Artwork Details

Title
Vajradhara and the Great Adepts (Mahasiddhas)
Dimensions
58 7/8 × 37 3/8 × 1 1/2 in.
Medium
Pigments on cloth
Origin
Kham Province, Eastern Tibet
Classification(s)
scroll painting paintings
Date
late 18th-early 19th century
Credit Line
Rubin Museum of Himalayan Art
Object number
C2005.10.1
Bibliography
Patron and Painter: Situ Panchen and the Revival of the Encampment Style
HAR Number
65420
Published references
*Jackson, David P. Patron and Painter: Situ Panchen and the Revival of the Encampment Style. New York: Rubin Museum of Art, 2009. Fig. 8.1; Pp. 154-156, 168.*Linrothe, Rob. Holy Madness: Portraits of Tantric Siddhas. New York: Rubin Museum of Art and Serindia Publications, 2006, p. 263-4.*Tibet House Museum, Inaugural Exhibition Catalog, New Delhi: Tibet House, 1965, pls. 5, 6, 11-15.

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Tantrism

Concepts

A religious movement that originated in India around the fifth to seventh century with sacred writings and esoteric teachings and practices transmitted from teacher to student through initiation. These remain an important part of Hinduism and Buddhism today. 

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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.

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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.

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Buddhas

Figure Type

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.

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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.

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