FINEST!! NEWARI RATNASAMBHAVA BUDDHIST THANGKA PAINTING

Ratnasambhava, The Gem of a Buddha (Tib. Gyalwa Rinjung):

Ratnasambhava means ‘Born from the Jewel,’ ‘ratna’ signifying jewel in Sanskrit.

Ratnasambhava is believed to transform the negative human trait of pride into the wisdom of sameness. This wisdom brings out the common features of human experience and makes us see the common humanity underlying all men and women. It makes us see ourselves as fellow-beings, organically united to the total stream of humanity. In this state of enlightenment, there is nobody superior or inferior to the other, leaving no scope for pride to develop.

Ratnasambhava displays the Varada mudra.

This mudra symbolizes charity and boon granting. Indeed his distinct emblem is a jewel (ratna), associating him with riches and Ratnasambhava is sometimes described as the Buddha of giving. But he makes no distinction and gives freely to all (the wisdom of sameness). All beings are equally precious to him. Whatever our social position, race, sex, or life form, we are all made from a common clay. The grace of Ratnasambhava shines equally on the palace and dung heap. Meditating on his wisdom we develop solidarity with all humanity, nay with all forms of life.

The wisdom of sameness gives us the clarity of mind to perceive in the correct perspective, the eight experiences, arranged into four pairs. These are gain and loss, fame and disgrace, praise and blame, and pleasure and pain. These experiences always come in pairs. If we chase one we will lay ourselves open to the other. For example, if we pursue pleasure, we will undoubtedly at some time experience pain too. This is a spiritual expression of Newton’s third law of dynamics namely that ‘each and every action in the universe has an equal and opposite reaction.’

Ratnasambhava’s color is yellow. This is the color of the earth. The earth too is extremely generous in sharing with us her riches. Also she gives without any expectation or favor in return. She gives and also receives all equally. The earth is thus the great leveler. Similarly, Ratnasambhava’s radiance dissolves all boundaries of self and the other. We can then just share with others – without any associated sense of giving, because giving requires a ‘self’ to give and ‘others’ to receive, a duality which Ratnasambhava helps us transcend.

The animal associated with Ratnasambhava is the horse, who ferries over the suffering beings with full vigor. It also suggests a journey, a spiritual voyage such as that on which the Buddha-to-be set forth when he left his life at home, riding on his faithful charger.

In Tibetan art, the horse is often shown carrying jewels on its back. This is a further reinforcement of its relation with Ratnasambhava.

Ratnasambhava guards over the direction south. The sun is in the south at noon-time. Its rays are then a light-golden-yellow, the hue of Ratnasambhava himself.

From kheper.net

FEEDBACK: Please contact me instead of leaving negative feedback. I will always work with the buyer until we resolve an issue or reach a mutually satisfactory agreement. There should never be a reason for negative feedback if we are in good communication and there is no deception or dishonesty in descriptions, representation of items, or payment. I also expect the same honesty and integrity in your dealing with me.  Please ask questions, as many as you like, to be sure the item you are bidding on or purchasing is the right one for you.

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.