This painting brings together three figures of the lotus family: Amitabha, the Buddha of Infinite Light; Chenrezig (Avalokiteshvara), the bodhisattva of compassion; and Padmasambhava (Guru Rinpoche), the master credited with bringing tantric Buddhism to Tibet. In the Nyingma tradition, the oldest school of Tibetan Buddhism, the three form an important trinity.
How they are shown
- Amitabha is red, seated in meditation in a monk's robe, with an alms bowl in his lap.
- Chenrezig is white, usually with four arms: two joined at his heart around a wish-fulfilling jewel, the others holding a crystal rosary and a white lotus.
- Padmasambhava wears a lotus hat and layered robes, holds a vajra and a skull cup, and cradles a trident staff in his left arm.
- The arrangement varies. The three may be stacked, Amitabha above Chenrezig above Padmasambhava, or set side by side. Some of our paintings place them in a long row with Amitabha at the centre, drawn in gold-coloured line on black.
Why these three
All three belong to the lotus family, which Amitabha heads. Chenrezig is often called Amitabha's spiritual son, and in his thousand-armed form he carries Amitabha's head at the top of his own. In the treasure (terma) tradition of the Nyingma school, Padmasambhava was born from a lotus on Lake Dhanakosha as an emanation of Amitabha.
In some Nyingma teachings and prayers, the three are understood as the three "bodies" (kayas) of enlightenment: Amitabha as the dharmakaya, the formless truth body; Chenrezig as the sambhogakaya, the luminous enjoyment body; and Padmasambhava as the nirmanakaya, the emanation body that appears in the world as a human teacher. Read this way, they are one enlightenment seen at three levels. Paintings of Padmasambhava's pure land, the Copper-Coloured Mountain, follow the same order: Amitabha on the top floor of the palace, Chenrezig on the middle floor and Padmasambhava on the ground floor.
Mantras
Each figure has his own: Om Ami Dewa Hrih for Amitabha, Om Mani Padme Hum for Chenrezig and Om Ah Hum Vajra Guru Padma Siddhi Hum for Padmasambhava.
In a painting
With three main figures, look for balance: each should be drawn with the same care, the faces matching in quality and the haloes in size. Check the details that tell them apart: Amitabha's bowl, Chenrezig's four hands, and Padmasambhava's hat, vajra and skull cup. In gold-coloured line on black, the lines should be fine, continuous and even, since there is no colour to hide a hesitant stroke.
Our guides to Amitabha, Chenrezig and Padmasambhava describe each figure in more detail.
