Derge Printing House, Derge, Kham Region, Eastern Tibet
ca. 1979
Derge Printing House, Derge, Kham Region, Eastern Tibet
ca. 1979
This is the third composition from a set of nine depicting key scenes from the life story of Buddha Shakyamuni known as the Twelve Deeds of the Buddha. This image depicts the sixth and seventh deeds: “Renunciation,” signified by cutting his hair, and “Asceticism/ Austerities.” At the foot of the Immaculate Stupa, he removed his ornaments and cut his hair, which was gathered by Indra (seen floating in rainbow light above him) and taken to the Heaven of the 33 Gods (Trayastrimsha) where it was placed in a stupa to be worshiped by the gods. He then practiced austerities for six years on the banks of the Nairanjana River with five like-minded ascetics. Depicted at top right are three shepherd boys (representing mental poisons) who tried in vain to break his concentration. At bottom left is the scene of the village girl Sujata who offered him a bowl of cream/porridge distilled from the milk of 500 cows which restored him to health. At bottom right the buffalo herder Svasti offers him grass, which he made into a mat upon which to meditate.
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. This set of compositions depicting the Twelve Deeds of the Buddha is based on paintings attributed to the famous late 19th-century master painter Purbu Tsering of Chamdo.
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.
A state of “waking up” from illusion and seeing the true nature of reality. Buddha Shakyamuni attained awakening while meditating under the bodhi tree. Buddhist teaching explains that the accumulation of merit and wisdom are essential for achieving awakening, also known as enlightenment.
Prescribed practices that carry symbolic meaning and value within a specific tradition and are intended to attain a desired outcome. Rituals are usually done as part of a ceremony or regular routine.
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.
Beings who aspire to become fully awakened like the Buddha and are dedicated to helping others on the path to enlightenment.
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.
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