and his various manifestations with an emphasis on the many sets of paintings such as Life Stories.

5th Dalai Lama Outline Page uploaded. The page lists and links all of the various art, paintings and sculpture, related to the 5th Dalai Lama such as the Dalai Lama incarnation lineage, the Panchen Lamas, Desi Sanggye Gyatso and the Potala Palace.

"In April 2009, the Alain Bordier Foundation opened the Tibet Museum in the heart of the medieval town of Gruyères in the French speaking part of Switzerland.

The Tibet Museum houses an important collection of Buddhist sculptures, paintings, and ritual objects. It consists of about three hundred objects, mainly originating from Tibet. Among the statues, however, are a number of objects that were manufactured in the ancient Buddhist cultures surrounding Tibet: rare Buddhist sculptures from Nepal, Kashmir, Swat, and other Himalaya regions, in addition to examples from Northern India and Burma (Myanmar). Like other collectors of Tibetan art, Alain Bordier established his collection during the last quarter of the 20th century, when Tibetan refugees brought great numbers of religious objects into exile in India and Nepal. It was the wish of Alain Bordier to share his fascination with as many people as possible and to preserve and hold together these miraculously preserved sacred objects.

For this purpose he has founded the Alain Bordier Foundation to preserve the Buddhist collection and to maintain the Tibet Museum."  Ulrich von Schroeder

The Tibet Museum Collection:
- Tibetan Paintings

- Tibetan Sculpture 1

- Tibetan Sculpture 2

- Nepal: Painting & Sculpture

- Swat Region & Kashmir

- North Eastern India & Burma

HAR Special Features & Tools Page : Himalayan Art Resources is a fully curated art collection with over 35,000 images drawn from public and private holdings around the world. The images (objects) are identified according to subject, region, date, ethnicity, religion, set affiliation, inscription, contextual relationships and more. The site has several hundred thousand words of description, documentation and explanation, and is encyclopedic in breadth. A unique feature of the site is the extensive contextualization of single images with a wealth of related material in the database supported by the indices, glossaries, outline and custom pages. Furthermore there are embedded biographies & histories, lineage lists, chronologies, Tibetan & Sanskrit audio files, Tibetan and Sanskrit language files, along with links (TBRC) to biographical & text records.



Special Features & Tools Page:

The Five Most Powerful Tools

The Five Special Features

Art Sets - Painting & Sculpture

Custom Pages & Testmonials

The Refuge Field, or Field of Accumulation, pages have been updated with new images and sections, updated Outline Page and more links. The Gelug section has been divided between the four types of Refuge Field paintings common to the Gelug. Padmasambhava, the Longchen Nyingtig and a Miscellaneous Subjects section have also been added. There are approximately 80 Refuge Field paintings in the HAR database at the present time.

Field of Accumulation, or Refuge Field: A Refuge Field is a particular type of Buddhist, and in recent times Bon, painting composition that arranges all of the teachers and deities of a particular tradition in one painted composition as formulated by individual religious traditions and as described in liturgical texts. The function of a Refuge Field is to be a visual composition reminding the devotee of all of the most sacred objects contained in the tradition, namely the (1) Teacher, (2) Buddha, (3) Dharma - religious texts, (4) Sangha, (5) Ishtadevata - meditational deities, and (6) Dharmapala - the Religious Protectors, including wealth deities. The Refuge Field is also the basis of a visualization and meditation practice common to Tantric Buddhism. The Tibetan word 'tsog zhing' is often mistakenly translated from Tibetan to English as 'Refuge Tree' because of confusion with the Tibetan word shing meaning 'tree' and zhing meaning 'field', region or realm. The correct translation and name for this type of painting is Field of Accumulation, or more commonly known in English as a Refuge Field.

This type of composition, seen from the examples in the HAR database, appears to be a very late phenomenon in Tibetan and Himalayan art quite possibly only becoming popular in the late 18th century. The earliest examples appear to be the Gelug paintings and then the Nyimgma Longchen Nyingtig examples of the 19th century. Examples of the Bon Refuge Field only appear in the late 19th and then the 20th century. The standard Shenlha Okar Tsog Zhing - Field of Accumulation - was designed late in life by a Bon Lama from Eastern Tibet, Shardza Tashi Gyaltsen (1859 -1933), based on personal visionary experience.

A set of four unusual paintings containing the Amoghapasha Dharani and a top register of Deities. The main area of the composition is taken up by the written text of the Amoghapasha Dharani and only the top register of each painting devoted to painted depictions of the Five Deity Amoghapasha Mandala deities. Each of the four top registers have the same five Amoghapasha deities in the center of each of the four compositions. At the far right and left of the four registers there are different deities. All but one of the deities are various forms of Avalokiteshvara. The form that is not Lokeshvara is the goddess that averts epidemics and contagion - Parnashavari.

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More visuals for Hevajra Mandala HAR #87225. The two visual key pages have been placed alongside the main image with the identification keys for the numbers and colours located below - all on one page.

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A new visual format Painting Sets Resource Page has been added to the recently updated Painting Sets Main Page.

As painting sets account for at least half or more of all Himalayan art it is a huge task to try and organize the different sets into catagories, then to keep track of the different versions of the same set compositions such as Shakyamuni & the Sixteen Arhats, the Margapala Lineage, Dalai Lama and Panchen Lama Nartang sets, etc. See the first draft of an index to try and catalogue just the subject names of the many painting sets.

Although the lists for each of the four sub-catagories of painting sets appears relatively short it must be remembered that there can be dozens, scores, or hundreds of copies of a single subject set of paintings, for example the Sixteen Great Arhats with over one hundred sets currently documented on the HAR site.

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The Kalachakra Page has been updated with additional information, images and sets. Also, a list of all of the many different forms and mandala configurations for Kalachakra has been added, however they have not yet been linked to known examples and works of art. The list is drawn from a number of different literary sources and traditions, but primarily from the Sakya, Jonang and Gelug Traditions of Tibetan Buddhism.

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