Tibetan Thangkas

Joined
Apr 13, 2004
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438
Just moved all my stuff into my new place and my art collection was also imported along.

Khukuris are just one of the many treasures I've bought from the Himalayas, among that are Tibetan thangkas.

Heres one that my fiance is letting me put on the wall.

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Its called "Four Friends", perhaps those more versed and well traveled can explain what it means?
 
Your thangka is very peaceful and beautiful.

Here are a couple I picked up in the backcountry in the '70s.

IMG_1560.jpg

Although this has the flaming sword and the book characteristic of Manjushri, due to the yellow hat I believe it is intended to be Lama Tsongkhapa. Note the scholar bodhisattvas and wrathful deities at his feet. I had the brocade frame put on in Kathmandu when I got back down from the hill country.

IMG_1561.jpg

This is the classic wheel of life. An entire course could be taught concerning the meanings of this one.
 
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Beautiful Manjushri!

I have the Wheel of life also, but it is a gliclee copy instead of an actual mineral paint thangka

Your thangka is very peaceful and beautiful.

Here are a couple I picked up in the backcountry in the '70s.

View attachment 578807

Although this has the flaming sword and the book characteristic of Manjushri, due to the yellow hat I believe it is intended to be Lama Tsongkhapa. Note the scholar bodhisattvas and wrathful deities at his feet. I had the brocade frame put on in Kathmandu when I got back down from the hill country.

View attachment 578808

This is the classic wheel of life. An entire course could be taught concerning the meanings of this one.
 
11059508_10103709826195421_3222670526781939495_n.jpg


Its called "Four Friends", perhaps those more versed and well traveled can explain what it means?

Neither versed nor traveled (except through the magic portal of Google), I found the Buddhist parable of the Four Harmonious Friends:

Once in a forest in Varanasi, four animals: An elephant, a rabbit, a monkey, and a partridge disputed about the ownership of a tree where all of them had fed. The elephant claimed, “Well, this is my tree because I saw it first.”

To this the monkey replied: “Now, elephant do you see any fruits on this tree?”

The elephant agreed that the tree was without any fruit.

The monkey continued: “That’s because I had been feeding on the fruits of the tree long before you ever saw it.”

Next the rabbit spoke up: “I fed on the leaves of this tree when it was just a small sapling before the monkey ate its fruit and way before the elephant ever saw it.”

Finally the partridge who had been watching the argument, came forward and asserted: “The tree belongs to me because the tree wouldn’t have grown if I hadn’t spit it out as a seed. I helped plant the seed that grew into this huge tree before the rabbit fed on it, or the monkey ate its fruit, or the elephant saw it.”

The elephant, monkey, and rabbit, conceded that the partridge was the first to know the tree. So all of them bowed to the partridge and regarded it as their elder brother.

The four animals became friends and decided to share the tree together in peaceful harmony, enjoying the beauty of the tree’s fragrance, the nourishment of its fruits, and the bounty of its shade. They worked together to obtain fruits: The fruits on the ground and on the lowest branches, the partridge and rabbit found by working together. The monkey climbed the tree and dropped the fruits for everyone to share but only the elephant could reach the highest branches with his trunk. The four animals worked co-operatively and with their combined strength, each one benefited and no one went hungry.

Other animals in the forest often saw them together with the partridge on top of the rabbit who was held up by the monkey who rode on top of the elephant. Since then, they were called “The Four Harmonious Brothers.” The four animals were looked upon as an example of peace, harmony, co-operation, interdependence and friendship.
 
Neither versed nor traveled (except through the magic portal of Google), I found the Buddhist parable of the Four Harmonious Friends:

Once in a forest in Varanasi, four animals: An elephant, a rabbit, a monkey, and a partridge disputed about the ownership of a tree where all of them had fed. The elephant claimed, “Well, this is my tree because I saw it first.”

To this the monkey replied: “Now, elephant do you see any fruits on this tree?”

The elephant agreed that the tree was without any fruit.

The monkey continued: “That’s because I had been feeding on the fruits of the tree long before you ever saw it.”

Next the rabbit spoke up: “I fed on the leaves of this tree when it was just a small sapling before the monkey ate its fruit and way before the elephant ever saw it.”

Finally the partridge who had been watching the argument, came forward and asserted: “The tree belongs to me because the tree wouldn’t have grown if I hadn’t spit it out as a seed. I helped plant the seed that grew into this huge tree before the rabbit fed on it, or the monkey ate its fruit, or the elephant saw it.”

The elephant, monkey, and rabbit, conceded that the partridge was the first to know the tree. So all of them bowed to the partridge and regarded it as their elder brother.

The four animals became friends and decided to share the tree together in peaceful harmony, enjoying the beauty of the tree’s fragrance, the nourishment of its fruits, and the bounty of its shade. They worked together to obtain fruits: The fruits on the ground and on the lowest branches, the partridge and rabbit found by working together. The monkey climbed the tree and dropped the fruits for everyone to share but only the elephant could reach the highest branches with his trunk. The four animals worked co-operatively and with their combined strength, each one benefited and no one went hungry.

Other animals in the forest often saw them together with the partridge on top of the rabbit who was held up by the monkey who rode on top of the elephant. Since then, they were called “The Four Harmonious Brothers.” The four animals were looked upon as an example of peace, harmony, co-operation, interdependence and friendship.

thanks! thats the best version of it I've seen so far!
 
One more for today,

"Pathway to Nirvana" the details and meanings on this one almost rival the amount of content in "Wheel of life"

This is my first and still absolute hands down favorite thangka.

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The story that goes with the first picture is very cool.

I absolutely love this last one too. Very nice. Again the detail is something you could spend a lot of time looking at and still come up with new stuff every time. NICE!
 
Here's one with a modern flair, given to me by close friends.


IMG_1562.jpg

Nepal, with modern houses and clothes. Up by the gods in the sky is a mountain climber with an ice axe. There are a couple of yetis also.
 
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Very nice art! They almost look like they were painted over batik. I have some batik from Bali Indonisia ill post if I can dog them up.
 
Here's one with a modern flair, given to me by close friends.


View attachment 578885

Nepal, with modern houses and clothes. Up by the gods in the sky is a mountain climber with an ice axe. There are a couple of yetis also.

Very nice. I've seen other motifs in thangkas but not yet any yetis! I remember a story from the cantina years ago, I think Uncle Bill was saying that Auntie would go with her family and grab khukuris and farm tools to defend the yaks from yetis.

Very nice art! They almost look like they were painted over batik. I have some batik from Bali Indonisia ill post if I can dog them up.

Please do!
 
in reality, ellyfants are rather destructive of trees, pulling off branches and pushing them over to get the tasty new leaves. they also eat fermented fruits and get drunk. in other words, they act much like we do.
 
Anybody see the story about the monkey that grabbed a photographers unattended camera and took 3 or 4 selfies of himself.

True story, but PETA now has a lawsuit against the photographer for posting those selfies claiming that monkey (actually I think it was a small ape) had copyrights to those pictures since he took them and the photographer is infringing on them by posting them without compensation for the monkey.

Has to be a California Lawyer involved in this somehow. The world we live in.........
 
Great pix and post, thank you all for sharing
 
White Tara stands for love and compassion
Green Tara stands for prosperity

Great Tara Mantra chant for early morning

OM TARA TUTARE SHOWHA
 
Pala received a letter and knives donation projects for kamis, Pala HI and Kamis would like to big thanks to dear friend Howard
 
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