Songtsen Gampo (ruled 617-650) (From a set of the previous lives of the Dalai Lamas)

Artwork Details

Title: Songtsen Gampo (ruled 617-650) (From a set of the previous lives of the Dalai Lamas)

Dimensions: 30 1/2 × 19 3/8 in.

Medium: painted xylograph

Origin: Tibet

Classification(s): paintings

Date: 19th century

Credit Line: Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art

Object number: C2004.38.1

Bibliography: Faith and Empire: Art and Politics in Tibetan Buddhism

Published references: * Karl Debreczeny. "Wutaishan: Pilgrimage to Five Peak Mountain." Journal of the International Association of Tibetan Studies, Issue 6 (Dec 2011): fig 33, p. 40.* Debreczeny, Karl. Faith and Empire: Art and Politics in Tibetan Buddhism. New York: Rubin Museum of Art, 2019. Fig. 3.2, pp. 20, 43, 60, 65, 69, 71

Storytelling

Concepts

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.

Lineage

Concepts

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.

Identity

Concepts

Buddhists believe identity is not fixed but is variable and dependent on causes and conditions. It is a temporary, transitional, and ever-changing interplay of mental and physical elements.

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.