Tibet
early to mid-14th century
The right hand is extended in a giving gesture.
Tibet
early to mid-14th century
Ratnasambhava, the buddha that presides over the southern direction, is one of the Buddhas of the Five Families, each associated with a cardinal direction. This painting is no doubt from a set of five, each depicting one of these buddhas. Ratnasambhava represents the jewel family. His various identifying characteristics include his yellow color, his hand gesture symbolic of giving, and his horse vehicle, shown peeking out from either end of his lotus throne. This buddha and his jewel family are associated with wealth, and five forms of the wealth deity Jambhala are shown along the bottom of the painting.Early Tibetan paintings are strictly organized with each figure portrayed at a size and receiving a placement that reflects his or her relative importance. For instance, Ratnasambhava is the subject of the painting, and so he is the largest figure and placed at the center. He is richly bejeweled, with all of his jewelry raised and gilded, as is typical of Tibetan paintings of this subject and period. The bold color scheme, strong shading, and abundance of decorative details separates this work from earlier examples of this theme.
The right hand is extended in a giving gesture.
Also known as vajra position, this posture is associated with meditation.
In Buddhism merit is accumulated through engaging in positive actions that lead to positive results, such as better rebirths. Buddhists gain merit by making offerings, donating to those in need, reciting mantras, and other good deeds.
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.
While the primary religious goal for followers of Buddhism is enlightenment, many of the practices also serve secular goals related to daily life, including ethical conduct and cultivating well-being.
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.
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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