Kham Province, Eastern Tibet
19th century
The eighth-century master Namkhai Nyingpo, one of the twenty-five disciples of the Indian master Padmasambhava, is shown in this painting dressed in monastic robes and holding an arrow symbolizing longevity in his right hand. To his right is a ritual space arrayed with the materials he will use while performing a long-life ritual. This assemblage centers on a sacred circle, or mandala, upon which a tripod sits and supports a long-life vase festooned with peacock feathers. Emanating out of this structure is the assembly of immortality deities that is invoked in the ritual, seen at the upper left. Namkhai Nyingpo along with Gyelwa Jangchub transcribed and concealed the biography of Yeshe Tsogyel, Padmasambhava’s consort and foremost disciple, which was revealed by Taksham Nuden Dorje in the seventeenth century.Certain details of this depiction seem to follow a textual account of “The Dialog of Namkhai Nyingpo with Princess Dorje Tso,” with the princess depicted at his lower right holding a skull cup. The story was written by the great scholar from Kham Province Jamgon Kongtrul (1813–1899), suggesting a nineteenth-century date for this painting. This evidence is in accord with its painting style, which was popular in Kham during that period.
A bell is often paired with the vajra and is another implement used in tantric practices and an attribute of tantric masters and deities. It generally symbolizes wisdom, the feminine aspect of enlightenment, and its ring is said to be the sound of emptiness.
An implement used in tantric practices, the two halves of this drum symbolize the union of the two aspects of enlightenment. When paired with a bell, it represents the male aspect of enlightenment, and its drumming is the sound of the bliss of realizing the true nature of reality. Large hand drums are used in the Tibetan practice of “cutting the ego.” Their sound represents impermanence.
A vajra is a ritual scepter used in tantric practices and an attribute of tantric masters and deities. It generally symbolizes method, the male aspect of enlightenment.
A skull cup is an attribute of tantric deities and is usually paired with a curved knife. It can symbolize a mind filled with the bliss of realizing the true nature of reality.
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.
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.
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.
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