Chakrasamvara Buddhist Thangka Painting

Description

Chakrasamvara symbolizes the brilliant surge of creative power, both in the universe and within the individual’s body and mind.

Iconography of Chakrasamvara

The emblems and decorations of Chakrasamvara signify the defeat of ego-driven spiritual paths. The wheel of supreme bliss, Chakrasamvara, is a symbol of enlightenment in which negative emotions such as desire and anger are transformed into compassionate joy. He wears a tiger skin around his navy blue waist and an elephant skin draped over his back. He adorns himself with bone jewelry and a diadem of skulls. His first two hands hold a bell and vajra, signifying the balance between emptiness and joy. His other hands grip a skull cup, a snare, Brahma’s head, a khatvanga staff, a sword, a flaying knife, a trident, and a drum.

He is surrounded by a fiery aura and stands atop a sun disc, symbolically crushing the mundane desires represented by the Hindu deity Bhairava and his partner, Kalaratri.

The blissful energy of Chakrasamvara transforms timid reactions to reality into passionate involvement. When desire is no longer attached to its object, it is awoken to its original state, which no longer distinguishes between self and other. This blissful understanding encompasses all life and emotions, culminating in the liberating insight of joyous oneness.