There is neither a painting in the mind
Nor a mind in the painting:
And yet, where else can one find a painting
Than in the mind?
Avatamsaka Sutra
"Preserving the Sacred Arts is always part of the preservation of Dharma"
~ Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche ~
Very high quality and visually appealing thangka of Avalokitesvara with secondary figures of White Tara, Amitabha, Green Tara, Manjusri and Vajrapani by Dilliman Lama of Nepal.
Don't judge the quality of a thangka by whether the artist is known or not, or if it is signed or not. It is only recently that some artists have begun to sign their works of sacred art in response to what is done in the West, and an increasing market of Westerners. It is also a misconception (promoted by an eBay seller or two) that an artist who has "Lama" in his name is a monk or a monastic. This is not the case. The majority of Newari, Tamang, and Sherpa artists in the Kathmandu Valley have taken the name "Lama" themselves or been named that by their thangka painting school.
Measures about 20 inches by 27 & 1/2 inches, excluding the outermost brown border.
This thangka is not mounted in brocade but I am now able to provide brocade mountings for my thangkas at very reasonable prices. The finest quality Varanasi brocade is available. It will take a while to get the mounting done, but it will be good practice in patience!
Check out my other items!
In the gap between two thoughts,
Thought-free wakefulness manifests unceasingly.
Milarepa
Avalokiteśvara (known as Chenrezig in Tibetan) is an important deity in Tibetan Buddhism, and is regarded as a Buddha. The Dalai Lama is considered by the Gelugpa sect and many other Tibetan Buddhists to be the primary earthly manifestation of Chenrezig.
Other manifestations popular in Tibet include Sahasra-bhuja (a form with a thousand arms) and Ekādaśamukha (a form with eleven faces).
In Tibetan Buddhism, White Tara acts as the consort and energizer of Avalokiteśvara/Chenrezig. According to popular belief, Tara came into existence from a single tear shed by Chenrezig. When the tear fell to the ground it created a lake, and a lotus opening in the lake revealed Tara. In another version, Tara emerges from the heart of Chenrezig. In either version it is Chenrezig's outpouring of compassion which manifests Tara as a being.
One prominent Buddhist story tells of Avalokiteśvara vowing to never rest until he had freed all sentient beings from samsara. Despite strenuous effort, he realizes that still many unhappy beings were yet to be saved. After struggling to comprehend the needs of so many, his head splits into eleven pieces. Amitabha Buddha, seeing his plight, gives him eleven heads with which to hear the cries of the suffering. Upon hearing these cries and comprehending them, Avalokiteśvara attempts to reach out to all those who needed aid, but found that his two arms shattered into pieces. Once more, Amitabha comes to his aid and invests him with a thousand arms with which to aid the suffering multitudes.
Many Himalayan versions of the tale include eight arms with which Avalokiteśvara skilfully upholds the dharma, each possessing its own particular implement, while more Chinese-specific ones give varying accounts of this number.
Western scholars have not reached a consensus on the origin of the reverence for Avalokiteśvara. Some have suggested that Avalokiteśvara, along with many other supernatural beings in Buddhism, was a borrowing or absorption by Mahayana Buddhism of one or more Hindu deities, in particular Śhiva, Visnu, or combined bodies of Visnu(Hari)/Śhiva(Hara), namely, Hari-Hara Lokaśvarā. Yogīśvara (Lord of the Yogis)is another epithet of Śhiva. Lengend says that Āvalokiteśvarā of Potala(Mount Potalaka)sometimes appears as a yogi smeared with ashes, in all probability that Nīlakantha Lokeśvara and Potalaka Āvalokiteśvarā are identical. The appellation Īśvara, "lord", is sometimes used to refer to Śhiva and Vishnu as well as Avalokiteśvara. Avalokiteśvara itself is a Sanskrit word, supporting a common origin in cultural Hinduism. However, other scholars suggest that since Vedas were orally preserved till 8th century, there is a good chance that Avalokiteśvara was originally a Buddhist deity who was later included within Hinduism. Representations of these deities may have been inspirations for some of Avalokiteśvara's depictions in art.
According to Mahayana doctrine, Avalokiteśvara is the bodhisattva who has made a great vow to listen to the prayers of all sentient beings in times of difficulty, and to postpone his own Buddhahood until he has assisted every being on earth in achieving nirvana. Mahayana sutras associated with Avalokiteśvara include the Heart Sutra (as disciple of the historical Buddha Shakyamuni) and the Lotus Sutra, particularly the 25th chapter which is sometimes referred to as the Avalokiteśvara Sutra.
In the Tibetan tradition, Avalokiteśvara is seen as arising from two sources. One is the relative source, where in a previous eon (kalpa) a devoted, compassionate Buddhist monk became a bodhisattva, transformed in the present kalpa into Avalokiteśvara. That is not in conflict, however, with the ultimate source, which is Avalokiteśvara as the universal manifestation of compassion. The bodhisattva is viewed as the anthropomorphised vehicle for the actual deity, serving to bring about a better understanding of Avalokiteśvara to humankind.
Recent Feedback Comments:
+ Ebay needs more sellers like this man and less flimflammin' JUNK vendors!
+ Breathtaking work on this piece - seller has a very VERY good eye for sweet work
+ Oh My! This is very precious and has sacred strength! Thanks!
+ Fantastic artwork, Better than anything I have purchased on Ebay
+ This is the best seller I met on EBAY! No question about it!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! liuay1
+ As always, wrjay has the best art and service on eBay - Recommended !!! mesweeney
+ Great customer service; the best buying experience I've known, truly an A plus
+This is the best seller that I have dealt with in nine years of buying on eBay!
I strive to provide the best quality thangkas for the price on eBay. They are all original paintings done with mineral pigments and pure gold paint on canvas. You won't find any imitation Chinese thangkas here! Please compare the detailed photos of my thangkas to other thangkas available on eBay to determine the quality. The photos in each listing are of the very same thangka that I am selling. Don't bother to compare them to the extremely low quality glut of fake "antique" or "old" "Tibetan" thangkas from China that have flooded the market in the last few years. There IS no comparison with these fakes.
I want to make clear that in no way, shape or form do I represent myself as an expert on Tibetan iconography or thangka painting. I am just a beginner in understanding this profound art form. If there is any kind of problem, let me know. I will never knowingly misrepresent anything I am selling. There is always the chance that I may have been fooled myself, but will try to correct the situation if that ever happens. Please contact me if you think I have been misled. I also don't try to exaggerate the colors or contrast in my photos to make them more appealing. I believe in karma and that honesty is always the best policy and will do business by these principles.
A word or two about the terrible thangkas done in sweatshops in China. If you look at about 90% (or more) of the thangkas for sale on Ebay, they are being sold from China and all look very similar. By similar, I mean the proportions are all wrong, there is no fine detail work at all and they are mostly iconographically as incorrect as it is possible to be. A lot of them seem to be of deities that don’t exist! Ebay doesn’t seem at all interested in shutting down this flood of fakes, because they are making very good money on them. Not only has China's brutal regime been systematically eliminating Tibet's culture and religion in Tibet, they are ruining the art of thangka painting where it is barely hanging on in exile in Nepal and India and a very few artists in Tibet.
Some people have thought that my thangkas are so detailed that they must be prints. I do not sell prints of thangkas. If I do start doing so they will clearly be identified as such! The best way to determine if it is an original painting is to hold it up to a bright light or the sun. You will clearly see different thicknesses of paint and some brush strokes.
Also 1 or 2 people have thought that the paintings are on paper. They are all on cotton canvas, but they are treated with a layer of gesso (like plaster of paris or gypsum) and rubbed smooth. Some of them are so smooth you cannot see the individual fibers. To prove to yourself that the painting is on canvas, try ripping the corner of the border area and you will see threads.
I will be glad to combine shipping and insurance on multiple items. I will ship worldwide with the buyer paying the actual shipping costs. Email me for costs and options to your country.
Satisfaction guaranteed, but I can't control the U.S. or foreign Postal Services, or make you read the item description carefully. If there is any problem, let me know and we will work it out.
I would appreciate it if you would read my “Me” page. There is information there on how to help the Tibetan cause.
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