Articles

Hand-painted Manjushri thangka shown framed in a room

Manjushri Thangkas: Meaning and Symbols

Manjushri, the bodhisattva of wisdom, with his sword and book: his symbols, his mantra and...
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Hand-painted Jambhala thangka shown framed in a room

Jambhala (Kuber) Thangkas: Meaning and Symbols

Jambhala (Kuber), the Buddhist deity of wealth, with his mongoose: the five Jambhalas, their symbols...
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Hand-painted Yamantaka thangka shown framed in a room

Yamantaka Thangkas: Meaning and Symbols

Yamantaka (Vajrabhairava), the wrathful buffalo-headed form of Manjushri, the destroyer of death: his arms and...
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Hand-painted Amitabha Buddha thangka shown framed in a room

Amitabha Buddha Thangkas: Meaning and Symbols

Amitabha, the Buddha of Infinite Light and of the Western Pure Land: his red colour,...
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Hand-painted Chenrezig thangka shown framed in a room

Chenrezig (Avalokiteshvara) Thangkas: Meaning and Symbols

Chenrezig (Avalokiteshvara), the bodhisattva of compassion: his forms, symbols and mantra, and how to recognise...
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Hand-painted Buddha Nirvana thangka shown framed in a room

Buddha Nirvana Thangkas: the Parinirvana

A Buddha Nirvana thangka shows the parinirvana, the passing of Shakyamuni Buddha at Kushinagar: what...
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Top 5 Mandala Thangkas

Top 5 Mandala Thangkas

A mandala is a sacred geometric design that represents the universe and is used in...
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Hand-painted Tibetan Astrology Calendar thangka shown framed in a room

What Is a Tibetan Astrology Calendar Thangka?

A Tibetan astrology chart (sipaho): a golden turtle carrying the twelve animals, eight trigrams and...
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Hand-painted Buddha Life Story thangka shown framed in a room

What Is a Buddha Life Story Thangka?

A Buddha Life Story thangka tells Shakyamuni's life around a central Buddha, usually as the...
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Hand-painted Lotus Mandala thangka shown framed in a room

What Is a Lotus Mandala?

A lotus mandala centres on a large open lotus, the Buddhist emblem of purity. How...
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Hand-painted mantra mandala thangka shown framed in a room

Mantra Mandala Thangkas: How to Read Them

How to read a mantra mandala: rings of sacred syllables in Tibetan or Lantsa script...
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Hand-painted Kalachakra mandala thangka shown framed in a room

What Is a Kalachakra Mandala Thangka?

The Kalachakra mandala shows the palace of the deity Kalachakra from above. How it is...
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Hand-painted double vajra mandala in a white frame with a mat, above a table: a crossed vajra on a red lotus at the centre
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Hand-painted seed syllable mandala on an orange ground, framed on a grey wall: a single syllable at the centre of the palace
What Is a Seed Syllable Mandala?
A seed syllable mandala sets one sacred syllable, the sound-form of a Buddha or deity,...
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