Art, History, and Heritage
Category Art
Art, History, and Heritage
Art, History, and Heritage
19th century Painting of Namkhai Nyingpo
Namkha'i Nyingpo one of the twenty-five disciples of Padmasambhava, is depicted with long-life ritual implements. Other details of this nineteenth-century painting from Kham suggest elements from Jamgon Kongtrul's story of Namkhai Nyingpo and Dorje Tso.
Namkhai Nyingpo is performing a long-life ritual in this Thangka Painting. He holds upraised in the right hand an arrow of longevity and a vajra scepter. In the left hand, a bell is held close to the heart.
In the sky above, at the .
Tibetan Mandala tantric practices & benefits
Tibetan mandala tantric practices are used to cultivate and generate energy, and to bring about transformation and healing.
Tibetan Mandala as a meditation tool
Mandalas can be created with a variety of materials commonly including sand, paint or fabric (appliqué).
According to the Tibetan teachings the mandala is a tool for working with the energies of the cosmos including :
the bodythe mindthe spirit
In other words, the mandala can help control inner feelings by accessing and channeling .
Buddhist symbolism – From representation to auspiciousness
Buddhist symbolism is the use of symbols to represent certain aspects of the Buddha's Dharma (teaching).
Early Buddhist symbols which remain important today include the Dharma wheel, the Indian lotus, the three jewels and the Bodhi tree.
Anthropomorphic symbolism depicting the Buddha (as well as other figures) became very popular around the first century CE with the arts of Mathura and the Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara.
New symbols continued to develop into the medieval period, .
Buddhist art – The devotional artistic practices
Buddhist art is the artistic practices that are influenced by Buddhism.
It includes art media which depict Buddhas, bodhisattvas, and other entities, notable Buddhist figures, both historical and mythical, narrative scenes from the lives of all of these, mandalas and other graphic aids to practice, as well as physical objects associated with Buddhist practice, such as vajras, bells, stupas and Buddhist temple architecture.
Buddhist art originated on the Indian subcontinent following the historical life .
Buddhist artists – The creative Buddha Mind
During the Pre-iconic phase (5th–1st century BCE) artists were reluctant to depict the Buddha anthropomorphically, and developed sophisticated aniconic symbols to avoid doing so (even in narrative scenes where other human figures would appear).
This tendency remained as late as the 2nd century CE in the southern parts of India, in the art of the Amaravati School.
In Tibet the vast majority of surviving artworks created before the mid-20th century are dedicated to the depiction .
All you need to know about Thangkas
A thangka, variously spelt as thangka, tangka, thanka, or tanka, is a Tibetan Buddhist painting on cotton, silk appliqué, usually depicting a Buddhist deity, scene, or mandala.
Thangkas are traditionally kept unframed and rolled up when not on display, mounted on a textile backing somewhat in the style of Chinese scroll paintings, with a further silk cover on the front.
So treated, thangkas can last a long time, but because of their delicate nature, .
Different types of Buddhist paintings
Buddhist art originated in the north of the Indian subcontinent, in modern India, Pakistan and Afghanistan, with the earliest survivals dating from a few centuries after the historical life of Siddhartha Gautama from the 6th to 5th century BCE.
Buddhist paintings are visual art produced in the context of Buddhism.
It includes depictions of Gautama Buddha and other Buddhas and bodhisattvas, notable Buddhist figures both historical and mythical, narrative scenes from their lives, mandalas, and .
Mahasiddhas – The Siddhi of perfection
Mahasiddha is a term for someone who embodies and cultivates the "siddhi of perfection".
A siddha is an individual who, through the practice of sādhanā, attains the realization of siddhis, psychic and spiritual abilities and powers.
Mahasiddhas were practitioners of yoga and tantra, or tantrikas.
The Mahasiddhas are the founders of Vajrayana traditions and lineages such as Dzogchen and Mahamudra.
There is a symbiotic relationship between Tantric Buddhist communities and the Buddhist monastic university such as Nalanda .
Indian Buddhist sculptures – The sculptural art of enlightenment
Buddhist sculptures originated in the north of the Indian subcontinent with the earliest survivals dating from a few centuries after the historical life of Siddhartha Gautama from the 6th to 5th century BCE.
In India, Buddhist sculptures flourished and co-developed with Hindu and Jain sculptures, with cave temple complexes built together, each likely influencing the other.
Although India had a long sculptural tradition and a mastery of rich iconography, the Buddha was never represented in human .
Buddhist art & architecture in Thailand
Thai temple art and architecture is the art and architecture of Buddhist temples in Thailand. Temples are known as wats, from the Pāḷi vāṭa, meaning "enclosure." A temple has an enclosing wall that divides it from the secular world.
Wat architecture adheres to consistent principles. A wat, with few exceptions, consists of two parts: the Phutthawat and the Sangkhawat.
Thai Theravada Buddhism and Hindu cultures merged, and Hindu elements were introduced into Thai iconography.
Popular figures .