This Shakyamuni Mandala Thangka Painting is a device for the Tantric meditation. It represents an imaginary palace of perfection constructed by a symmetrical series of concentric circles and squares. At the center point of this imaginary palace, rests the resident deity - Shakyamuni. It is by him that the nature of the mandala is identified. Other Buddhist auspicious symbols can also be found in the design. It is a visual aid for concentration and introversive meditation leading to the attainment of insights and forces that culminate in "Siddhi". Crossing various levels of earthly temptations, spiritual redundancy and physical moorings, one reaches the center of perfection -
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symbolized here in the figure of Shakyamuni.Traditional form and color application techniques have been strictly followed in the process of creating the Mandala to show religious meanings. About Thangka PaintingsThangka or scroll paintings are sacred artifacts used as physical support in Tibetan
Buddhist practices. In Tibetan the word 'than' means flat and the suffix 'ka' stands
for painting. The Thangka is thus a kind of painting done on flat surface but which
can be rolled up when not required for display.
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and is generally hung in monasteries or a family altar and carried by lamas in
ceremonial processions. The pictorial subjects of thangkas include portraits of
Buddhas, stories from the lives of saints and great masters. The material most
commonly used for thangkas is linen cloth or cotton fabric whereas silk cloth is
reserved for important subjects. Before the ritual of thangka painting begins, the
material is stitched along the edges with flax thread and stretched on a specially
made wooden frame. Then a paste made of animal glue mixed with talcum powder is
spread over its surface to block up the holes in it. When the paste is scraped off
and the cloth gets thoroughly dried, the material is ready for painting. To begin,
the artist works out the sketches of the images with charcoal sticks. The drawing
usually begins with the figure in the center and then goes to the surrounding
deities or landscape. |
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