tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85624694729458505912024-03-12T22:17:39.723-04:00Himalayan Art ResourcesThe purpose of this site is to highlight the newest and latest additions, changes and updates to the HAR web page.
The mission of <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/home.cfm">Himalayan Art Resources</a> (HAR) website is to create a comprehensive education and research database and virtual museum of Himalayan art.Himalayan Art Resourceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05382291908886280955noreply@blogger.comBlogger120125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8562469472945850591.post-82532066381495783912009-12-06T23:32:00.002-05:002009-12-06T23:35:50.948-05:00Important Site Address ChangePlease change your link or bookmark to the new Himalayan Art Resources <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/news/">News Page</a> (http://www.himalayanart.org/news/). This HAR Google Blog site is no longer being supported because it cannot be accessed in all parts of the world.Himalayan Art Resourceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05382291908886280955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8562469472945850591.post-15978562742400563852009-11-16T22:01:00.005-05:002009-11-17T00:20:01.318-05:00Secrets of Shangri-La: Quest for Sacred Caves<a href="http://www.pbs.org/secretsofshangrila/"><span style="font-weight:bold;">If you have access to North American Television please tune in to PBS, November 18th, 8:00 p.m., to watch the National Geographic Special, <span style="font-style:italic;">Secrets of Shangri-La</span>.</span></a> <br /><br />In the summer of 2008, Jeff Watt, Director and Chief Curator of Himalayan Art Resources, spent a month in the Mustang Region of Nepal with a National Geographic sponsored film crew to investigate previously inaccessible caves filled with ancient artifacts, texts, and Buddhist and Bon cave murals. The cave murals were primarily Buddhist in origin and span the 14th to 16th centuries. <br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif28PJccA1A-_iS-vnEZpmX2zQHCFlTgAtDVq7Ndafm7dY7GyMxubX_jcYkXBlA0au05tXVoVRB6l7c7Iy1Yvj-Mv0v5Qn9SJZyDJ52co8PvCI5VRqBpOiE1y2kKzaHQyxlGnNEwOrhEE/s1600/Virupa_sml.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif28PJccA1A-_iS-vnEZpmX2zQHCFlTgAtDVq7Ndafm7dY7GyMxubX_jcYkXBlA0au05tXVoVRB6l7c7Iy1Yvj-Mv0v5Qn9SJZyDJ52co8PvCI5VRqBpOiE1y2kKzaHQyxlGnNEwOrhEE/s320/Virupa_sml.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404937305832232098" /></a><br /><br />In one cave complex called Mardzong, just south of the town of Lo Monthang, a stash of 14th and 15th century manuscripts were discovered in the upper chambers; after collating, amounting to thirty large Tibetan volumes. Predominantly belonging to the Bon religion, the remaining texts were Buddhist and many of them relating to the Sakya system of Lamdre (the Path Together with the Result).<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMF2w4_xbQ6QpUFUZVsPVEhkbtyluWGzx9IhLwydgbWEfQsB2T-0XNQmNM0SfxkGMxrYZWgfdEmuJsfIMY0D03YZXZVGFNzG8eeHqDALf2MoTNaarqQOf1fPOodrZS0tNNDCQ1RMWPfMc/s1600/Mardzong_camp.JPG"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMF2w4_xbQ6QpUFUZVsPVEhkbtyluWGzx9IhLwydgbWEfQsB2T-0XNQmNM0SfxkGMxrYZWgfdEmuJsfIMY0D03YZXZVGFNzG8eeHqDALf2MoTNaarqQOf1fPOodrZS0tNNDCQ1RMWPfMc/s320/Mardzong_camp.JPG" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5404937231846154274" /></a><br /><br />Mustang is one of the last remaining Buddhist Kingdoms in the world, although also containing a smattering of Bon communities. Two of the main temples in the capital walled town of Lo Monthang, in Upper Mustang, are a treasure of murals in the tradition of the great Tibetan murals of Gyantse, Shalu and Sakya. For Sakya Art History, Lo Monthang is equally important for the study of mandalas and the Tantric systems of Maha Vairochana and Sarvavid Vairochana, along with the visual culture of other Yoga Tantra systems. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.pbs.org/secretsofshangrila/">Secrets of Shangri-La: Quest for Sacred Caves</a><br /><br />"Tune in to PBS November 18th, 8:00 p.m., to watch the National Geographic Special, Secrets of Shangri-La (<a href="http://www.pbs.org/secretsofshangrila/">http://www.pbs.org/secretsofshangrila/</a>). To see a trailer for the program, go to: <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRLyJbt6wvs">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IRLyJbt6wvs</a>."Himalayan Art Resourceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05382291908886280955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8562469472945850591.post-56187922155916341092009-11-04T15:44:00.008-05:002009-11-04T15:54:44.965-05:00“DESIRE. DESTRUCTION. TRANSCENDENCE.”<span style="font-style:italic;">The Walters Art Museum presents the contemporary works of Amita Bhatt in dialog with tantric art from the John and Berthe Ford Collection.<span style="font-weight:bold;"></span></span><br /> <br /><a href="http://thewalters.org/default.aspx">The Walters Art Museum</a> is proud to present selected works from the <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=530">John and Berthe Ford collection</a> of traditional Indian and Himalayan art in visual dialogue with contemporary paintings by India born artist, Amita Bhatt. Bhatt derives her imagery from Hindu and Buddhist Tantric sources infused with her understanding of Western philosophy. She explores classic themes of desire, conflict, struggle and transcendence as they manifest themselves in the present day. This thought provoking installation recognizes the power of visual expressions to articulate, to mobilize, to activate, and to provoke. Informed by tradition but speaking in the present, Bhatt’s works explore fundamental struggles and eternal tensions common to all cultures. The show will run from October 31st through December 13th, 2009.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Walters Art Museum, 600 N Charles St., <br />Baltimore, Maryland 21201<br />Phone: 410-547-9000 Email: info@thewalters.org</span><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE03PtacdsPVqvg8971UpIaCXfWykFojXi2B6r5TrrV4Mkc5ejqr6KNt18BuLnWqvrD5QgA14caoM-lx_mbzAsxWwf0q61AwQZbPpiuBbus_4bkF5Nc5Kg0bMNLbLqvCN7quThPV_ZfRw/s1600-h/Desire.+Desire..jpg"><a href="http://thewalters.org/eventscalendar/eventdetails.aspx?e=1414"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 271px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE03PtacdsPVqvg8971UpIaCXfWykFojXi2B6r5TrrV4Mkc5ejqr6KNt18BuLnWqvrD5QgA14caoM-lx_mbzAsxWwf0q61AwQZbPpiuBbus_4bkF5Nc5Kg0bMNLbLqvCN7quThPV_ZfRw/s320/Desire.+Desire..jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5400353519319328482" /></a></a>Himalayan Art Resourceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05382291908886280955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8562469472945850591.post-49911885962956172792009-10-30T03:36:00.003-04:002009-10-30T03:46:00.755-04:00The Chinese Government & Google BlogsThe Chinese Government and Google have a dispute over which news feeds Google provides over its internet Blog service. Subsequently Google Blogs, which the HAR website uses, are blocked in China. <br /><br />There are too many people in China using the HAR site to have it hobbled by international politics. The HAR team has already come up with some ideas for changing the blog. One suggestion was to move to a Coldfusion blog application, completely stable and free. The only problem is we have to implement it. It is not exactly right out of the box. We will look at several different options before deciding on a remedy. This blog accessibility problem will be a priority for the next few weeks.Himalayan Art Resourceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05382291908886280955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8562469472945850591.post-5944296607672126642009-10-30T03:14:00.006-04:002009-10-30T03:34:24.736-04:00Wutaishan Mountain: Unidentified Manjushri FormsThere are two examples given below of unidentified forms of Manjushri. These are only two of many unidentified forms found on Wutaishan Mountain.<br /><br /> The first found in the Golden Temple, frequented by Chogyal Pagpa in the 13th century, has one face and two hands and rides atop a lion. What is unique about the form is the right hand holding an utpala stem and the left extended across the left knee with the left leg pendant.<br /><br />The second form, found in a building in front and below the Golden Temple, is a very large sculpture with eleven faces and one thousand hands, seated in a Western style atop a lion. Is there a Sanskrit or a Tibetan source text for these two unique forms of Manjushri? Are the forms possibly of a Chinese origin and inspiration?<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmj0M3VhwsYqIdzbOQ4zZZ9TOW6zvc3clFL1LLcSVKQfBjTklEXsVfXjfD5rGVD8GnvXnL4BGd9LozttuJfp6ZI9grAGHElW945ZRhJvDoyqZaNCdMOO8mN6mXYNebMrOWZBtiC_J22bg/s1600-h/Manju_two_arms.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 288px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmj0M3VhwsYqIdzbOQ4zZZ9TOW6zvc3clFL1LLcSVKQfBjTklEXsVfXjfD5rGVD8GnvXnL4BGd9LozttuJfp6ZI9grAGHElW945ZRhJvDoyqZaNCdMOO8mN6mXYNebMrOWZBtiC_J22bg/s320/Manju_two_arms.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398290890519474322" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifnU3TCEgI81gTC_0Qt7amYqKAPou7AU3VMxZKYpp5OrdJfAJjOLL49xAFXQdqHMQ4cx-ois0ncuAFG4qT5Ir0A1_2Gn2aAEBrLfWg6mQ1MzERwNeJ8bvZUd7Rr2fIg7-S_aiEPHoafGc/s1600-h/Manju_1000.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifnU3TCEgI81gTC_0Qt7amYqKAPou7AU3VMxZKYpp5OrdJfAJjOLL49xAFXQdqHMQ4cx-ois0ncuAFG4qT5Ir0A1_2Gn2aAEBrLfWg6mQ1MzERwNeJ8bvZUd7Rr2fIg7-S_aiEPHoafGc/s320/Manju_1000.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5398290757064064114" /></a>Himalayan Art Resourceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05382291908886280955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8562469472945850591.post-1923169771694359692009-10-23T19:11:00.015-04:002009-10-23T22:09:50.016-04:00A Rare Form of PadmasambhavaPadmasambhava as Guru Dupung Zilnon (gu ru bdud dpung zil gnon) is possibly related to the Vajrakilaya practices of Longchenpa called Purba Dupung Zilnon (phurba bdud dpung zil gnon). Note the unique form of the posture with the right hand holding a vajra extended outward to the side in a gesture of blessing above the heads of demons. The left hand holds a <span style="font-style:italic;">purba</span> peg extended outward to the side and pointing downward subduing the demons below.<br /><br />This extremely fine painting can be dated stylistically to the early 19th century and created in a Kham-dri style similar to the Khampa Gar painters of that time. It is not clear from the inscription on the back of the brocade (top), or the iconographic subject on the front, if the painting is a single composition or part of a related series (set) of paintings. Although one other painting with a different iconographic subject but the same stylistic elements, brush strokes and colour palette has been identified. <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaO5mHxMP47QkepRTHfssWwe5WPy2t6BF0zJjcfeNzfWr9oK5Lq3wHY8AMEcJEs-f9wRXMlPv7Zpgnfv14GT7GpKeGiV_PJF62_fu-YoiPUPTEuG6gN8KV2dNyRy2my2RUL4te8Zy6LDQ/s1600-h/Padma_02.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaO5mHxMP47QkepRTHfssWwe5WPy2t6BF0zJjcfeNzfWr9oK5Lq3wHY8AMEcJEs-f9wRXMlPv7Zpgnfv14GT7GpKeGiV_PJF62_fu-YoiPUPTEuG6gN8KV2dNyRy2my2RUL4te8Zy6LDQ/s320/Padma_02.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395939376069692082" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI_dQWDZ0uzUq244u6sbdvdlhcPD3m1qxCrxJnEBqgzlEZ93e0TOZ_DKuQsGxkkNDRCcuOdc5LuFISpOBC0Sd6SKcoL972kLn_A_4Ai7ts4CSblbn_9WU4tBX-zmwKwt66qNHd8c-YaYg/s1600-h/Padma_01.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 219px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI_dQWDZ0uzUq244u6sbdvdlhcPD3m1qxCrxJnEBqgzlEZ93e0TOZ_DKuQsGxkkNDRCcuOdc5LuFISpOBC0Sd6SKcoL972kLn_A_4Ai7ts4CSblbn_9WU4tBX-zmwKwt66qNHd8c-YaYg/s320/Padma_01.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395939286242619938" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2zxZU5HeU1G0X6ba6gEsoOiAM_0kZi8lgvZTd8JcuInjUeyMjhSfTmIQlsemN2jqNVYZhx9K6sIccDk-RttVbuUIoKhZIX7b0C1WVuwezFhUS1aecSO5Qy-0UhzvGcAbyyLZmMeegz6M/s1600-h/Padma_03.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 204px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2zxZU5HeU1G0X6ba6gEsoOiAM_0kZi8lgvZTd8JcuInjUeyMjhSfTmIQlsemN2jqNVYZhx9K6sIccDk-RttVbuUIoKhZIX7b0C1WVuwezFhUS1aecSO5Qy-0UhzvGcAbyyLZmMeegz6M/s320/Padma_03.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395939156805890082" /></a><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnKjEEnHLE96jB8TZLdCR5oXn0Zatyi5hLCDvaB0z5Pa_rOrbwruXijB3Zqw1AtxIw_ZpeZtPAvM04shs_qAb8cXzrXn93T5VLn4Qevu8ZgOrIl9DMB26cgLkcDw77_TPfzxu7ShrGSMo/s1600-h/Padma_inscrip.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 89px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnKjEEnHLE96jB8TZLdCR5oXn0Zatyi5hLCDvaB0z5Pa_rOrbwruXijB3Zqw1AtxIw_ZpeZtPAvM04shs_qAb8cXzrXn93T5VLn4Qevu8ZgOrIl9DMB26cgLkcDw77_TPfzxu7ShrGSMo/s320/Padma_inscrip.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395939037730381362" /></a>Himalayan Art Resourceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05382291908886280955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8562469472945850591.post-15008879412343291752009-10-23T11:02:00.009-04:002009-10-23T18:43:27.068-04:00Milarepa Life Story PaintingsTwo more Milarepa life story paintings have come to light. These two paintings belong to the same set as <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/image.cfm/66417.html">HAR #66417</a> and are part of a nineteen painting set. The composition of these paintings is also the same as the famous Stockholm nineteen painting set. The two new images will be uploaded to the HAR site in the near future along with detail images of the inscriptions.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPONk4CtIHCPn8-nX_mvXWUypgwgM029eIGdE-KZCtzEIXI9cQ1weeAYwPFG5btT0W7SGZ-wCFtxRVTltlRhiheD6Z5N-exEmv7hYDn1QUkh-B-vvSidZZwq2dF902H6sYrGLIJFTMuPU/s1600-h/Mila_2.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 219px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPONk4CtIHCPn8-nX_mvXWUypgwgM029eIGdE-KZCtzEIXI9cQ1weeAYwPFG5btT0W7SGZ-wCFtxRVTltlRhiheD6Z5N-exEmv7hYDn1QUkh-B-vvSidZZwq2dF902H6sYrGLIJFTMuPU/s320/Mila_2.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395813964686968738" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip1lVzbyzA7fxFuqQJQXe4tPd0LvPZcO5kubK-0MJR9LRJu9eknoYjIJhFQiPSEmvm9V-JRTV0fZf6v4I0O7YVvjgsjqtKh91y1kBMSjdfx39n83F5ofaJuBg4BASd3iDJ0GWeuLaZlaU/s1600-h/Mila_1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 219px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEip1lVzbyzA7fxFuqQJQXe4tPd0LvPZcO5kubK-0MJR9LRJu9eknoYjIJhFQiPSEmvm9V-JRTV0fZf6v4I0O7YVvjgsjqtKh91y1kBMSjdfx39n83F5ofaJuBg4BASd3iDJ0GWeuLaZlaU/s320/Mila_1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395813841758711586" /></a>Himalayan Art Resourceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05382291908886280955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8562469472945850591.post-9109931208077342372009-10-22T09:38:00.003-04:002009-10-22T09:52:31.210-04:00Milarepa: Another Image<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJy-2bKJol4EGjSCees9HGiYFhfeDTP8QfOu_yhkAYksp8OmlTK8jTEUJvWKnWYcSGbzsgMZ_jYLXyRdV4FnUP1a18B1owa30scZMApSGsdJaoMLrXPwkcMV3H1aZOsahM3lke_X2cCPk/s1600-h/Milarepa_1.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 294px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJy-2bKJol4EGjSCees9HGiYFhfeDTP8QfOu_yhkAYksp8OmlTK8jTEUJvWKnWYcSGbzsgMZ_jYLXyRdV4FnUP1a18B1owa30scZMApSGsdJaoMLrXPwkcMV3H1aZOsahM3lke_X2cCPk/s320/Milarepa_1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395421078568145874" /></a>The image here is a detail from a Drugpa Kagyu composition with Naropa as the large central figure and Marpa Chokyi Lodro in front. To the right side is a very small figure of Milarepa seated on a deerskin appearing to float on the water. <br /><br />What is interesting about the form is the over-all relaxed posture, white clothing wrapped fully around the body and the right knee slightly raised with feet visible. <br /><br />Is this Milarepa depiction related to, or derivative of, the Milarepa forms posted in previous news entries?<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">See the Two Previous Posts</span>:<br /> - <a href="http://himalayanart.blogspot.com/2009/09/four-milarepa-paintings.html">Four Milarepa Paintings</a><br /> - <a href="http://himalayanart.blogspot.com/2009/09/four-milarepa-paintings-one-sculpture.html">Four Milarepa Paintings and One Sculpture</a>Himalayan Art Resourceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05382291908886280955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8562469472945850591.post-9606856109879056852009-10-22T09:08:00.009-04:002009-10-22T09:54:32.879-04:00Densatil Sculpture and the Capital Museum, Beijing, China<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxq0KyXoFCqEfm6irUT_-SagFqs7Kifu_P3LILFN4KeOCaS1uMzOqOOsUB01qVKvGVwU7xLT6X62rhY17mjVHkolkPnjijirfyThorTQQO-Yb48TGVa5Qn4TF1TZTEV23mBj9wQzBRCHE/s1600-h/Guardian_King.jpg"><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=1263"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 220px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxq0KyXoFCqEfm6irUT_-SagFqs7Kifu_P3LILFN4KeOCaS1uMzOqOOsUB01qVKvGVwU7xLT6X62rhY17mjVHkolkPnjijirfyThorTQQO-Yb48TGVa5Qn4TF1TZTEV23mBj9wQzBRCHE/s320/Guardian_King.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5395415983511006066" /></a></a>The Capital Museum houses one of the best collections of Densatil sculptures available. Densatil sculptures originate generally from the Densatil Monastery (or surrounding monasteries where the artists also worked) founded by Pagmodrupa Dorje Gyalpo, one of the four principal students of Gampopa, in turn the student of Milarepa. Many of these sculptures, now in museums spread around the world, were used to decorate the stupa, or reliquary, containing the mortal remains of Pagmodrupa. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Densatil Resources</span>:<br /><a href="http://www.capitalmuseum.org.cn/en/index.htm">Capital Museum, Beijing, China - website</a><br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=1263">Capital Museum sculpture on the HAR site</a><br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=1650">Densatil Page, HAR site</a> <br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/beijing/index.html">Beijing Quick Guide Outline</a><br /><br /><a href="http://hosting.zkm.de/icon/stories/storyReader$83?print-friendly=true">Golden Buddhas from Tibet, Reconstruction of the Façade of a Stupa from Densathil</a><br /><a href="http://www.drikung.org/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=21&Itemid=43">History of the Drigung Kagyu with reference to Densatil</a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Densatil Images</span>:<br /><a href="http://www.drikung.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=96&Itemid=253">Images 1</a><br /><a href="http://glimpses-of-tibet.ch/Densathil.htm">Images 2</a><br /><a href="http://glimpses-of-tibet.ch/Densathil1.htm">Images 3</a><br /><a href="http://glimpses-of-tibet.ch/Tsuklakhang_Marpo.htm">Images 4</a>Himalayan Art Resourceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05382291908886280955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8562469472945850591.post-7501559655337985132009-10-20T08:41:00.006-04:002009-10-20T08:49:49.265-04:00Exhibition: The Path of Buddha<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid_tGT-Y-4fNgzgFQZpobIer_DyeFvpd7iH51qAD6BUY6fx6oMtMS273fpSNE8QRrJ8iAVGPCKA57i2LVGSIz5irVelWnMdv_y16-gj1zt2BbkfjNrN0P818d7tc6golyFtwaZFy31aIk/s1600-h/20070727butsuzonomichi_1.jpg"><a href="http://www.tnm.go.jp/en/servlet/Con?pageId=B01&processId=01&event_id=4467"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 170px; height: 274px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid_tGT-Y-4fNgzgFQZpobIer_DyeFvpd7iH51qAD6BUY6fx6oMtMS273fpSNE8QRrJ8iAVGPCKA57i2LVGSIz5irVelWnMdv_y16-gj1zt2BbkfjNrN0P818d7tc6golyFtwaZFy31aIk/s320/20070727butsuzonomichi_1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5394662888461548290" /></a></a><a href="http://www.tnm.go.jp/en/servlet/Con?pageId=B01&processId=01&event_id=4467"><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Path of Buddha: Tokyo National Museum, Friday, July 27, 2007 - Tuesday, November 3, 2009<br /></span></a><br />"This display traces the development of Buddhist statues from Gandhara (Ancient India), China, the Korean Peninsula, and Japan to provide insights about how Buddhist beliefs and statues developed in each region.<br /><br />Buddhism is a religion based on the teachings, known as dharma, of Prince Siddhartha Gautama, who lived in India around the 5th century B.C. He attained "Enlightenment" and became Shakyamuni Buddha when he was 35, and spent the rest of his life teaching his insights to others. After his death, his followers continued to practice and spread his teachings. Following his cremation, the Buddha's ashes and relics, known as sharira, were deposited in stupas, originally mound-like structures. Buddhist art developed when stupas were decorated with reliefs that depicted stories of Buddha and other designs.<br /><br />Initially, Buddha was not presented as a human figure. This changed around the 1st century A.D. and Buddhists began to worship the statues. Over time, Buddhism spread to other areas, where statues were crafted and worshiped in various forms." (Text from Tokyo National Museum website).Himalayan Art Resourceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05382291908886280955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8562469472945850591.post-85326389414031632722009-10-12T22:54:00.003-04:002009-10-12T22:58:51.110-04:00Forms of Arapachana Manjushri<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXmU0jNbB4U2BhUY4Pb-4R-Nkn_dPZMCwaTVXzU1uBb91TBBpUjLoN7kAotd55tah3uInQ0jzbCSgvoFOCI77oeasE7UHOjkp0WNtBDF_JtCXjv-i5xC1yja76kCEbZbPlRlHC4xaX99E/s1600-h/arapachana_sml.jpg"><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/arapachana2/index.html"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXmU0jNbB4U2BhUY4Pb-4R-Nkn_dPZMCwaTVXzU1uBb91TBBpUjLoN7kAotd55tah3uInQ0jzbCSgvoFOCI77oeasE7UHOjkp0WNtBDF_JtCXjv-i5xC1yja76kCEbZbPlRlHC4xaX99E/s320/arapachana_sml.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391185341555915554" /></a></a>There are four basic forms of Manjushri that are either called Arapachana by name or use the Arapachana syllables as the principal mantra for the deity. The first (1) is Arapachana, orange in colour, sometimes white. He holds a sword in the right hand and the stem of an utpala flower supporting the Prajnaparamita text in the left. The second (2) form is Manjushri associated with a famous Sanskrit praise, orange in colour. The third (3) form is Arapachana, white in colour, sometimes orange, with the two hands holding the stems of two utpala flowers supporting a sword and text. The fourth (4), Vidyadhara Pitika (not shown here), is similar to the second form except white in colour and with the left leg pendant. <br /><br />All forms of Arapachana Manjushri are peaceful in appearance. There are also many other forms of Manjushri that are peaceful but do not use the Name Arapachana or the arapachana mantra. Also, not all forms of Manjushri are peaceful. The principal examples of semi-wrathful and wrathful appearance are <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=1297">Black Manjushri</a> as semi and then the many forms of <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=166">Vajrabhairava</a>, <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=522">Krishna Yamari</a>, <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=349">Rakta Yamari</a> and <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=486">Manjushri Nagaraksha</a>. <br /><br />On the illustrated example page provided above there are four additional images of Manjushri related to Arapachana. These are found on a <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/image.cfm/455.html">mandala painting of Vagishvari Dharmadhatu</a>. The painting depicts twenty-three peaceful forms of Manjushri, three wrathful forms known as Yamari, and three mandalas in total.Himalayan Art Resourceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05382291908886280955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8562469472945850591.post-77732795388577850072009-10-11T11:51:00.011-04:002009-10-11T17:05:26.833-04:00Daewon-Sa Tibetan Museum in Korea<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmfeybhaJSzDApRB6RG-LBJDCTnmzkdQoZI530nqCT-7r0XylLBk-N5wSuret6FMTcRuk01wJoWf-Wf6oieG7GWnCqd3yuIeEbbstSfyoDW268cD6q9FPJ85OS0KpCqd8vYCDnEhBD-Bc/s1600-h/daewon_mus1.jpg"><a href="http://www.tibetan-museum.org/english/main.asp"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 293px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmfeybhaJSzDApRB6RG-LBJDCTnmzkdQoZI530nqCT-7r0XylLBk-N5wSuret6FMTcRuk01wJoWf-Wf6oieG7GWnCqd3yuIeEbbstSfyoDW268cD6q9FPJ85OS0KpCqd8vYCDnEhBD-Bc/s320/daewon_mus1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5391451327998254818" /></a></a>The HAR site lists three museums in Korea that have collections of Himalayan and Tibetan style art. Several of these museums such as the Daewon-Sa and the Hahn Cultural Foundation specialize in Himalayan style art. It is rumoured that there are possibly an additional two more museums of Himalayan art in Korea. These other museums, like the one introduced here, are thought to be museums attached to Buddhist Temples, unlike the Hahn Collection or the National Museum of Korea.<br /><br />"<span style="font-style:italic;">The Little Tibet in Korea</span>, <a href="http://www.tibetan-museum.org/english/main.asp">Daewon-Sa Tibetan Museum</a>. Tibetan Museum is built to introduce spiritual culture and art and to activate the spiritual exchange between Korea and Tibet. The museum is built in the Tibetan Temple style." <a href="http://www.tibetan-museum.org/english/main.asp">www.tibetan-museum.org</a>.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/links/index.cfm?categoryid=28">See a listing of other Korean and Asian Museums</a>.Himalayan Art Resourceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05382291908886280955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8562469472945850591.post-91226929464719440602009-10-07T20:05:00.033-04:002009-10-08T18:09:31.301-04:00Four Traditional Ways of Classifying the Schools of Tibetan Buddhism<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX7pGYZAq4wk3YwC6vD9Ezn_YElAMDMnzt2i3TRmr8ZdMtvCT4K4Er4-i-Nzyg5H5MMjW17gufDKWHhcZmIQDfWYLtUI4_Ypyynzbl7jAhAzVjygRC7VMwlKphHWtKtUS6o7JMqQbgx0Q/s1600-h/traditions2_1.jpg"><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/traditions2/index.html"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 267px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiX7pGYZAq4wk3YwC6vD9Ezn_YElAMDMnzt2i3TRmr8ZdMtvCT4K4Er4-i-Nzyg5H5MMjW17gufDKWHhcZmIQDfWYLtUI4_Ypyynzbl7jAhAzVjygRC7VMwlKphHWtKtUS6o7JMqQbgx0Q/s320/traditions2_1.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5390299947028003826" /></a></a>The religious traditions, schools and lineages of Tibetan Buddhism can be very confusing with a seemingly endless number of Tibetan names and complex inter-relationships. The new page outlining the <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/traditions2/index.html">Four Traditional Ways of Classifying the Schools of Tibetan Buddhism</a> lists the four systems and the traditions, or sub-traditions, included in each. Other Buddhist traditions such as Mongolian Buddhism and the Himalayan Buddhism of Bhutan are also included on the page but separate from the four traditional forms of classification. More sub-traditions will be added, along with dates, and links to the available art on the HAR site.<br /><br />1. <span style="font-weight:bold;">Nyingma & Sarma</span>: <span style="font-style:italic;">Nyingma</span> means old or ancient. <span style="font-style:italic;">Sarma</span> means new. The earliest forms of Buddhism in Tibet are collectively known as Nyingma. With the introduction of new forms of Buddhism from India and Kashmir after the 11th century the old forms took on the name Nyingma and the new forms were called Sarma. The principal new forms (Sarma) are the Kadampa, Sakya, Dagpo Kagyu, Shangpa Kagyu and Jonang, followed later by the Gelug.<br /><br />2. The classification of the <span style="font-weight:bold;">Four [Principal] Schools of Tibetan Buddhism</span> is the most commonly known and used although probably the least useful in understanding the complexity of the traditions especially in understanding the religious context of the art on the HAR site. The Four Schools are the (1) Nyingma, (2) Sakya, (3) Kagyu and (4) Gelug. The Fifth Dalai Lama in the 17th century is recorded as using this terminology to list the principal Buddhist Traditions of Tibet. He describes them as the four schools of Buddhism [cho lug] and then the Bon Religion [Bon lug]. This written statement of the Fifth Dalai Lama has come to be misconstrued in recent times and taken to mean that there are five schools of Tibetan Buddhism, which are the four principal schools and then Bon as the fifth school. This is rejected by followers of the Bon Religion that maintain there are two religions of Tibet, (1) Bon which came first and (2) Buddhism which came after. For the Bon there is no discussion of five schools - it is a Buddhist imposition. <br /><br />3. <span style="font-weight:bold;">Red Hat & Yellow Hat</span> is a late classification that is most commonly used in Mongolia and China and rarely in Tibet or the Tibetan cultural regions of the Himalayas. Yellow Hat refers specifically to the Gelug School dominant in the two areas of Mongolia and China after the 17th century. Red Hat refers collectively to all of the Buddhist Schools that are not Gelug. Tibetan followers of the Gelug Tradition referred to themselves as the Yellow Hat Tradition, this is found in Tibetan Gelug writings and liturgical verses, but it is unclear when this classification began and when the other non-Gelug traditions became the Red Hat Tradition. According to this system the most important and iconic of the 'Red Hat' Lamas is Padmasambhava. The principal 'Yellow Hat' lama is Je Tsongkapa, founder of the Gelug Tradition.<br /><br />4. The <span style="font-weight:bold;">Eight Chariots of Spiritual Accomplishment</span> is another late classification popularized by Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye in the 19th century. This system lists what Kongtrul promotes as the most significant practice traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. The system of classification is not widely used or promoted outside of the Rime movement of the 19th century, but it does however give insight into what the Nyingma, Sakya and Kagyu Lamas of the Rime Movement considered to be of significant importance.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">The Eight Chariots are</span>:<br />(1) Nyingma<br />(2) Kadampa Mind Training Precepts<br />(3) Margapala (Tibetan: Lamdre. The Path Together with the Result)<br />(4) Dagpo Kagyu Mahamudra Tradition<br />(5) Six Dharmas of Niguma<br />(6) Zhije & Cho<br />(7) Six Branches, Kalachakra<br />(8) Orgyan Nyendrub<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Religious Traditions Pages & Outlines:</span><br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=1779">Traditions & Schools Index</a><br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/traditions/index.html">Religious Traditions of Tibet Outline</a><br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=2132">Explanation of Four Traditional Ways of Classifying the Schools of Tibetan Buddhism</a><br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/traditions2/index.html">Four Traditional Ways of Classifying the Schools of Tibetan Buddhism</a><br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/outlines/outline_traditions/index.html">Religious Traditions Navigation Page for Outlines</a>Himalayan Art Resourceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05382291908886280955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8562469472945850591.post-64526458093190053492009-10-04T16:28:00.011-04:002009-10-04T17:31:04.847-04:00Arhat Resource Page<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh161H666NIwQF04IYo-acow2pGh9ORv7M-Ft1X4TCN7q9wg69lzOjKhfnCA12jNlgGqsfg1PMMS8RPXOWheaIK7WLWt9ZYh_TFtT9037u5SRBmgb9K_pwquSL7HKBPzBb0InPxmLNHsPg/s1600-h/65857_face.jpg"><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/arhatresource/index.html"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 253px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh161H666NIwQF04IYo-acow2pGh9ORv7M-Ft1X4TCN7q9wg69lzOjKhfnCA12jNlgGqsfg1PMMS8RPXOWheaIK7WLWt9ZYh_TFtT9037u5SRBmgb9K_pwquSL7HKBPzBb0InPxmLNHsPg/s320/65857_face.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388851022862855890" /></a></a>Whenever working with arhat paintings or sculpture it is always necessary to refer to a list of names and figural images to help with identification. This can be done in several ways, either by simply referring to a Tibetan text such as the <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=1333">Praise of the Sixteen Arhats</a> where each arhat is named and described, or by looking at a <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=871">single arhat painting</a>, or set of arhat paintings, where the iconography is clear and the names are written beneath each figure, or to look at a set of block print images that have both the images and names for each of the arhats. These are the general approaches to identifying arhat figures when there are no identifying inscriptions on the works themselves. <br /><br />I hesitate to mention one other approach, but shall do so anyway. An alternate approach is to have memorized all of the arhat names in both Tibetan and Sanskrit and know all of the depictions and attributes for each of the sixteen arhat figures plus knowing the several different systems, or variations, for visually depicting the arhats. The <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/arhatresource/index.html">Arhat Resource Page</a> is not necessary with this approach to identifying arhats. <br /><br />For basic arhat identification the <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/arhatresource/index.html">Arhat Resource Page</a> presents first the individual block print images from the <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=793">Three Hundred Icons</a> published by Raghu Vira and Lokesh Chandra. These images are especially valuable because they provide both the Tibetan name and the Sanskrit name for each of the arhats. Following these essential tools for the identification of arhats are the important Arhat Pages and topics both on the HAR site and as external resources. Navigation is provided as screen capture images along with links.Himalayan Art Resourceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05382291908886280955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8562469472945850591.post-27551228020370285112009-10-03T17:11:00.002-04:002009-10-03T17:20:17.064-04:00Manjushri Outline Page Updated<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic1ChoajR0Ozsxii4OOpEin8mvr0I9UbfYNKeHOMEDaMOJXKpk6RXZX3OYS8ew4CLjgmsQB7C236bCrps_QWlZ7aKkmuFOqQzs1qdHq5ohJhis9Q8QmEZsqtOW2GSWNeiQhNvVbkhPPKc/s1600-h/89712_sml.jpg"><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/manjushri/index.html"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 151px; height: 250px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic1ChoajR0Ozsxii4OOpEin8mvr0I9UbfYNKeHOMEDaMOJXKpk6RXZX3OYS8ew4CLjgmsQB7C236bCrps_QWlZ7aKkmuFOqQzs1qdHq5ohJhis9Q8QmEZsqtOW2GSWNeiQhNvVbkhPPKc/s320/89712_sml.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388486523223740786" /></a></a>The Manjushri Outline page has been updated and split into two pages. The first is now Art Topics and the second is Iconographic Forms of the deity. More work needs to be done. There are so many different types of Manjushri that it is really a major project in itself just to list them all and note the texts and compendiums that they are found in. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/manjushri/index.html">Manjushri Art Topics</a><br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/manjushriforms/index.html">Manjushri Iconographic Forms</a><br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/manjuanuttara/index.html">Manjushri Tantra Classes</a><br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/manjushri2/index.html">Arapachana Manjushri: Explanation of Form</a>Himalayan Art Resourceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05382291908886280955noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8562469472945850591.post-42656437198940262942009-10-02T23:52:00.004-04:002009-10-03T01:41:29.101-04:00Hevajra: Explanation of Form<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2aInKXsmdDUmYwmFg8rMmJ7uh3hBOdyFB8FP6S0WfsZZw9hpienODmAHM_h4OG4EgojXbFvVwZ4sbcVetpoBJmOT9Vce2mPzc1T5clilZngcrjaCNXDsuue7QXeLRo3pz0dZJeU8_xOE/s1600-h/hevajra2_300.jpg"><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/hevajra2/index.html"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2aInKXsmdDUmYwmFg8rMmJ7uh3hBOdyFB8FP6S0WfsZZw9hpienODmAHM_h4OG4EgojXbFvVwZ4sbcVetpoBJmOT9Vce2mPzc1T5clilZngcrjaCNXDsuue7QXeLRo3pz0dZJeU8_xOE/s320/hevajra2_300.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5388242454079304818" /></a></a>Hevajra is one of the more common complex deities depicted in art. The form with eight faces and sixteen hands is the most common form of this deity. However, he can have as few as one face and two hands, hold only weapons and be white, red, yellow or green in colour. Hevajra can also be paired with a consort other than Nairatmya. He can also appear with no consort at all. The forms of Hevajra are described in the Hevajra Tantra of Two Sections (Root Tantra) and the Samputa explanatory Tantra.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/hevajra2/index.html">Hevajra: Explanation of Form</a>Himalayan Art Resourceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05382291908886280955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8562469472945850591.post-89502434269271527892009-09-30T01:15:00.005-04:002009-09-30T01:26:41.050-04:00Kurukulla: Explanation of Form<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8OyD4Ue1g_OCtMcpJhcgGjCO-p8tCRPmDWzu02P9DzxftT4WRUF91GYjENAswEORILjzkGItCcZpIlbnXndNjx1eV08FoIhRSEd7eRUY0UDFzVntmhLevyqO2ISdEqVLhmYLc0skK3zA/s1600-h/kurukulla2_300.jpg"><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/kurukulla2/index.html"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8OyD4Ue1g_OCtMcpJhcgGjCO-p8tCRPmDWzu02P9DzxftT4WRUF91GYjENAswEORILjzkGItCcZpIlbnXndNjx1eV08FoIhRSEd7eRUY0UDFzVntmhLevyqO2ISdEqVLhmYLc0skK3zA/s320/kurukulla2_300.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387126797650550818" /></a></a>Kurukulla is a goddess of power in Tantric Buddhism. She has many different forms, colours and deity affiliations. Her appearance with one face and four hands, red in colour, dancing on a prone male form, is the most common form found in painting, murals and sculpture. In this form her hand attributes can vary slightly but the colour, posture, and number of arms will remain the same. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/kurukulla2/index.html">Kurukulla: Explanation of Form</a>Himalayan Art Resourceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05382291908886280955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8562469472945850591.post-75853962888776834242009-09-29T23:58:00.006-04:002009-09-30T00:13:31.665-04:00Arapachana Manjushri: Explanation of Form<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR20McgbGPDI0NAjZsXcjkYAu4-wUYrtWJYlMhMRtu0ggI5CZFwoRw12ZOjENElxdeI7JCQ9tX47rC-aOVXPkfXS_-SzGn5nDdm8lz-04DRyCF7qmkxXN4sRSdgMyN5TdePvU53l9ERok/s1600-h/manjushri2_300.jpg"><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/manjushri2/index.html"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgR20McgbGPDI0NAjZsXcjkYAu4-wUYrtWJYlMhMRtu0ggI5CZFwoRw12ZOjENElxdeI7JCQ9tX47rC-aOVXPkfXS_-SzGn5nDdm8lz-04DRyCF7qmkxXN4sRSdgMyN5TdePvU53l9ERok/s320/manjushri2_300.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5387107987106687474" /></a></a>Manjushri in the form of Arapachana is one of the most common and recognizable images in Tantric Buddhism. Other than appearing with the hands in the Dharma teaching gesture this is the form that is most often depicted in paintings, murals and sculpture. The explanation of form is a brief introduction to how Manjushri appears in this particular appearance, what he holds in his hands, along with any other significant characteristics. <br /><br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/manjushri2/index.html">Arapachana Manjushri: Explanation of Form</a>Himalayan Art Resourceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05382291908886280955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8562469472945850591.post-19318103758046958662009-09-28T18:30:00.008-04:002009-09-28T18:44:54.756-04:00Mahakala Resource Page<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizhJCCZ04G-Jokrh1yCqzhygQFp9knyisKGn7st18piUrhwfR4uZfN_UknqR6mTxtx61zJFUXzqYmELaHLpMCL5TJY0u1TuJg1Cnn-f8w-nb5S8RivfCCsP5wjvhwT0e2QjyZE23k6SYs/s1600-h/65788_sml.jpg"><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/mahakalaresource/index.html"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 253px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizhJCCZ04G-Jokrh1yCqzhygQFp9knyisKGn7st18piUrhwfR4uZfN_UknqR6mTxtx61zJFUXzqYmELaHLpMCL5TJY0u1TuJg1Cnn-f8w-nb5S8RivfCCsP5wjvhwT0e2QjyZE23k6SYs/s320/65788_sml.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386651279186657682" /></a></a>The <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/mahakalaresource/index.html">Mahakala Resource Page</a> is a work in progress. There are just quite simply a lot more types of Mahakala than there are of Shri Devi. Like Shri Devi, Mahakala is a class of deities. Always wrathful, always protectors and sometimes meditational deities of the Anuttarayoga classification. The Mahakala types are aligned much more closely with specific Tantras and major deities such as Hevajra, Chakrasamvara, Guhyasamaja and in the case of Shadbhuja Mahakala with Hayagriva and Avalokiteshvara. It is not a matter of just uploading all the Mahakala information. It is a matter of how to frame it, contextualize it, and present the information in a way that makes sense and includes Mahakala in the greater realm of Himalayan and Tibetan art, literature, religion and culture. We will let you know how it works out.Himalayan Art Resourceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05382291908886280955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8562469472945850591.post-64747309795532127242009-09-27T21:27:00.012-04:002009-09-28T00:23:49.699-04:00An Explanation of Iconographic Forms<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLiNH1PuzNrGELSw_lNM0vpvKOMlrqB4u7JMBNdODkAzyQfl0lsX1mYqoU4h9k5abCDHfyG-Re7uuS9coWmR9rXpgDnYmLzs7WK_6-2AjJoWyeEYytG5tGD4Oh1u3ss535SiyOYJlblac/s1600-h/simha_300.jpg"><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/simhanada2/index.html"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 320px; height: 192px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLiNH1PuzNrGELSw_lNM0vpvKOMlrqB4u7JMBNdODkAzyQfl0lsX1mYqoU4h9k5abCDHfyG-Re7uuS9coWmR9rXpgDnYmLzs7WK_6-2AjJoWyeEYytG5tGD4Oh1u3ss535SiyOYJlblac/s320/simha_300.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386327650276421858" /></a></a>An Explanation of Iconographic Forms is a new feature on the website. The purpose is to explain more clearly the iconographic features of the main figures and types of deities, along with the complex multi-headed and multi-armed deities. The intention is to make it easier to read and understand an iconographic form. To that end we hope to provide the necessary tools. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Currently there are five forms explained</span>:<br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/simhanada2/index.html">Simhanada Lokeshvara (Lion's Roar Lord of the World)</a><br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/ushnisha2/index.html">Ushnishavijaya (The Victorious Crown Ornament)</a><br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/vajrapani2/index.html">Nilamabara Vajrapani (Blue Cloak Vajra Holder)</a><br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/shakya2/index.html">Shakyamuni Buddha (Enlightened One, Sage of the Shakya Clan)</a><br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/tsongkapa2/index.html">Je Tsongkapa - Founder of the Gelug Tradition</a>Himalayan Art Resourceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05382291908886280955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8562469472945850591.post-5953425389512147212009-09-27T12:52:00.058-04:002009-09-27T23:43:47.190-04:00Shri Devi with Three Faces! Sipai Gyalmo?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfDvnCqOWymxxT1V_os_WMxTO9wtbeP4wdC7pK986BZKe8LWj2OH8FfkZJfw6RF79QtNoUJHyBd0Y80Y8QdImYAURhPj5gjQSmeDkUMtT3JgyybdTJHhP343LMuEHW5dl_ug7hxRns6MQ/s1600-h/65764f_sml.jpg"><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/image.cfm/65764/alt/65764F.html"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 191px; height: 262px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfDvnCqOWymxxT1V_os_WMxTO9wtbeP4wdC7pK986BZKe8LWj2OH8FfkZJfw6RF79QtNoUJHyBd0Y80Y8QdImYAURhPj5gjQSmeDkUMtT3JgyybdTJHhP343LMuEHW5dl_ug7hxRns6MQ/s320/65764f_sml.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386200514966610546" /></a></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCXWvcObyiIhVmEAPWMEOpNVJobHT7-7d0gJ1fHnv2z1hGtzLhZOo76TukkLQq7jzei2p8HsxYP7L1la2DI36sOOvVVpp0eGC9pBk4yen4jHyZX3nBNLrZJamfBZr9xCl7qXJohpHONoU/s1600-h/65764_sml.jpg"><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/image.cfm/65764.html"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 179px; height: 262px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhCXWvcObyiIhVmEAPWMEOpNVJobHT7-7d0gJ1fHnv2z1hGtzLhZOo76TukkLQq7jzei2p8HsxYP7L1la2DI36sOOvVVpp0eGC9pBk4yen4jHyZX3nBNLrZJamfBZr9xCl7qXJohpHONoU/s320/65764_sml.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5386199209417111378" /></a></a><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Shri Devi with Three Faces! Sipai Gyalmo?</span> An inquiry has been made about an iconographic form of Shri Devi (Palden Lhamo) with three faces. Unfortunately, I don't know of a three faced, six armed, Shri Devi in Tibetan Buddhism. It doesn't mean that there isn't a Shri Devi having this appearance, it just means that this form hasn't been broadly identified in art or in Buddhist textual description, so far. However, the Bon Religion has a wrathful female deity exactly fitting this description - <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/sipaigyalmo/index.html">Sipai Gyalmo, Queen of the World</a>.<br /><br /><span style="font-style:italic;">Shri Devi</span> is a Sanskrit name used by Indian religious traditions and Buddhist Tantric traditions. To my knowledge the Bon Religion does not typically use the Sanskrit name <span style="font-style:italic;">Shri Devi</span> or the corresponding Tibetan name <span style="font-style:italic;">Palden Lhamo</span>.<br /><br />See the <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/shrideviresource/index.html">Shri Devi Resource Page</a><br />See the <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/sipaigyalmo/index.html">Sipai Gyalmo Comparison Page</a><br /><br />Well, aside from pouring through endless sets of Nyingma initiation cards (tsakli) looking for a three faced Shri Devi, I can only think of one instance where I've seen a Shri Devi-like figure with three faces on a Buddhist painting. Look to the middle left side of this Buddhist <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/image.cfm/65764.html">Sidpaho Protection Chart</a> (above). Fortunately I thought it was strange enough when I first chanced upon it to think to take a detail photo of the unusual, at the time, un-Buddhist-like Shri Devi (<a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/image.cfm/65764/alt/65764F.html">detail of Shri Devi figure above</a>). You will note that the body, number of faces and colours along with arms and hand attributes are identical to the Bon deity <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/image.cfm/85547.html">Sipai Gyalmo</a> Dre'u Nag (Riding a Black Mule). I had no explanation for this. <br /><br />I did go back and look at the painting several times to see if it was in fact Buddhist, and to think about whether or not the Bon had a similar practice of painting sidpaho charts, as if that would help! Possibly it belonged to the Bon Sarma Tradition? Bon Sarma is a branch of Bon that intentionally seeks to blend the practices of the two religions of Bon and Buddhism. However, I can only conclude that the painting is Buddhist. <br /><br />Looking at the Sidpaho painting and the Shri Devi-like subject more closely, it did seem unusual to have the small buddha-like figure depicted as if hovering above the head. This is a practice sometimes found occurring on Bon paintings especially with the subject of <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/image.cfm/200041.html">Tagla Membar</a> where a peaceful Tonpa Shenrab is placed hovering directly above the wrathful head of the central figure. It can however be found, although rarely, in Buddhist paintings. See an example of a Drigung Kagyu deity painting of <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/image.cfm/65815.html">Guru Dragpur</a>, a Nyingma Terma Tradition, where the Buddhas of the Tree Times are placed above three stupas above the three heads of the central deity. What is common with Buddhist iconography is to find the Five Symbolic Buddhas such as Amitabha above the head of Avalokiteshvara, or Akshobhya above the head of Manjushri, or Amoghasiddhi above the head of Green Tara. A figure depicted like the historical Buddha Shakyamuni is not usual, especially when they appear to be floating and detached from the main figure below. <br /><br />It is possible that the artist commissioned to create the painting belonged to the Bon Religion and inserted a protector deity that he/she was familiar with - just an idea. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">So, now it comes down to what do we know?</span><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">1.</span> It is possible that there is a Buddhist form, or specifically a Nyingma form, of Shri Devi with three faces and six arms (as pictured above).<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">2.</span> There does not appear to be any Sarma (Sakya, Kagyu, Jonang, Gelug, etc.) three faced forms of Shri Devi. This statement is entirely based on looking at iconographic images and reading the general iconographic texts and histories of those traditions. However, this could change if new information comes to light.<br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">3.</span> The most important female protector of the Bon Religion has three faces and six arms, riding a mule, in a similar appearance to the Buddhist deity Shri Devi. Of the two principal forms of Sipai Gyalmo, (1) Riding the Black Mule and (2) Riding the Red Mule, the form riding atop the black mule can have slightly different hand attributes depending on the Bon tradition. The primary difference is the third right hand which can hold either a spear or a banner. In the Buddhist painting exhibited above the Shri Devi-like figure holds a banner in the third right hand.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Conclusion</span>: Until more examples of a three faced, six armed Shri Devi like deity are found, along with Buddhist textual descriptions, we must, for the time being, consider that all such forms are most probably the Bon protector deity Sipai Gyalmo. <br /><br /><span style="font-weight:bold;">Jeff Watt</span><br />Director & Chief Curator<br /><br />(The <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/sipaigyalmo/index.html">Sipai Gyalmo Comparison Page</a> has also been added to the bottom of the <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/shrideviresource/index.html">Shri Devi Resource Page</a> for comparison purposes).Himalayan Art Resourceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05382291908886280955noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8562469472945850591.post-82109459594246820372009-09-26T16:13:00.005-04:002009-09-26T16:38:43.229-04:00E-letter for September 26th, 2009Dear Subscribers,<br /><br />Since the last <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/newsletter/080309.html">Newsletter of May-July 2009</a> there have been some significant improvements made to the <b>Advanced Search</b> feature.<br /> <br />See the <a href="http://himalayanart.blogspot.com/2009/09/advanced-search-new-greatly-improved.html">New Advanced Search</a>.<br /><br />Two extensive subject <b>Resource Pages</b> have been added. These pages are intended to group together related information under one heading. This is part of the ongoing HAR struggle to contextualize the art and subject content and to keep it easily retrievable in an ever growing art and iconography database. We hope to add more <b>Resource Pages</b> to help with navigation for other large categories and topics on the site.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/mandalaresources/index.html">Mandala Resource Page</a> | <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=2093">Introduction to Mandalas</a> <br /><br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/shrideviresource/index.html">Shri Devi Resource Page </a> | <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=2126">Introduction to Shri Devi</a> <br /><br />Two ongoing projects that only effect the site user when landing on certain pages are the continued use of <a href="http://himalayanart.blogspot.com/2009/08/greyscale-image-pages.html">Greyscaling</a> and the addition of <a href="http://himalayanart.blogspot.com/2009/06/visual-images-of-sets.html">Visual Images of Painting Sets</a>.<br /><br />The Tibetan yogi and saint Milarepa has been a topic of some interest of late. See three new pages discussing the Milarepa Life-story painting sets, and a Milarepa composition possibly painted by the famous terton of the 19th century - Choggyur Lingpa. <br /><br /><a href="http://himalayanart.blogspot.com/2009/09/four-milarepa-paintings.html">Four Milarepa Paintings</a> | <a href="http://himalayanart.blogspot.com/2009/09/terton-choggyur-lingpa-1829-1870.html">Terton Choggyur Lingpa</a><br /><br /><a href="http://himalayanart.blogspot.com/2009/09/four-milarepa-paintings-one-sculpture.html">Four Milarepa Paintings & One Sculpture</a> | <a href="http://himalayanart.blogspot.com/2009/09/milarepa-in-life-story-lineage.html">Milarepa in Life Story & Lineage Painting Sets</a><br /><br />A <a href="http://himalayanart.blogspot.com/2009/08/mitra-gyatsa-compendium-of-mandalas.html">Mitra Gyatsa Page</a> has been added along with numerous sub-pages: <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/mitragyatsa/index.html">outline page</a>, <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=2096">contents list</a>, <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=2097">lineages</a>, etc.<br /><br />The <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/vajravali/index.html">Vajravali Outline Page</a> has been updated with new sub-pages: <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=1556">contents</a>, <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=2095">lineages</a>, etc.<br /><br /><b>New Outline Pages</b>:<br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/femaleteachers/index.html">Female Teachers</a><br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/yoga/index.html">Yogi Appearance in Himalayan Art</a><br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/amoghapasha/index.html">Amoghapasha Lokeshvara</a><br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/vajramrita/index.html">Vajramrita</a><br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/yamamandala2/index.html">Yama Dharmaraja Mandala</a><br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/yamamandala/index.html">Yama Dharmaraja Mandala Schematic</a><br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/hevajramandala/index.html">Hevajra Mandala Elements</a><br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/chakramandala/index.html">Chakrasamvara Mandala Elements</a><br /><a href="http://himalayanart.blogspot.com/2009/09/yaks-and-mandalas-what-do-they-have-in.html">Yaks & Mandalas</a><br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/mandalamyths/index.html">Five Myths About Mandalas</a><br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/simhanada/index.html">Simhanda Lokeshvara</a><br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/shridevimagzor/index.html">Magzor Gyalmo</a><br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=206">Ekajati</a> (updated with an introduction)<br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/shrideviforms/index.html">Shri Devi: Forms of the Deity</a><br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/shridevitraditions/index.html">Shri Devi: Traditions</a><br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/shridevicomp/index.html">Shri Devi: Forms Comparison</a><br /><br />Aside from these enhancements and additions many new thematic image set pages were created in order to populate and give depth to the outline pages listed above. Cataloguing is always ongoing and continues for the <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=2025">Jacques Marchais Collection</a>, <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=2027">Santa Barbara Museum</a> and the <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setid=2013">Prague National Gallery</a>. These institutions are at the top of the list with numerous other museum and private collections waiting patiently in the queue. <br /><br />Thank you for your continued interest.<br /><br /><b>Jeff Watt <br />Director & Chief Curator<br />Himalayan Art Resources</b>Himalayan Art Resourceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05382291908886280955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8562469472945850591.post-62580831147537804252009-09-26T15:51:00.009-04:002009-09-26T16:12:04.162-04:00Advanced Search: New & Greatly Improved<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNLB-38GU9GF-Q7NayJsnk3orOLm-0EQFAeBaZdSEaUnX5B8ftDukycymgZY6tbMhDMcXMYeRDpfiuPagvCawcDqAEcLhv-Jab33V6Ej_fgPkGy_Nb5pouEJ28ygpmzLEAaDnTal5jQvU/s1600-h/eye-magnifying-glass.jpg"><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/search/"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 188px; height: 225px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNLB-38GU9GF-Q7NayJsnk3orOLm-0EQFAeBaZdSEaUnX5B8ftDukycymgZY6tbMhDMcXMYeRDpfiuPagvCawcDqAEcLhv-Jab33V6Ej_fgPkGy_Nb5pouEJ28ygpmzLEAaDnTal5jQvU/s320/eye-magnifying-glass.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385870426206891826" /></a></a>The old <span style="font-weight:bold;">Advanced Search</span> was rather static with a query result only serving up a linear text list of either paintings or sculpture. Those days are now over. <br /><br />The new <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/search/">Advanced Search</a> is programmed to serve up thumbnail images as the default with the old <span style="font-weight:bold;">List View</span> as a secondary option. When searching on a specific subject the default is set to display both paintings and sculpture. For even more advanced search queries on topics such as medium or type then both broad categories of paintings and sculpture can be selected individually. The unique options for paintings (for us meaning two-dimensional) such as red background, textiles, etc., can be chosen under the painting category and the same for sculpture when searching on medium, repousse, etc. The <span style="font-weight:bold;">HAR Team</span> believes that this is a major enhancement to the site. Please try it out. <br /><br />See the <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/search/">New Advanced Search</a>.<br /><br />And with the <span style="font-weight:bold;">Keyword Search</span> don't forget that since December of last year the HAR site has been using <span style="font-weight:bold;">Google Custom Search</span>. This has also been a huge improvement over the previous search engine technology.Himalayan Art Resourceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05382291908886280955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8562469472945850591.post-57917772540625531602009-09-25T02:44:00.028-04:002009-09-25T11:26:04.129-04:00Shri Devi: Palden Lhamo: Glorious Goddess<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheIT0qobnuTbF6BCM6-cdznmJYY8TTpfcEb-wtHWkzgzDhKdPK-M0RKwE5qXSy3q-GgCiwVQ7laKEi3A2zE9OQRzM3yh7fJ2xVVRmbmFduaQDVpYJ_Py6l5ppFYMaBrl5qG2s0AJ9_m30/s1600-h/90185_straight.jpg"><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/shrideviresource/index.html"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 190px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheIT0qobnuTbF6BCM6-cdznmJYY8TTpfcEb-wtHWkzgzDhKdPK-M0RKwE5qXSy3q-GgCiwVQ7laKEi3A2zE9OQRzM3yh7fJ2xVVRmbmFduaQDVpYJ_Py6l5ppFYMaBrl5qG2s0AJ9_m30/s320/90185_straight.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5385293679626536002" /></a></a>From the <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/shrideviresource/index.html">Shri Devi Resource Page</a>--- <br /><br />Shri Devi is the most important classification of female protector deity in Tantric Tibetan Buddhism. Out of the nearly two dozen textual forms of the goddess there are three principal forms that appear regularly in painting and sculpture. The first and second forms are almost identical. Only the hand attributes distinguish them one from the other. Known as Shri Devi Dudsolma, she has one face and four arms. There is a [1] <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=2114">Sakya version of Dudsolma</a> and a [2] <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=2115">Kagyu version of Dudsolma</a>. The Sakya version holds a sword, skullcup, spear and trident. The Kagyu version holds a sword, skullcup, peg 'kila' and trident. The [3] third form of Shri Devi, most popular in the Gelug Tradition, is known as <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=358">Magzor Gyalmo</a> and has one face like the previous forms but only two hands. She holds a vajra tipped staff and a skullcup. <br /><br />Some Tibetan teachers say that there are twenty-one forms of Palden Lhamo (Shri Devi), often including the Bon religious protector <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=355">Sipai Gyalmo</a> as one of the forms. This is likely a late conflation occurring in the last one hundred years or so, an attempt to organize all of the different forms, along with the major and minor traditions, into a single structured system. <br /><br />Not all forms of Shri Devi have the same entity or personality. The principal form of the protector, <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=820">Dudsolma or Dudmo Remati</a>, appearing with one face and four arms, riding a donkey, is a wrathful manifestation of <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=891">Shri Lakshmi</a> (Pal Lhamo). Principal here means earliest and having the most lineages from India, teachings and commentaries associated with her practice. <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/shridevimagzor/index.html">Magzor Gyalmo</a> with two arms, riding a mule, is a manifestation of <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/sarasvati/index.html">Sarasvati</a>. In the <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/Bon_Outline/index.html">Bon Religion</a> Sipai Gyalmo is the wrathful form of <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=357">Satrig Ersang</a>, one of the four principal deities/gods of the Bon Religion. This shows that the different forms of Shri Devi arise from various narratives, ritual and practice traditions.<br /><br />The early references and teachings on <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=820">Shri Devi Dudsolma</a>, or using her full name Dudsol Dokam Wangchugma (Kamadhatv-ishvari) with four arms, are found in detail in two Tantras, the <i>Fifty Chapter Mahakala Tantra</i> and the <i>Twenty-five Chapter Mahakala Tantra</i>. In these texts Shri Devi is closely related to <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/mahakala/index.html">Mahakala</a>, The Great Black One. <br /><br />The form of Shri Devi known as <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/shridevimagzor/index.html">Magzor Gyalmo</a>, with two arms and riding a mule, has a different history derived from different source literature. In the main text narrating the history of Magzorma, the <i>Dakinyagnijihajvala Tantra</i>, she is described as the servant, or younger sister, of Shri Devi Dudsolma (with four arms and riding a donkey). See the <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=2125">Magzor Gyalmo Introduction</a> and the source literature the Dakinyagnijihajvala Tantra, Dege Kanjur, volume 98, pp.223-253. It is found in the Nyingma Tantra section, vol.3.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=579">Dorje Rabtenma</a>, the special protector of Shalu Monastery in Tsang Province, Tibet, is also a form of Shri Devi: "...Goddess Dorje Rabtenma, Great One, with a body maroon in colour, one face, two hands and three eyes; the body covered by a human skin. Held in the right hand is a blazing sword, a mongoose grasped in the left, riding atop a three-legged mule." (Shalu Liturgical verse by Shakya Gelong Rinchen Namgyal).<br /><br />The image of <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/image.cfm/90185.html">Shri Devi Dudsolma</a> pictured above is taken from a photograph of a paper poster acquired in 1973. The poster is believed to have been made in India in the late 1960s or early 70s. There is no information on the poster at all, front or back, no writing and no numbers. If anybody has seen another image like this or knows where this original painting resides then please send an e-mail to us at info@himalayanart.org. Thank you.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/shrideviresource/index.html">Please see the extensive Shri Devi Resource Page</a>Himalayan Art Resourceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05382291908886280955noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8562469472945850591.post-55596859109826962212009-09-23T09:35:00.007-04:002009-09-23T10:08:48.876-04:00Milarepa in Life Story & Lineage Paintings<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgziLWICGAplDOvYfHjklflsya6oXmwt72sTqlXLXAEH0qQIKrj24Is72foRJxS1DZJB2kKHMDFKZojOKjTXKkIwnQ-r3dMGV_VokoO4zGzlTVuMVmXfj_CUmRYahED0T1kbgQgjw-9Yn4/s1600-h/77117_smll.jpg"><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/milarepacomp3/index.html"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 263px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgziLWICGAplDOvYfHjklflsya6oXmwt72sTqlXLXAEH0qQIKrj24Is72foRJxS1DZJB2kKHMDFKZojOKjTXKkIwnQ-r3dMGV_VokoO4zGzlTVuMVmXfj_CUmRYahED0T1kbgQgjw-9Yn4/s320/77117_smll.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384663542757060018" /></a></a>The first composition in the set of the Stockholm Milarepa Life Story paintings depicts him in a relaxed manner similar to what we have seen in the Choggyur Lingpa painting and somewhat in the Choying Dorje sculpture. There are three known sets in this 19th century style and composition, maybe more. The Rumtek Monastery set of the Karma Kagyu Lineage Masters (Kagyu Sertreng) depicts a relaxed Milarepa similar to what we have been looking at in these other paintings. The Rumtek set, a gift of the previous Sanggye Nyenpa Rinpoche, is based on a much earlier version likely to predate Choggyur Lingpa and even Situ Panchen in the 18th century. Looking at these paintings it is interesting to see that the artists have no trouble switching the direction of the seated posture and portraying either the right hand across the knee or the left. Choggyur Lingpa would have been aware of these iconographic depictions of the Kagyu Masters. However, his painting still seems to be the model that the other three are based on with reference to the <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/milarepacomp/index.html">September 15th posting</a>. <br /><br />We have posted a new Milarepa comparison page looking at Life Story Paintings and Lineage Paintings:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/milarepacomp3/index.html">Milarepa Life Story Painting Set Comparison</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/milarepacomp2/index.html">Four Milarepa Paintings & One Sculpture (Tuesday, September 22nd)</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/pages/milarepacomp/index.html">Four Milarepa Paintings (Tuesday, September 15th)</a><br /><br />As to the comment about possible conflation between the relaxed form of Milarepa and the form of Avalokiteshvara known as <a href="http://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=2113"><span style="font-style:italic;">Resting in the Nature of Mind</span></a> (Tibetan: spyan ras gzigs sems nyid ngal gso), I have added a new page with examples of this form for comparison.Himalayan Art Resourceshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05382291908886280955noreply@blogger.com0