| Description wheel of life |
| Mandala, The Wheel of Life, consists of four concentric circles. The outer circle is divided into twelve sections which represent the twelve stages of human life, from ignorance to old age and death. The next circle is divided into an upper and a lower part, each containing three sections which represent the six realms of existence. The upper contains the realms of Deva, Asura and Human, and the lower Animal, Spirit and Hell. The Devas(gods) are shown enjoying their heavenly pleasures with the humans being occupied with their earthly chores, while in the lower half of the circle the Pretas(hungry ghosts or spirits) are suffering from hunger and thirst. They have swollen bellies, narrow throats and tiny mouths and are thus unable to satiate their hunger. The animals in their realm are suffering too. Constantly fighting amongst themselves with the bigger and stronger killing and destroying the weak. In the realm of hell King Yama sits in judgement of the sinners, who are tortured horrifically by the messenger of death. The third circle is divided into dark and light(black and white), as depicted in the use of colour tone. Virtuous beings are seen ascending to the light and attaining a higher status, while the less virtuous descend into darkness. The fourth and innermost circle contains three animals, the cock, the snake and the pig, which symbolize respectively, delusion, hatred and attachment. The entire wheel is held by Hayagriva, The Powerful Protector, an ???aspect/emanation??? of the Boddhisattva Avalokitashvara. In the upper right of the thangka we see the Buddha in an upright position. This symbolizes peaceful nirvana, freedom from the suffering of cyclic existence. |
| GURU PADMASAMBHAVA |
| He was the most apostle of tantricism and is a very eminent saint in the spiritual lineage of Myingmapa order of Tibetan Buddhism of which he was the founder. He was born out of a lotus flower (Padma, lotus-born), in the lake Dhankasha in Udiayana, an ancient city of Pakistan – Afghanistan boarder. He got great fame as a powerful exorcist and was invited by King Trisong Detsen to come to Tibet to subdue the opponents by his charms and spells. He lived in Tibet for 50 years.
He is depicted as seated on a lotus blossom wearing royal robes. His right foot rests on small lotus blossom. His body is flesh coloured but his expression are varied. He wears a magical folded red hat and is always shown with a moustache. He holds a Vajra (dorje) in his right hand. In his left hand, he holds a skull cup (patra) with a vase of immortality (ambrosia). He caries a tantric staff (khatvanga) surmounted with a trident in the fold of his left arm. Guru Padmasambhava was married to Princess Mandarova and to Yeshe Tshogyal who were earlier the queens of King Trisong Detsen. He has many disciples and wrote several religious treaties out of which Padma scrolls are well known. |
| KUMAR |
| Kumar is the first son of Shiva. He was killed by his father in anger but he brought to life by breathing soul into him. Stories say that once Shiva aske to his sons, Ganesh and Kumar to travel to find out the beginning and the end of the universe. Kumar whose vehicle is a peacock, could fly and went off straight away. Ganesh was helpless because his rat was no good at flying. However Ganesh went back to his father three times and said thea Lord Shiva was the be-all and end-all for him. Kumar's attempt to pass through the universe was only a daring-do; and he failed. So Kumar, not being able to obtain blessings from his father, Shiva, he is not entitled to any kind of worship from the people whereas Ganesh, |
| MAHAKALA |
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Mahakala's dwarf body is dark blue in colour to symbolize his changeless 'dharmakaya' nature. He looks wrathful and is bedecked with serpents. He wears a garland of severed heads and a crown of five skulls, represents five poisons of delusions namely lust, hatred, ignorance, pride and jelousy transformed into wisdom of five Buddhas. His right hands holds a 'katri' symbolizing that he has cut off his ego, clinging and attacchement; his lef-hand holds a 'kapala' filled with blood symbolizing the subjugation of the evil. He wears a tiger skin symbolizing the purification of desires. He has three eyes symbolizing his cliear comprehension of The Tree Times. He looks ferocious against a background of blazing fire. His two feet symbolize wisdom and method. His ferocious appereance aside, Mahakala is a manifestation of Avalokiteshwara, the embodiment of universal compassion. At one time, Avalokiteshwara thought that he would able to subdue the degenerate beings of this Age of Darkenss, yet seeing many beigns practicing Dharma who were yet unable to escape from the 'Bardo' realms, he thought that the beigns in this dark age were poor and needy, experiencing only suffering, and that by a wrathful form he could provide them with an antidote to their suffering so that their needs could be met by simply expressing the desire to escape their suffering. With this three-fold activiy, his vow became even greater than before. From the heart of Noble Avalokiteshwara emeged a dark letter 'hum', which transformed into the Instantanious Protector of Wisdom. |
| CHHEPU |
| Chhepu had two brothers; Garuda and Hitimaga. Once their mother requested her husband to give birth to a bravest, truthfull son having all superior qualities. Her husband said to wait for some period. However, she became impatient and look at the nest whether he was born or not. She saw Chhepu in premature condition. Chhepu disappeared from the world as he didn't want to see Kaliyuga i.e. epic age or Kali (when evil will prevail over good). *Manjushree learnt about bravery, truthfulness and super marks of Chhepu requested him to show his full form. Without knowledge of Chhepu, Manjushree could draw only head. Chhepu disappeared when he learnt that Manjushree is drawing his picture. Due to his bravery, truthfullness and super marks, Chhepu is assigned the place at the main entrance of shrine for protection of all dangers. Nagas (snakes) are food of Chhepu. (Chhepu is also commnly called Makara, which is a composite figure which are found carved or painted in reliefs and panel all over the world by creative figures both of human and animal beings.) |
| THANKAS |
The creation of these sacred Tibetan paintings, Sadhana, is in fact a religious ritual in itself. Often found in monasteries and temples they are profoundly respected objects of devotion and meditation. In creating a Thanka the artist must observe a strict discipline following initiation from a realized master |
| MANDALA |
Mandala is the magic circle or symbolic offering. Its circular and spherical diagrams are used for visualization during meditation. Timeless and all embracing the Mandala is one of the great symbols of human experience, the passage from state to state from material to spiritual. At its center is eternity, its periphery is perfection. |
| EIGHT AUSPICIOUS SYMBOLS |
The eight auspicious symbols are very popular amongst Buddhists and Hindus in temples and monasteries and also at home. They represent the celestial offer presented to Buddha Shakyamuni after he obtained enlightment. As well as being decorative they are believed to bring good luck to all living beings. They are also found in Tibet, Bhutan, China and Mongolia. 1.Srivatsa – The endless knot
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