Kham Province, Eastern Tibet
19th century
Kham Province, Eastern Tibet
19th century
This work is based upon one of the most widely acclaimed painting sets commissioned by the great religious leader, patron, and artist Situ Panchen (1700-1774). It presents 3 of Kshemendra’s 108 Moral Tales (Bodhisattvavadanakalpata), a collection of stories that teach about the infallible laws of cause and effect (karma), merit, and the benefits of giving to and caring for others. Situ Panchen’s designs, carried out over twenty-three narrative paintings, are unusual in that the figures are quite small and they reside in open landscapes. Each scene is depicted in miniaturist detail, with every leaf and brick delineated, a clever visual strategy to draw the eye into each vignette. This painting from a nineteenth-century set follows the same design as the original.In his dedicatory inscription for this set (dated 1736) Situ reveals his artistic intentions:I have followed the Chinese masters in color, in mood expressed, and form, and I have depicted lands, dress, palaces, and so forth as [I have] actually seen in India. Even though all the discriminating skill of Menthang—[both] New and Old—and the Khyen [ris] tradition followers, Chiugangpa and the Encampment masters are present here, I have made [these paintings] different in a hundred thousand [particulars of] style.
The functioning of cause and effect across time. Buddhists believe that everything we experience is the result of past actions, and everything we initiate has future consequences. Karma encourages actions to bring about positive outcomes and a better future.
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.
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.
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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