Tibet or China
17th - 18th century
Tibet or China
17th - 18th century
This painting is an unusual pastiche of Tibetan and Chinese imagery and painting techniques. The central figure, the bodhisattva and future Buddha Maitreya, is marked by his traditional Tibetan Buddhist iconographic attributes: he is red, has a stupa in his crown, and holds a blossoming branch with a vase on top. However, he is seated in a watery grotto and bamboo backdrop closely associated with Chinese paintings of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, complete with a white parrot on the rocks to his right and the childlike pilgrim Sudhana below him. Despite these misleading background elements, the main figure can nonetheless be identified as Maitreya through the surrounding narrative scenes. The scene in the upper-right corner depicts the story of the sage Kashyapa passing on a robe to Maitreya, symbolic of the transmission of the Buddha’s teachings.The background reflects that the artists had a good grasp of Chinese landscape painting, with layers of ink and specialized brush techniques. Moreover a number of the figures, follow Chinese conventions of hair and dress. However, color notations in Tibetan script visible under the pigment layers found all over the composition, added by the master-artist to indicate how the composition should be painted by the artists working under him, suggest the hands of Tibetan artists at work.
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.
In Buddhism time is perceived as relative, dynamic, and conceptual. This outlook highlights important principles of interdependence within Buddhist philosophy.
A virtuous feeling and deep respect toward an authentic teaching, teacher, or path. Buddhists believe that expansive study, analysis, and meditation are essential steps for cultivating a healthy and enduring devotion.
Beings who aspire to become fully awakened like the Buddha and are dedicated to helping others on the path to enlightenment.
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.
Although Tibetan Buddhism was not practiced broadly in China, the imperial centers, such as Beijing and Mount Wutai, emerged as hubs of Tibetan Buddhist cultural production. The emperors of the Mongol Yuan (1271–1368), Chinese Ming (1368–1644), and Manchu Qing (1644–1911) dynasties harnessed Tibetan Buddhist ideas to consolidate their power.
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