Derge Printing House, Derge, Kham Region, Eastern Tibet
ca. 1979
Derge Printing House, Derge, Kham Region, Eastern Tibet
ca. 1979
This is the ninth composition from a set of 23 images depicting the 16 arhats, who are said to have been the original disciples of the Buddha Shakyamuni. It depicts the Arhat Pantaka (Tib. gnas brtan lam bstan), the thirteenth of the 16 arhats who is said to live in the Heaven of the 33 Gods. He can be recognized by the book he holds and the teaching gesture he makes. An interesting detail at mid-right is a group looking at a hanging scroll painting. In the Tibetan tradition, arhats usually appear together as a group of 16, flanking a central Buddha. Their full representations also include an attendant, patron, and four guardian kings, as seen in this example. In this set each arhat is depicted larger in the center, facing in toward the central Buddha, surrounded by smaller scenes from their legendary lives identified by Tibetan inscriptions. A short inscription at the top identifies where to hang this image in the set: “fifth [painting from the central Buddha’s] right.”
Arhats represent the monastic ideal and preservers of the monastic code of conduct (vinaya). The arhats are often invoked in rituals of confession and mending vows, performed before images such as these. Tibetan artists adopted Chinese conventions of depicting arhats as wizened sages with exaggerated features, living in secluded mountain caves, drawn from images of Daoist immortals. As a genre arhat painting often carries with it aspects of Chinese artistic and material culture.
This woodblock print was printed at the Derge Printing House in the Kham region of southeastern Tibet (modern-day Ganzi, Sichuan Province, PRC). Founded in 1729, it is one of the largest and most important producers of traditional Tibetan woodblock prints. The prints’ models (par tsa) for this set were painted by Tangla Tsewang (1902–1989), a Karma Gardri painting master and scholar from nearby Pelpung Monastery, as well as scribe and court painter to the eleventh incarnation of Situ hierarchs.
A virtuous feeling and deep respect toward an authentic teaching, teacher, or path. Buddhists believe that expansive study, analysis, and meditation are essential steps for cultivating a healthy and enduring devotion.
Teachings and precepts that offer practical and experiential guidance. In Buddhism instruction is primarily an oral tradition and is often targeted to the specific needs or disposition of a student or disciple.
A vehicle for the preservation and transmission of knowledge. The Buddha’s teachings were originally passed down through oral transmission and storytelling, and stories of the Buddha’s past lives are considered an important source of inspiration and guidance.
An awakened being who understands the true nature of reality and is free from the cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. While there are many buddhas, Siddhartha Gautama is the historical Buddha, whose teachings became the foundation of Buddhism.
Himalayan art includes portraits of legendary and historical humans, including accomplished religious teachers (lamas), the Buddha’s original disciples (arhats), and spiritually accomplished tantric masters (mahasiddhas).
Today, Tibetans primarily inhabit the Tibetan Plateau, situated between the Himalayan mountain range and the Indian subcontinent to the west, Chinese cultural regions to the east, and Mongolian cultural regions to the northeast. During the 7th to 9th century, Tibetan rulers expanded their empire across Central Asia, and established Buddhism as the state religion.
Woodblock printing became an important technology of production, propagation, and cross-cultural exchange of both text and image in Tibetan, Himalayan, and Inner Asian regions from the 12th century on.
Get the latest news and stories from the Rubin, plus occasional information on how to support our work.
