The Fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lopsang Gyatso (1617-1682)

Artwork Details

Title: The Fifth Dalai Lama, Ngawang Lopsang Gyatso (1617-1682)

Dimensions: 12 3/4 × 10 1/2 × 8 1/8 in.

Medium: Gilt copper alloy

Origin: Tibet

Classification(s): sculpture

Date: 17th century

Credit Line: Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art, Purchased from the Collection of Navin Kumar, New York

Object number: C2004.26.1

HAR Number: 65375

Published references: * Karmay, Samten G., and Jeff Watt. Bon: The Magic Word. New York: Rubin Museum of Art, 2007. Fig. 53; Pp. 76, 77* Kaplan, Howard S. "Bodies in Balance: The Art of Tibetan Medicine" Arts of Asia, 44, no. 2 (2014): 132-141.* Debreczeny, Karl. The Black Hat Eccentric: Artistic Visions of the Tenth Karmapa. New York: The Rubin Museum of Art, 2012, pp. 73, 75. (Fig.2.6)* Janet Gyatso. "Buddhist Practices and Ideals in Desi Sangye Gyatso's Medical Paintings." In Bodies in Balance: The Art of Tibetan Medicine. Theresia Hofer, edit. Seattle: University of Washington Press, 2014. Color. Fig. 10.3, pp. 199, 203

Transmission

Concepts

The passing down of authentic Buddhist teachings from a teacher to a disciple or student, often in the form of a text in a ritualistic context.

The transmission of teachings from one generation to the next, from teacher to student, traced all the way back to the Buddha without interruption. A complete lineage is essential in Tantric Buddhist practices as it makes the blessings of the teaching more powerful.

Legendary and Historical Humans

Figure Type

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).

Tibetan Regions

Region

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.