Tapestries
Description: The Moulin Rouge is the most famous cabaret in the world. It is easily recognizable with its red windmill close to Montmartre in the Paris district of Pigalle on Boulevard de Clichy. Since it opened all those years ago on October 6, 1889, the Moulin Rouge has been – and always will be – an iconic Parisian landmark.
Description: In the ritual practices of Tibetan Esoteric Buddhism, it is recognized that if the practitioner relies only on the recitation of Esoteric incantations and observation of mandalas, it is impossible to reach the realm in which one becomes a Buddha, and for this, it is also necessary to practice the five forms of meditation in order to acquire the five types of wisdom. When Sakyamuni completed the ten steps in the practice of becoming a Bodhisattva, he also entered samadhi. The lower half of this thangka depicts him enduring the disciplines entailing suffering (lower right corner), the second his Esoteric practices (lower center) and debating Buddhist concepts, demonstrating the path Sakyamuni had to follow to acquire the five types of wisdom.
Description: Artistic comfort meets mindful style. Featuring a beautiful sunset meditation graphic, this rich t-shirt stands out with its warm color palette and expressive, painted texture. A unique statement piece that pairs perfectly with your favorite jeans, shorts, or lounge joggers for a relaxed, conscious aesthetic.
Description: The most popular tantric manifestation of Manjushri is Vajrabhairava. In this ancient 15th-century image he has a buffalo head, holds an array of weapons, and tramples on birds, dogs, and Hindu gods. In this form, he is sometimes called Yamantaka, or the defeater of death, a deity that ends the cycle of rebirth and provides a path to nirvana. He frightens away egotism and selfishness—the root of suffering—and in this true form reveals the awesome and terrifying nature of enlightenment. For this extraordinary embroidery, the artist employed fine silk floss to achieve brilliant gradations of color and used horsehair underneath to create three-dimensional effects.
Description: Mahakala is one of the most popular guardians in the Tibetan Buddhist pantheon. This tangka, one of the earliest and grandest of this subject was created in the 15th century. Here he tramples a corpse while wielding a flaying knife and a blood-filled skull cup, signifying the destruction of impediments to enlightenment. In the crooks of his elbows, he supports a gandi gong, a symbol of his vow to protect the community of monks (sangha). His principal companions, Palden Remati and Palden Lhamo, appear to his left, and Legden Nagpo and Bhutadamara are at his right. At lower left is Brahmarupa blowing a thighbone trumpet. He is especially revered by the Sakya order, which commissioned this work.
Description: Panjara Mahakala holds a curved knife and skull cup in front of his chest. His arms support the characteristics magic staff (gandi) that identifies him. The animals around his head are his messengers. Within a halo of flames the “Great Black One” is flanked by four deities: the four-armed Bhutadamara Vajrapani and the knife-brandishing Mahakala on the left and Ekajata and the four-armed Dusolma riding her mule on the right. Above these two pairs are Hevajra (left) and Chakrasamvara (right). The lineage of teachers depicted at the very top attributes the painting to the Sakya school. To the sides are the guardians of the directions and the bottom figures belong to Panjara Mahakala’s retinue.
Description: Ancient 17th-century image of Panjaranata Mahakala - the protector for the Shri Hevajra cycle of Tantras. The iconography and rituals are found in the 18th chapter of the Vajra Panjara Tantra (canopy, or pavilion) a Sanskrit language text from India, and an exclusive 'explanatory tantra' to the Hevajra Tantra itself. It is from the name of this tantra that this specific form of Mahakala is known. 'Vajra Panjara' means the vajra enclosure, egg-shaped, created from vajra scepters large and small - all sizes, completely surrounding a Tantric Buddhist mandala. The name of the Tantra is Vajra Panjara and the name of the form of Mahakala taught in this Tantra is also Vajra Panjara. The full name for the protector is Vajra Panjara Nata Mahakala.
Description: Yamantaka, in northern Buddhism, is one of the eight fierce protective deities (dharmapalas). Worship of dharmapalas was initiated in the 8th century by the magician-saint Padmasambhava, who is said to have conquered the malevolent deities in Tibet and forced them to take an oath promising to protect Buddhists and the Buddhist faith. Mahakala is another of the Tibetan protector deities or dharmapalas.
Description: In this rare 14th-century Tibetan painting of Chenresi, a cosmic form of the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara, he is represented with ten heads and one thousand arms, which fan out to form a golden aureole. Each of the Buddhist savior’s hands has an eye in its palm, an embodiment of his power to radiate wisdom in every quarter of the universe. He stands elevated on a lotus pedestal and is surrounded by cave-like niches, each occupied by either a lineage lama or a protective deity. At the lower left is an offering table with attendant monks. Two inscriptions appear on the reverse: one in Sanskrit (the ye dharma charm-verse, or dharaṇi) and one in Tibetan that praises patience, “the holiest ascetic practice.”
Description: This is one of the earliest 16th-century extant images of the rarely represented Buddhist goddess Ushnishavijaya. She embodies a magical spell (dharani) recited by practitioners to reach liberation through the accumulation of merit. The power of multiplication in Buddhist merit making is suggested by the many small stupas (chaityas), which symbolically evoke the donation of one hundred thousand stupas. Multi-armed and multi-headed, Ushnishavijaya, white in color (like the autumn moon), is seated in the central stupa, flanked by red and green bodhisattvas and surrounded by the guardians of the eight directions and representations of Tara. As a manifestation of the Buddha’s head protuberance, or ushnisha, she is associated with wisdom.
Description: The center of this ancient 14th-century Buddhist mandala depicts the moon god Chandra flanked by two female archers who shoot arrows of light to drive away the darkness. Chandra holds two lotuses and rides a chariot pulled by seven geese, an arrangement that parallels depictions of the sun god Surya, whose chariot is pulled by horses. Surrounding the central tableau are the nine planetary deities, which includes another depiction of Chandra. Across the top of the painting are the five directional buddhas (tathagatha) flanked by bodhisattvas at either end. The bottom register is divided into three panels that depict, from left to right, a ceremony, a group of musicians and dancers, and a group of patrons.
Description: Ancient 14th-century Buddhist tangka of Amoghasiddhi with Eight Bodhisattvas. Amoghasiddhi is one of the five Transcendent Buddhas who preside over the heavens of the cardinal directions, his realm being to the north. In this context, he is identifiable by his green color. The five Taras below are likely the consorts of this cosmic group; the green one relates specifically to the central deity. Amoghasiddhi, who sits on a lotus throne surrounded by bodhisattvas, holds his right hand in abhaya mudra, a gesture that extends protection to devotees. The style of this tangka is indebted to twelfth-century eastern Indian painting traditions of the Pala period, as reflected in the dominant central figure and numerous descriptive details.
Description: Ancient 16th-century image of Buddhist Goddess Palden Lhamo. Palden Lhamo is the principal protectress of Tibet and the only female of the Eight Guardians of the dharma. This black-ground painting was installed in the chapel dedicated to the wrathful protective deities (dharmapalas), a room reserved for tantric initiation rites within a Tibetan monastery. The exceptional scale and complexity of the composition relate the painting to the offering-scene murals known as “sets of ornaments” that adorn the interiors of shrines dedicated to the dharmapalas. At center, the wrathful four-armed goddess Palden Lhamo, emaciated and fearful, is shown riding her mule.
Description: Ancient 12th-century Buddhist thangka from Kadampa Monastery (Central Tibet). Ratnasambhava, the Buddha that presides over the southern direction, is one of the Buddhas of the Five Families, each associated with a cardinal direction. Jina – meaning victorious was a title more often used for spiritual masters of Tīrthaṅkaras from the Jaina tradition. But the title was also used for Dhyani Buddhas in the Vajrayana tradition.
Description: In the center of this 18th-century composition sits Buddha Amitayus, the Buddha of Infinite Life, on a Chinese-style seat. In front of him, lotus blossom and its branches carry a king and his auspicious “Seven Jewels.” Amitayus presides over a paradisal realm with a two-storied palace behind him, the roof tiles of which carry the six-syllable mantra of Avalokiteshvara. The palaces in the corners of the painting represent realms similar to the central one and are situated at the cardinal directions around it, each of them occupied by an eight-deity assembly of the mandala of Amitayus.
Description: This 15th-century painting would have been viewed as a part of the Fifty-One Deities Mandala of the Medicine Buddha. The God of Fire (Agni) rides a red goat, holds a pot with fire, and appears as an old man. The painting is set in an attractive embroidered mount decorated with the Eight Auspicious Symbols in the upper part and the Seven Attributes of the Universal Monarch in the lower part. All are auspicious symbols in Tibetan tradition, which appropriately complement the mandala of the Medicine Buddha, who is usually evoked for healing purposes and general well-being.
Description: Ancient 14th-century Nepalese image of Acala, The Buddhist Protector. Acala (literally, “immovable”) is a wrathful manifestation of Manjushri. He wields a sword to dispatch ignorance and a noose to snare disbelievers. His enflamed wide eyes and a facial grimace exposing teeth express his fearsome aspect. He kneels with one knee on the ground, evoking his role as a protector of the earth. He is set in a flaming aureole, his knowledge field, and is honored with an elaborate archway (torana) topped by Garuda fighting two nagas. Numerous protective emanations surround him in a series of registers; in the lower register, a Vajracharya priest performs rituals for the benefit of the donor family seated opposite.
Description: Ancient 14th-century Tibetan tangka with mandala of Jnanadakini. The central six-armed goddess (devi), Jnanadakini, is surrounded by eight emanations—representations of the devi that correspond to the colors of the mandala’s four directional quadrants. Four additional protective goddesses sit within the gateways. Surrounding the mandala are concentric circles that contain lotus petals, vajras, flames, and the eight great burial grounds. Additional dakinis and lamas occupy roundels in the corners. The upper register depicts lamas and mahasiddhas representing the Sakya school’s spiritual lineage. The lower register depicts protective deities and a monk who performs a consecration ritual.
Description: Vintage 15th-century thangka of Panjaranata Mahakala - the protector for the Shri Hevajra cycle of Tantras. The iconography and rituals are found in the 18th chapter of the Vajra Panjara Tantra (canopy, or pavilion) a Sanskrit language text from India, and an exclusive 'explanatory tantra' to the Hevajra Tantra itself. It is from the name of this tantra that this specific form of Mahakala is known. 'Vajra Panjara' means the vajra enclosure, egg-shaped, created from vajra scepters large and small - all sizes, completely surrounding a Tantric Buddhist mandala. The name of the Tantra is Vajra Panjara and the name of the form of Mahakala taught in this Tantra is also Vajra Panjara. The full name for the protector is Vajra Panjara Nata Mahakala.
