News

An easy to follow Overview Outline has been added to the Refuge Field Main Page.

As for the creation of Refuge Field paintings and the Kagyu Tradition in general, the Drigung appear to be the earliest to adopt this visual model with a number of extant examples. Then follow the Drugpa Kagyu with one example on the HAR website. The Karma Kagyu appears to be the last to adopt the visual form with three pre 1959 examples known to exist. The earliest of those Karma Kagyu Refuge Fields can be dated to between 1900 and 1922 based on inscriptions and a depiction of the 15th Karmapa, Kakyab Dorje (1870/71-1921/22).

Kagyu Refuge Field Main Page

Kagyu Refuge Field Outline Page

The design for this style of a wood block print Refuge Field composition likely originates in the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery of Shigatse and based on the artistic and iconographic tradition of Konchog Gyaltsen (according to inscription). Looking at an unpainted print image (HAR #71968), the previous incarnations of the Panchen Lamas are clearly depicted in the upper right and left sides of the composition. Of the images exhibited on the Block Print Page, some are direct copies (HAR #74089, 571) from the wood block and others are variations based upon the wood block composition (HAR #94331, 64604). A good example of a variation is seen in HAR #87209 where the original central figure of Tsongkapa has been swapped for the image of Shakyamuni Buddha.

In the Gelug Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism there are numerous Refuge Field composition types distinguished both by central figure and also by support (i.e. lotus or tree): (1) Shakyamuni Buddha, (2) Je Tsongkapa, (3) Pabongka Design, and (4) Lotus Support, and (5) Block Print. The first three types are depicted at the peak of a wish-fulfilling tree, seated on a throne and lotus. The fourth type is placed only on a lotus blossom. The two general types of central figures for all types of Refuge Fields are Shakyamuni Buddha and Je Tsongkapa. The variation of the two subject figures depend on the intention, purpose and function of the painting. The former is a Lama Chopa (Shakyamuni) Refuge Field and the latter a Lamrim Lineage (Tsongkapa) Refuge Field.

Aside from those five general types of Gelug Refuge Fields there are also three miscellaneous types. The first of the miscellaneous types (1) are depictions of the Qianglong Emperor of China portrayed either as a royal figure, or as a monastic. He is pictured at the center of a painted composition, surrounded by the religious figures, deities and protectors typical of the Gelug Tradition. The second (2) is an unusual subject, not completely understood, but likely to be, a set of seven paintings drawn in the composition of a refuge field painting (with a tree as the support). The central subject of each of the paintings is a single buddha surrounded by the One Thousand Buddhas of the Age. A third type of Refuge Field is the Custom Subject Field where any Lama, Buddha or Deity can be placed at the center, surrounded by the appropriate lineage of teachers, related deities and special protector figures.

The Painting Sets Image is being added to all record pages where the single image of a painting belongs to a set of paintings. In some cases the sets image indicates how many paintings are in the full composition. Sometimes the image is also linked to other paintings from that same set.

Completed Collections with Painting Set Images:

Asian Art Museum, San Francisco

Rubin Museum of Art, NY

Tibet House, New York

Brooklyn Museum of Art, NY

Philadephia Museum of Fine Art

MFA Boston

Shelley & Donald Rubin Collection

Also see the Painting Sets Outline and the Painting Sets Glossary.

The Glossary Page has been updated with more links. There are now eleven (11) specialty glossaries listed at the top of the page.

A new Amulet Box Outline Page has been added to the Amulet Box Main Page. The outline is divided into the five types of boxes and the three components.

A Figurative Art Outline Page has been added to the Art History Main Page. It is divieded into the (1) Three Moods, (2) Catagories of Human Figures and (3) List of Appearance Type with Name.

A Vajra Outline Page has been added to the Vajra Scepter Main Page. The amount of information on the outline page is far less than that on the definition page. However, the outline page does list clearly at a glance the most important visual characteristics of vajras, differences, the two most common Tibetan types (5 & 9 prong), and the other cultural traditions that employ vajras.

Amulet Box (Tibetan: ga'u): Amulet Box (Tibetan: ga'u): portable shrines generally made from metal in a repousse style of construction. The purpose and function of an amulet box is for protection when traveling. They often, but not always, have a small window on the front with a religious image inside. Typically the front is very ornate and decorated with the Eight Auspicious Symbols and other motifs. Amulet boxes are also commonly used to store all manner of sacred materials such as small texts, blessing cords, consecrated medicine, relics, and the like. Objects such as this were generally carried when traveling some distance away from home, such as on pilgrimage, or for extended business trips.

Amulet boxes are made in different shapes and sizes. They can be divided into several basic categories:

(1) Boxes with Letters
(2) Shrine Shape
(3) Square Shape
(4) Round Shape
(5) Miscellaneous

Vajra Scepter (Tibetan: dor je. English: the best stone): [1] from the Vedic literature, the scepter of the Hindu god Indra namely a lightening bolt, [2] from the Puranic literature, a weapon made from the bones of a rishi, and [3] a word that is used to represent Tantric Buddhism - Vajrayana. As a Buddhist scepter it is a small object made of metal generally having five or nine prongs at each end that bend inward to form a rounded enclosure. As a ritual object in Tantric Buddhism it is usually accompanied by a bell with a half vajra handle (Sanskrit: ghanta). Vajras are also found with Buddhists of South-east Asia, particularly Java,  and with the Shingon Buddhists of Japan.

The nine pronged configuration is the vajra most commonly used by the Nyingma Tradition of Tibetan and Himalayan Buddhism. The five pronged configuration is the vajra used by the new schools, or Sarma Traditions: Sakya, Kagyu, Jonang, Gelug, etc.

A one pronged vajra is related to naga rituals. A vajra with five prongs having the tines or tips open and not touching the central prong is a 'wrathful' five prong vajra. Vajras with faces adorning the center are thought to be created in the Dali Kingdom of South-west China. Vajras with dragon prongs of nine or more, some over one hundred, are of Chinese origin. Vishvavajras with twenty prongs represent activity and are typically held in the hand of the deity Vajravidarana or the Buddha Amoghasiddhi.

There are many types and variations of vajras:

1. Single Pronged Vajra

2. Three Pronged Vajra

3. Five Pronged Vajra - closed tines

4. Five Pronged Vajra - open tines (wrathful)

5. Seven Prong Vajra

6. Nine Pronged Vajra

7. Twelve Pronged Vajra (vishvavajra)

8. Twenty Pronged Vajra (vishvavajra)

9. Multiple Pronged Vajra

10. Vajras with Faces (Dali Kingdom?)

11. Vajras with Dragon Prongs

12. Japanese Vajras

13. Javanese Vajras

14. Dali Kingdom Vajras

15. Jade Vajra & Bell

It is now October and most schools, colleges and universities have been in session for at least a month. It is time again to remind educators to submit requests to the HAR Team. Is there a particular area of study where we are not providing enough information? Is there an Outline Page or Thematic Subject Set not fully represented - an area completely missed? Let us know your needs so that we can prioritize our work with you and the students in mind. Contact us at info@himalayanart.org. (About Us page and view a list of educators that use the HAR website).

Yes, Himalayan Art Resources (HAR) can be found on Facebook. Some visitors to HAR prefer to make comments on the Facebook page rather than on the HAR News page.  Either or, we are happy to have the comments.

Aniko, originally known as Barub (or Balabahu), 1244-1306, is said to have been born in a Nepalese royal household descended from the Shakya family of Lumbhini and the historical Buddha - Shakyamuni. The name Aniko is said to come from the name Araniko given to him by Chogyal Pagpa, a name in some way thought to be related to the protector deity Panjarnata Mahakala. Between 1259 and 1264 eighty craftsmen and artists journeyed from the Kathmandu Valley to Sakya, Tibet, to construct a golden stupa. Aniko was the leader of the group. After recieving monastic ordination, in 1269 Aniko traveled with Chogyal Pagpa to Dadu (Beijing) to meet with Kublai Khan. In 1271 Aniko began constructing the White Stupa 'for the preservation of the country'. In 1274 it was filled and consecrated by Chogyal Pagpa and Rinchen Gyaltsen - the brother of Pagpa. On October 25th, 1279, the stupa was officially completed. After completion a monastery was immediately built around the stupa. After ten years the temple and monastery were finished and named Dashengshou Wan'an Monastery becoming the principal place of Buddhist worship for the Mongol Lords.

Aniko was also renowned for constructing other buildings and monasteries under the command of Kublai along with 191 statues of Taoist saints. In 1302 the famous White Stupa of Mount Wutaishan, special for Manjushri, was also constructed by Aniko on top of and around an existing famous pagoda built centuries earlier. Chogyal Pagpa is also said to have contributed to the physical labour of the construction and to first associate the five peaks, or terraces, with the Five Forms of Manjushri. Of the 40 years that Aniko spent in China 13 of those years were at Wutaishan Mountain. Aniko passed away at the age of 62 in the Imperial Palace in Dadu.

Aniko is primarily remembered for his architectural achievements and for the creation of sculpture objects. A painting of the Emperor and Empress have been attributed to him in the literary records. The two known remaining works are the White Stupa in Beijing and the Stupa at Wutaishan Mountain. Modern scholars are not in agreement concerning any other monuments, paintings or sculpture. (See article on Araniko Gallery).

This Vajravarahi sculpture, for its time and type, is surely one of the finest ever created. Also view the five detail images. The face is beautiful although likely re-painted in the recent past. The body proportions and movement are excellent. The ornamentation is precise and detailed, also textually accurate. The elaborate scarf (not part of the textual description) is beautifully excessive with studded semi-precious stones - likely original to the piece - framing the central figure and bringing the entire sculpture to a fullness that is greater than the sum of the parts. Sculptural perfection - art and iconography!

The depicted forms and ritual practices of Medicine Buddha (Bhaishajyaguru) are derived from the Bhaishajyaguru Sutra and according to Buddhist Tradition were taught by Shakyamuni Buddha. In the Vajrayana Buddhist Tradition this sutra is classified as Tantra literature and belonging to the Kriya classification. Many works under the Kriya classification are understood as being both sutra texts and tantra texts at the same time. Medicine Buddha imagery and practice is common to all of Tibetan and Himalayan Buddhism and particularly important to the Tibetan medical schools and traditions.

Medicine Buddha can be placed in a number of different compositions in painting and sculpture. He can be depicted alone or with his seven accompanying Buddhas (included is Shakyamuni - known as the Eight Medicine Buddha Brothers [Block Print Set]). Bhaishajyaguru can be depicted at the center of a Fifty-one Deity Mandala (see list of deity figures), or he can be relegated to a side position while the female personification of wisdom, Prajnaparamita, occupies the central position of the Medicine Buddha mandala. Sets of paintings can be commissioned depicting the Eight Medicine Buddha Brothers, or sets of paintings can be created depicting each of the fifty-one deities in their own composition. Often these sets are done with the painted canvas relatively small. In China they are commonly created as embroidered sets. They are then strung together and hung as a complete set in a temple or meeting hall. Likewise, sets of sculpture composed of fifty-one figures were also created and then arranged on a temple shrine. Many of the figures making up the fifty-one deities, when viewed individually and out of context with the whole, are often mis-identified and mistaken for other deities. The Twelve Yakshas Generals in the outer ring of the Medicine Buddha Mandala are most often mistakenly identified as forms of Jambhala, or even the more erroneous Kubera. (See Medicine Buddha Outline Page).

Description: The Guru of Medicine (Sanskrit: Bhaishajyaguru) is also known by the name Vaidurya Prabha Raja, the 'King of Sapphire Light.' Dark blue in colour, with one face and two hands he holds in the right hand a myrobalan fruit (Latin: terminalia chebula. Skt.: haritaki). The left hand is placed in the lap in the gesture of meditation supporting a begging bowl with the open palm. Adorned with the orange and yellow patchwork robes of a fully ordained monk, the left arm covered, he appears in the nirmanakaya aspect of a fully enlightened buddha. In vajra posture above a moon disc, he sits on a lotus and ornate lion supported throne with a back rest. At each side of Medicine Buddha stand the two principal bodhisattva attendants. To the left is the yellow bodhisattva Suryabhaskara (Rays of the Sun) and to the right is white Chandrabhaskara (Rays of the Moon).

Related Subjects:

Yutog Yontan Gonpo

Yutog Nyingtig

Padmasambhava as Medicine Buddha

Medical Charts: Blue Beryl

Medicine & Tantric Healing

Virupa and Kanha (Tibetan: nal jor wang chug bir wa pa. Nag po pa shar chog pa). This painting, number two in a series of lineage compositions, belongs to a larger set of paintings depicting the lineage of teachers for the Path together with the Result (Sanskrit: margapala. Tibetan: Lamdre) teaching originating with the mahasiddha Virupa. The Indian adept of the 9/10th century, Virupa,had two main students, Kanha and Dombhi Heruka. Virupa taught both of them the Lamdre (Margapala) system, The Path Together with the Result, based significantly but not exclusively on the Hevajra Tantra. Kanha, meaning black, was the principal student in the Lamdre lineage following after Virupa. In Western texts and Tibetan translated material this and similar names can appear in Sanskrit as Kanha, Kanhapa, Kanhavajra, Krishna, Krishnapa, Krishnavajra, Krishnacharin, Krishnacharya and Kala Virupa. All of these terms are Sanskrit and relate essentially to the colour black. The Tibetan word for Kanha as a persons name is 'nag po pa' which means the 'black one.'

There are two very popular and well documented systems of listing the names and biographies of the Eighty-four Great Mahasiddhas of India. They are the Vajrasana and the Abhayadatta systems. Both of these were translated into the Tibetan language. Also, in both of these systerms there are several siddhas with the name Nagpopa along with various associated spellings.

Why is this important and why does it matter? It matters because there is another mahasiddha with the Sanskrit name of Krishnacharin (Nagpopa Chopa, or Nagpo Chopa) associated with the Chakrasamvara Cycle of Tantras. His name is also translated into Tibetan as Nagpopa. Here arises the confusion. Like the Indian siddha of the Lamdre lineage, Kanha, this other siddha, Krishnacharin is very important and more well known to a greater number of Tibetan Buddhist Tantric Traditions. This second siddha, Krishnacharin, is also represented in both the Vajrasana and Abhayadatta Systems of the Eighty-four Mahasiddhas. Kanha, also known as Kanha of the East, of the Sakya Lamdre Lineage is found only in the Vajrasana System.

Both of these siddhas, Kanha and Krishnacharin, have their own stories and unique hagiographies. For the purposes of Art History, Iconography and Religious Studies it is important to be able to name and differentiate the various siddhas and teachers in the important lineages that appear in the registers of paintings and wall murals. That is why this subject of the two 'Nagpopas' is important.

How do we know what to call these siddhas? Basically we can only rely on common convention over time. However, we do have early writings from teachers such as Chogyal Pagpa where he refers to the 'black' student of Virupa as 'Kanha' using the Sanskrit term. This is how we know that there is early precedent in the Sakya Tradition for distinguishing between these two 'black ones,' Kanha and Krishna. There is less confusion generally with Krishnacharin because he is represented in all of the New Schools of Tibetan Buddhism and associated so strongly with the Chakrasamvara Tantra traditions. He also has a very lively and interesting biography (hagiography). So, it is really only the Lamdre Lineage siddha by the name of Nagpopa (Kanha) that has become confused. This is because essentially he is only known in the Sakya Lamdre Tradition and the subsequent Pagmodrupa Lineage of Lamdre. In general there are many different lineages of Hevajra descending from Indian roots and many different siddhas. Whereas in the Chakrasamvara system Krishnacharin is prominent and very well known.

For individuals and scholars interested in this subject ultimately what is important is to know that there are two different mahasiddha figures with names that have often been used interchangeably. This has not been a Tibetan problem. In the Tibetan language the two siddhas are very clearly distinguished as Nagpopa (Kanha) and Nagpo Chopa (Krishnacharin). This is a modern Western academic problem in reading the Tibetan translated names for the early Indian Teachers and then interpreting what the original Sanskrit word and spelling would be and then back translating.

In conclusion, there are two Indian siddhas with similar Tibetan names one belongs to the Lamdre Lineage (Kanha) and the other belongs to the Chakrasamava Lineage (Krishnacharin).

In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition the deification of living teachers began with Padmasambhava and the early pairing with Amitabha Buddha and the deity Avalokiteshvara. In the Nyingma Tradition he is known as the 2nd Buddha of this age. Artistic representaions reflecting this change begin to appear as early as the 13th to 15th centuries (click on the dates for examples).

The Gyalwa Karmapa is another interesting Tibetan teacher, unlike Padmasambhava, the Karmapas are understood as the first incarnation lineage of Tibet beginning in the 12th century and continuing up to the present day (the 17th incarnation). The painting on the left is very interesting because it is the oldest composition known (16th century) depicting three depictions of Karmapa, appearing in ordinary form, but representing the highest spiritual states in Buddhism according to the written inscriptions accompanying each.

In the top register are three Karmapas that are not meant to represent any living Karmapa. These three represent the three Buddha bodies. Reading the painting from left to right are the (1) Buddha Karmapa representing the Dharmakaya, (2) Vidyadhara Karmapa representing the Sambhogakaya and (3) Mahasiddha Karmapa representing the Nirmanakaya. Below that, in the second register the 1st and 2nd Karmapas are depicted, along with name inscriptions, continuing down to the 8th Karmapa, Mikyo Dorje.

The name Rahula belongs to three important figures in Buddhist iconography. The (1) first use is as the proper name for the biological son, Rahula, of Gautama Siddharta - Shakyamuni Buddha. The (2) second use of the name is for the Indian cosmological deity Rahula, the deification of the phenomenon of an eclipse. The (3) third use of Rahula is for the horrific Nyingma protector deity, wrathful, with nine heads and a giant face on the belly. It is likely that this Buddhist protector is a Tibetan creation and not linked to any Sanskrit literature or Indian religious tradition. Aside from these three uses of the name there were also numerous Indian pandits and siddhas with the name Rahula, Rahula Bhadra, Rahula Gupta, etc.

Rahula (Tibetan: kyab jug): wrathful protector of the Revealed Treasure Tradition of the Nyingma School of Tibetan Buddhism. The Tibetan protector deity is based on the Indian deity Rahula, an ancient Indian god, a demi-god, of the cosmos, related to the eclipse of the sun, moon and other planets. In the ancient tradition of Tibetan Buddhism (Nyingma) Rahula became popular as a protector of the 'revealed treasure' teachings (terma). In Buddhist depictions he is portrayed with the lower body of a coiled serpent spirit (naga) and the upper body with four arms, nine heads, adorned with a thousand eyes. In the middle of the stomach is one large wrathful face. The face in the stomach, belly, is actually the face and head of Rahula. The nine stacked heads depicted above are the nine planets that Rahula has eclipsed, or rather literally swallowed, eaten and now symbolically appear on top of his own face and insatiable mouth. At the crown of the stack of all the heads is the head of a black raven.

"From a fierce E [syllable] in a realm equal to space, the Lord arises out of wrathful activity, smoky, with nine heads, four hands and a thousand blazing eyes; homage to the Great Rahula - Protector of the Teachings." (Nyingma liturgical verse).

There are numerous forms of the protector Rahula. Generally he will always have the nine heads and naga lower body. Sometimes the faces are all black in colour and at other times the faces can appear in different colours depending on the specific 'Revealed Treasure' literature describing a special form. There are also differences in the retinue figures again depending on the Terton (Revealer) and the descriptive literature.

In Tibetan and Himalayan Buddhism the ornately displayed throne-back, Torana, is known as the 'six ornament' design. The general shape is like an oval gate or frame, sometimes rectangular. On each side of the torana, at the bottom left and right are elephants. Supported above that are lions (or snow lions), a horse (often with the characteristics of other animals such as a lion, etc.). Above that is a small boy who sometimes holds a conch shell in one hand and supports a horizontal throne cross beam with the other. Above that is a makara (water creature). Above that is a naga - with a human upper torso and snake's tail for the bottom which extends upward. At the very top is a single garuda bird who often bites down with the beak on the two extended tails of the two nagas from below, or bites down on a naga held in the outstretched arms. Sometimes there is an ornate silk canopy above the torana. It is not clear how the various elements of the torana are enumerated into the group of the 'six ornaments.' It is possible that the boy and the flying horse are grouped as one ornament.

Top Down:
Garuda,
Nagas,
Makaras (water monster)
Boys,
Horses (sharabha, half lion),
Lions, and
Elephants.

Symbolically the 'six ornaments' have many Buddhist meanings such "as the seven things to be eliminated on the path, the six perfections, the four gathering things, the strength of the ten powers, the stainless and the clear light." (Gateway to the Temple by Thubten Legshay Gyatsho. 1971, 1979. page 46).

In the Bon Religion there is also a unique throne back (Tibetan: gyab yol) which is described for the special figure of Nampar Gyalwa a form of Tonpa Shenrab, founder of the Bon religion. This throne back is different from the Buddhist description most notably because in the Bon depiction the lion at the bottom of the throne back is eating a human figure and above that the winged-lion-horse (dragon) is eating a serpent spirit (lu). Although specific to the biography of Tonpa Shenrab in his form as Nampar Gyalwa this throne back is also commonly found with the Four Transcendent Lords, the suprreme deities of Bon, and depicted in both painting and sculpture. According to the biographical literature the animals should be a lion, dragon and water monster. This is described in detail in the story of Nampar Gyalwa found in chapter 50 of the Ziji a twelve volume biography of Tonpa Shenrab.