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Tsang Nyon Heruka (1452-1507), author, teacher and yogi, in mahasiddha appearance.

Tsang Nyon (gtsang smyon he ru ka), be it painting or sculpture, typically appears as a Tantric yogi holding a vajra scepter in the extended right hand, or alternately raised, and a skullcup in the left hand with a katvanga staff leaning against the left shoulder. His robe is generally white as is the custom of those following the tradition of Milarepa and Rechungpa. As ornaments he wears a skull headdress and bone earrings, necklace, long and short, bracelets, anklets, all modelling the appearance of the semi-peaceful and semi-wrathful deities like Hevajra and Chakrasamvara of the Anuttarayoga class of Buddhist Tantra. This is known as Mahasiddha Appearance. This peculiar and anti-social manner of dressing, copying a Heruka deity, is called the second level of the Application of the Vow in the Hevajra Tantra. The Chakrasamvara and Hevajra Tantras principally, along with similar instructions in other Tantras, are the textual source for all of those teachers and practitioners in India and Tibet who wear bone ornaments, animal skins and hold Tantric implements.

Tsang Nyon is famous for his appearance and his writings. After extensive retreats he insisted on wearing the Heruka attire as stipulated in the Chakrasamvara and Hevajra Tantras. He is however more well known for writing and compiling the One Hundred Thousand Songs of Milarepa along with numerous biographies of early Kagyu teachers. In the 15th century he set about to revive the old Marpa Kagyu traditions of extensive retreats in isolated locations following after the conduct of Milarepa.

A page of detail images of the various birds from the seven painting set depicting Dalai Lamas and previous incarnations.

A page of detail images of the various animals from the seven painting set depicting Dalai Lamas and previous incarnations.

A page of detail images of the various faces from the seven painting set depicting Dalai Lamas and previous incarnations.

A page of detail images of the 4th Dalai Lama and three other Dalai Lama pre-incarnations.

A page of detail images of the 3rd Dalai Lama and three other Dalai Lama pre-incarnations.

A page of detail images of the 2nd Dalai Lama and three other Dalai Lama pre-incarnations.

A page of detail images of the 1st Dalai Lama and two other Dalai Lama pre-incarnations.

A page of detail images of King Songtsen Gampo and two other Dalai Lama pre-incarnations.

A page of detail images of Dromton and two other Dalai Lama pre-incarnations.

A page of detail images for the 5th Dalai Lama depiction from a nine painting set.

This seven painting set depicts the previous incarnations of the Dalai Lamas along with the post 5th Dalai Lama incarnations up to and including the 9th Dalai Lama. The painting set has been highlighted on the HAR News Page previously, however, several hundred new detail images of the seven paintings have been added. The details especially highlight the portrait like faces, birds and animals, flowers and foliage. The animals and birds are very unusual because of their accuracy to real living creatures - not generally common in Tibetan painting.

The central painting depicts Ngagwang Lobzang Gyatso (1617-1682) with three paintings to either side. It is most probable, based on the last Dalai Lama depicted, that the paintings were done between 1810 and 1823 prior to the official selection and enthronement of the 10th Dalai Lama.

The artist is currently unidentified by name but known through a number of other paintings and painting sets following the same unique style, composition, colour and brushstrokes. It is believed at this time that the artist worked in the Chamdo area of Kham Tibet. (See the Outline Page depicting all seven paintings as they are typically depicted together).

This subject page contains detail images of Green Tara surrounded by numerous narrative vignettes. The detail images especially highlight the many Tibetan inscriptions identifying the various stories depicted. The painting is on wood and was likely a panel from a large piece of decorative Tibetan furniture.

This subject page contains detail images of Geleg Gyatso (16th/17th century) a Tibetan teacher of the Lamrim lineage.

This subject page contains detail images of the Tibetan teacher Chokyi Dorje (15th century) included as a Lamrim Lineage teacher.

This subject page contains detail images of Vidyakokila the Younger an Indian teacher counted as one of the early Lamrim Teachers.

This subject page contains detail images of a currently unidentified early Indian Lamrim teacher. This composition is from a set of paintings depicting all of the Lamrim teachers of the Gelug Tradition. Currently only twelve of the paintings are accounted for from a total set of likely more than sixty individual compositions. The paintings themselves contain some of the finest artistic skill of the late 18th century.

This composition of a mandala surrounded by smaller mandalas and an endless number of other figures looks impossibly complex and difficult to read. However, when the various sections are analyzed and separated they appear very organized, logical and understandable.

Follow the coloured sections: blue, red, green, purple, yellow and brown along with the lists of figures and see how this composition was constructed.

This subject page contains detail images of a Padmasambhava painting. The form of Padmasambhava is Pema Jungne from a nine composition set depicting the Eight Forms of Guru Rinpoche.

Surrounding the central figure are numerous narrative vignettes of the life story of Padmasambhava. At this time there are no other paintings from this set known in either private or museum collections.

At the middle right side are several depictions of Manjushri but the most interesting is the one with the five peaked, or terrace mountain, Wutaishan, in the background with five stupas marking each peak. Manjushri also holds a tortoise which is an important symbol in Buddhist astrology. Manjushri is believed to have invented astrology at Wutaishan Mountain.

This Bodhisattva Outline Page is a recreation of what a specific nine composition Eight Bodhisattva painting set would look like when complete. The images of the paintings represented here are from a number of different sets. Six partial sets are known to exist. The central image, likely to be that of Amitabha Buddha, is missing along with three of the eight bodhisattvas: Avalokiteshvara, Samantabhadra and Nivarana Vishkhambin. The six different sets all appear to follow the same compositional model. Stylistically they follow conventions that are more common with painting styles from the Kham region of Eastern Tibet. The correct order and position of each of the bodhisattvas is not yet determined.