Vajradhara, Shamarpa 01 Drakpa Senggé, and Lama Shang
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Chapel
Orientation 2
Wall object 21

ABP 077

 Code: ABP 077

  Country: Tibet

  Style:

  Date: 1250 - 1350

  Dimensions in cm WxHxD: 11 x 24

  Materials: Mineral pigment on cloth

Vajradhara, Zhwa dmar pa 01 Grags pa seng ge, and bla ma Zhang

These three delicate paintings represent the primordial buddha Vajradhara and two Tibetan masters. All three sit in vajraparyaṅka on multi-coloured lotus seats and precious thrones supported by lions. The back rest is supported by elephant, śārdūla and makara, except for Vajradhara who has hamsa. The upper registers contain representations of buddhas of the five families along with other buddhas and bodhisattvas and the lower registers represent ḍākinī, protectors and donators.

The central painting figures Vajradhara of deep blue colour, his hands crossed before his chest holding the vajra and bell. Young and handsome, he appears adorned with the attire of the saṃbhogakāya. Above him are Vairocana, Ratnasambhava and Amitābha. Below him are Vajrapaṇi, Sahaja Saṃvara and Śyāma Tārā.   

To his right is the first “red hat” Zhwa dmar pa Grags pa seng ge (1283-1349). Represented as a monk, he performs the dharmacakra mudra and wears his distinctive red hat after which he is named. Disciple of Karmapa 03, he is considered his equal and his line of reincarnation still exists today. Above him are Ṣaḍakṣarī Lokeśvara, Amitābha of whiom he is considered an emanation, and Akṣobhya. Below him are Vajravārāhī, Caturbhuja Mahākāla, and a couple of lay patrons.

To the left of Vajradhara is another monastic master also represented preforming the dharmacakra mudra. Despite his personalised facial features, is identification is secured by the inscription on the back of the painting. bLa ma zhang g.Yu brag pa brtson grus (1123-1193) of Gung thang was a famous exuberant Kagyü master of the 12th century who played an important political role. Above him are Vajradhara, Amoghasiddhi, and Mañjuśrī. Below him are Parṇaśavarī, Nīla Acala, and a monk.

The association of these three religious figures remain somehow unclear as they are no apparent connection between the two masters who lived in separate times and do not belong to the same branch of the Kagyü school.

རྡོ་རྗེ་འཆང་།
ལ་ན་མོ།
rdo rje ’chang | la na mo /
Homage to Vajradhara

རྟགས་ལྡན་གྲགས་པ་སེང་གེ
rtags [rtogs ?] ldan grags pa seng ge 
Realised one Grags pa seng ge

གུང་ཐང་བླ་མ་
ཞང་བརྩོན་གྲུས་གྲགས་པ།
gung thang bla ma | zhang brtson ’grus grags pa
bLa ma Zhang brtson ’grus grags pa of Gung thang

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