Contemporary Tibetan thangka art by Kalsang Dawa

description

Four Arm Avalokiteshvara Mandala - "Mandala of Compassion"
Collection of the Museum of Anthropology at UBC - 2775/1

34" x 32" ◊ Ground mineral pigment with gold on cotton cloth

 This Mandala of Compassion has a white central lotus as the symbol of its principal deity the Four-Arm Avalokiteshvara. As a two-dimensional painting, the mandala typifies the three-dimensional divine palace where the deity resides. Avalokiteshvara is one of the three great bodhisattvas, Lord of the Lotus family and the archetype of “universal compassion”. The lotus is the symbol of purity that arises from impurity, just as a lotus flower blossoms from a muddy pond. Avalokiteshvara is the patron deity of Tibet and

The brilliant green inner sphere is embellished with gold and represents the dakini’s (female deities) realm symbolized by the turquoise blue clouds with swirling tails. The crossed vajra provides the foundation for the mandala. The vajra icon is also known as the thunderbolt and it’s strength and stability provides the architectural base for the three-dimensional palace structure.  

The gates of the mandala are situated at the four cardinal directions, with the dharmachakra wheel and deer emblem atop each one, which denotes a place where the Buddhist teachings are offered. The gates lead to pathways for the cultivation of the four boundless states of consciousness: compassion, equanimity, loving-kindness and sympathetic joy.The colors of the gateways each represent one of the five Buddha families. The white west entranceway to the mandala symbolizes the Vairocana Buddha. The green north gate is the entranceway for the Amoghasiddhi Buddha. The west blue gate is the pathway for the Akshobhya Buddha. The yellow southern gate represents the Ratnasambhava Buddha. Lastly, the red petals of the multi-colored lotus inside the central sphere symbolize the Buddha of boundless light, the Amitabha Buddha. The eight petals of the lotus itself signify the eightfold path of Buddhism.

Avalokiteshvara is one of the most popular bodhisattvas and the patron deity of Tibet with the most widely used of all Buddhist mantras — OM MA NI PAD ME HUM (input the Tibetan text). In the tantric Buddhist tradition a mandala is used as a pictorial manifestation of a teaching that a practitioner may use as an object of meditation for visualization practice.