Padmasambhava (Primary Title)
thanka (Object Name)
Unknown (Artist)
Padmasambhava, called Guru Rinpoche (Precious Teacher) in Tibet, is easily recognized by his distinctive hat with upturned flaps, associated with his birthplace in present-day northern Pakistan. His flanking consorts—the Indian princess Mandarava and the Tibetan queen Yeshe Tsogyal—reveal his transcultural biography. Many figures surround Guru Rinpoche, including, on opposite sides of the lotus stalk supporting his seat, Shantarakshita and King Trisong Detsen, who invited him to assist in Tibet’s conversion to Buddhism. Among Padmasambhava’s extraordinary skills was an ability to see the past, present, and future at once. Thus foreseeing a period when Buddhism would be proscribed, he devised a plan to preserve the Nyingma teachings, secreting them away to be rediscovered in future centuries.
Wisdom and Compassion: The Sacred Art of Tibet, Asian Art Museum, San Francisco, San Francisco, CA, April 17 - August 18, 1991; IBM Gallery, New York, NY, October 15 - December 28, 1991; Royal Academy of Art, London, UK, September 16 - December 13, 1992
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