Buddhist Hand Painted Thangka of Sahasrabhuja Avalokitesvara, Real Gold, Lamas Art

Videos of Applying Gold in the Thangka

These sacred paintings serve as objects of contemplation, inspiration, and instruction, guiding practitioners on their spiritual path. Thangkas provide a visual gateway to the world of Tibetan Buddhism, encapsulating its rich symbolism, iconography, and spiritual concepts. With their vibrant colors, intricate patterns, and skillful craftsmanship, thangkas offer a profound visual medium for deepening one's understanding and connection to the teachings of Buddhism.

Thangkas come in various sizes, ranging from small pieces resembling Western half-length portraits to grand-scale creations spanning several meters in each dimension. While the larger thangkas are intended for temporary display during religious festivals, the majority of these artworks are designed for personal meditation or as educational aids for monastic students. The compositions of thangkas are meticulously crafted, featuring intricate details and often incorporating numerous small figures. A central deity or focal point is typically surrounded by a symmetrical arrangement of other divine beings, symbols, or narrative elements that convey profound spiritual teachings.

How is Thangka made

First, the canvas on which the painting is to be executed is laid on a wooden frame to determine the required dimensions. This canvas is an extremely finely woven cotton material, referred to in the Holy Scriptures as "Çura Canvas".

Then the canvas is cut, hemmed and, with the use of sturdy strings, very tightly mounted in the wooden frame. Painting is carried out with the frame in an upright position, without any further rigid support or backing.

In this studio, our primary artist, who works virtually exclusively for us, applies the undercoat consisting of a mixture of chalk and glue to the canvas by hand. Other Thangka workshops have turned to mainly using industrially pre-primed canvas.

This photo shows how the canvas, after receiving its base coat followed by a second coating of bone glue, is polished and smoothed by hand with a stone to attain a perfectly smooth, featureless painting surface. Through this process the canvas becomes quite rigid, thereby providing perfect conditions to evoke very finest artistic detail and over-all superior painting quality.

Using a different Thangka, we see how, after mounting, the complete basic pattern of the respective theme is applied to the canvas.

The following picture shows the steps in creating a gold-based Thangka, such as our No PH 9, the "Holy Mount Kailash". To achieve more intensive colour, yet another prime coat, in ochre, is applied, followed by a coat of pure gold. The so-called Thangka painting gold is traditionally produced by members of the Newar people in Nepal. 24-karat gold is ground to finest powder and mixed with bone glue and water in proportions suitable for direct use in painting. Thus, the Thangka gold is not gold leaf at all! Silver can be processed and used in the same way: Mount Kailash and the surrounding peaks in our completed Thangka were not painted with white paint, rather with precious silver.

Here, the nearly completed piece has been removed from the wooden frame. Now only the very finest finishing touches remain to be added, such as compacting the gold and giving Mount Kailash its silver mantle.

K. Lama regarded his already half-finished thangka proudly

The Mount Kailash Thangka, including the black margin (which can also facilitate the fastening of a traditional brocade frame), is now complete. Only the background gold must be compacted in the places where it is later intended to exhibit a sheen.

Here we see an old ballpoint pen casing into which a specially cut agate has been fitted. The back of this semi-precious stone is slightly concave and can be used to compact gold over extensive areas of the Thangka, while the blunt point is used to lineally compact gold, thus creating a shiny effect.

In this way, through partial compaction of the gold or refraining from compaction, nearly three-dimensional effects can be achieved. The glorious sheen of gold artistically treated in this way richly rewards the beholder or meditator with a Thangka possessed of an extraordinarily aesthetic aura.

Thangka Making Video

Iconography

Vajrapani is pictured dancing wildly within a halo of flames, which represent transformation.
He holds a vajra (thunderbolt) in his right hand, which emphasizes the power to cut through the darkness of delusion. Vajrapani looks wrathful, but as a representation of the enlightened mind, he’s completely free from hatred.


Vajrapani’s mantra is simply his name, which means "wielder of the thunderbolt", framed between the mystical syllables Om and Hūm. This mantra helps us to gain access to the irrepressible energy that Vajrapani symbolizes. A familiarity with Vajrapani does, of course, help here, although the sound of the mantra is itself rather energetic.

Matra of Vajrapani

Characteristics

The following shows the importance and characteristics of Pancha Buddhas in the life of Buddhist people.

Vairochana Buddha
Vairochana Buddha is considered as the supreme Buddha among Pancha Buddha. This Premordial Buddha represents the wisdom of Sunyata or essence of the Dharma realm meditation mudra. In Tibetan Buddhism, Pancha Buddha are drawn together in a mandala, it is always that Vairochana Buddha is in the center of Mandala. Vairochana Buddha statues are mostly depicted in white color and it is believed that if one meditate saying matra on Vairochana buddha, it helps to vanquish ingnorance. Vairocana Buddha Statues is quite popular among the Tibetan Buddha statues since the core of Jokhang temple is the Buddha image of Vairocana Buddha and Jokhang temple is one of the few important Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Tibet.
Ratnasambhava Buddha
Ratnasambhava Buddha represents the South Skandha and is believed to reign over it just like other Buddha. Ratnasambhava Buddha statues is especially depicted in yellow color and represents richness. Ratnasambhava Buddha is shown in Varada Mudra, also known as Boon giving mudra, one of the different styles of Buddha statues. In Mandala, Ratnasambhava Budhda is shown facing South.
Amoghasiddhi Buddha
As the Buddha reigning over North Skandha, Amoghasiddhi Buddha is believed to protect or destroy every ounce of envy or jealousy from the heart of people who meditate on Amoghasiddhi Buddha. Amoghasiddhi Buddha statues are depicted in green color holding double vajra. Since he is represented as the protector from envy, Amoghasiddhi Buddha is shown in Abhaya mudra.
Akshobhaya Buddha
Among Pancha Buddhas, Akshobhaya Buddha is quite popular representations of Buddha. Akshobhaya Buddha is depicted in Blue color, holding vajra with left hand and touching the earth using earth touching Mudra. Akshobahaya Buddha is considered as the heavenly Buddha who reign over the eastern Paradise and represents the fifth Skandha. By meditating on the name of Akshobhaya Buddha, one can overcome any kind of anger as well as hatred.
Amitabha Buddha
In many Asian countries, Amitabha Buddha of Pancha Buddha is greatly respected and followed by large number of Buddhist people as well as Buddhist monks. Amitabha Buddha is also the heavenly Buddha who reign over the Western Paradise and is represented in red Color, holding lotus which symbolizes gentle and pure. Amitabha Buddha stands in the center of Pure Land which is considered as heavenly place where one can be free from all cycles of life. Only who speaks or meditate on Amitabha Buddha can go to Pure Land according to Buddhist doctrines of Amitabha Buddha. Two major Bodhisattvas i.e. Avalokiteshvara and Mahasthamaprapta are depicted with Amitabha Buddha statues.
These Pancha Buddha are greatly respected by Newari Buddhism as well as Nepali-tibetan Buddhist ethnicities. These five Buddhas of five different skandha shows the qualities of Living Buddha and depicted in form of crown known as Five Buddha Crown or Rig Nga in Tibetan Buddhism. One of the key features of Pancha Buddha statues is that the hand postures of each Pancha Buddha are not considered mudra if all five Buddha statues are not placed together.

Our Buddha statue collection provides different styles of antique Pancha Buddha statues, Nepal Tibet Buddha statues, Tibetan Buddha statues, and Buddha sculptures, based on the mudras, etc. You can view our onlince collection for rare, old and antique Pancha Buddha Statues.