Bay Area artist Tsherin Sherpa, a master of thangka painting, has placed three of Tibet’s most important religious figures within a series of marvelously detailed shrine spaces based on the ancient tradition of the Ngor monastery. Collectively known as the Three Protectors of Tibet, they are among the greatest of bodhisattvas-beings who vow not to enter the bliss of nirvana until they have saved all other beings from the endless round of suffering called samsara.
On the left is yellow Manjushri, the bodhisattva of wisdom (prajna). He brandishes the sword of wisdom in his right hand. Above his left shoulder, a book rests on a lotus.
In the center sits Avalokiteshvara, bodhisattva of compassion (karuna). He holds a garland of meditation beads in his upper right hand; his special mantra, which the meditation garland symbolizes, is “the jewel is in the lotus” (om mani padme hum).
On the right is blue Vajrapani, who embodies the power (shakti) of the Buddha. Although he becomes important only in the later Buddhist texts called Tantras, Vajrapani is nonetheless among the first bodhisattvas to appear in the art historicaI record.
Details
- Title : The Three Protectors of Tibet
- Year : 2008
- Artist : Tsherin Sherpa (Nepalese, b. 1968)
- Classification : Thangka
- Medium : Ink and colors on cotton
- Dimension : H. 17 3/4 in x W. 38 5/8 in, H. 45.1 cm x W. 98.1 cm (image); H. 36 3/4 in x W. 43 1/2 in, H. 93.3 cm x W. 110.5 cm (overall)
- Accession No : 2016.305
- Country/ Geo-location : Nepal
- Collection : Asian Art Museum
- Credit Line : Acquisition made possible by the Tibetan Study Group
- Status : Not on display
- Department : Himalayan Art