| THE RIVERSIDE MUSEUM COLLECTION OF TIBETAN ART -- 4 Lamaism is that form of Buddhism which is practiced in Tibet. From the time of the historical Buddha in the Fifth Century B.C. there have been steps of change. The Buddha taught that everything was sorrow and that everyone could become a Buddha (an enlightened one). Then everything that is dukha (sorrow) would become sukha (bliss). Also there were four things to be mindful of: beliefs, thoughts, speech, and acts. People were to try to make each always valid and not to act differently in one of these as compared to another. Hinayana (the earlier, so-called small boat) Buddhism was a hard lonely road to perfection. Mahayana (the later, so-called large boat) Buddhism agreed with the basic beliefs of the former, but not the methods. It added elements which gave it a more complex appearance, full of multiple Buddhas, demons and celestial creatures, who did not have much place in earlier Buddhism. It had a shift of emphasis. The key figure now was the Bodhisattva, a person on the verge of Buddhahood, on the brink of attaining Nirvana (perfect existence), who paused to turn to help others. "Attack avidya (blind-stupidity) and a change will follow." The Bodhisattva vows that he will not "cross over" to nirvana until everyone can go. These changes came about the Third Century A.D. connected with the revelations of the thinker Nagarjuna in India, in his spiritual "iron tower." The powers of the Buddhas were explained by the fact that they were only the outward aspect, the reflection or emanation of innumerable ethereal Buddhas not on the earth. Of these, five received the most attention. Amitabha was one of these. When Buddhism came to Tibet it was in this form. It came into the country and absorbed the earlier Bon religion into a special form. Later the Tantras connected with Padma Sambhava and others modified it further. Older gods and devils, male and female, were subdued, converted and forced to recognize the Buddha. Those ferocious K'rag t'un (blood drinkers) had to act as guardian deities and protectors of the faithful. With this transformation of the shamanism of Tibet and its gods, "magic" powers (siddhi), "magic" phrases (dharani), and "magic" circles (mandalas) began to play a more important role in Buddhism. These were tools. Yantras (mental machines) for the subtle elements: light and ideation. Mantras (sound machines) for gross elements: sound and substance. When you "see the sound" (through the Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara) you enter a Buddha realm. The Tibetans believed that by the saying of "magic" syllables that are embodiments in the realm of sound, he could evoke a consciousness that differentiates all the forms and unfolds them as forces. He tried to make manifest a multiplicity formed out of one fluid living substance. he "conjures" in the inner space of the body the figures of "deity" through the yantra and mantra. They may be two mountains in intercourse, many faced and covered with a forest of limbs and hands. The thunderstorm reality of the believer's body makes it pure and simple. These conjurations were experiments that often revolved around a transmission of specific energy of the system in a direction opposite to that of its normal function. Tibetan art is connected to these experiments. It is meant to be an agent in this actualization of reality. The Tibetans struggled to keep alive the powers of the pantheon of Lamaism for such use. The works of art are a device to pull people through to the other side of this mystery. Paintings and sculptures were used in great numbers as ritual objects by the Tibetans, either in the monasteries or in the homes. These came in a variety of sizes. Some grew to the size of special banner paintings the height of a building. It was felt that merely to look at these images would accumulate good consequence. This was so important to these Buddhists that the great flat tower at the Tashilunpo monastery was constructed primarily for the display of giant paintings on holy days, allowing them to be seen from miles away. Whatever the size, the tankas (banner paintings) were rectangular and the mandalas (magic circle paintings) were square. The fabric was usually cotton, although silk, or more rarely leather, was also used. Sometimes they were printed from wooden blocks. A transfer technique for lines was used in eastern Tibet. The artist was usually a lama of a certain disposition and mental capacity. The task he was involved in was more than physical painting. It was the physical invocation of deities -- sometimes of ferocious aspect -- as well. He had to be of high moral quality and know the holy scriptures exceedingly well. His entire production was a sacred ceremony. There was a constant recitation, either by himself or for him by his assistants. His own image-making ability would be controlled by this recitation. The paintings became incarnations of certain sounds. Later observers would get mental mantras from them, which was felt more valuable than reciting them aloud. The bodies of the gods are in multiples of certain basic units and the artist must know the particular proportions of the entity sought. Even though the image had been codified in written texts, he had to become one with the essence invoked. There must be a reliving of the revelation of an ancient saint, and a re-invoking of the deity and its details. He had to actually see it or postpone the work. Since he was making a sacred image, the artist sat with his materials in a place properly clean for a sacred act. Auspicious days were chosen, usually the fifteenth and the thirtieth of the month. His mineral colors were pounded in a stone mortar with a wooden pestle. These could be green, red, yellow, gold, blue, and white. The fabric which had been woven by a maiden was stretched tightly on a frame. Its surface already had been covered with a mixture of chalk and glue, and polished to a high finish. It was similar to a blank mirror and akin to the surface of paintings of Nepal which were akin to the surfaces of frescoes in India. Out of this light he pulled his figures. First came the line, followed by the colors, the face and details. He did not paint until he saw these there. The surface of the completed painting is called me-long (mirror). It is bordered with woven silk strips. Often there is a prized patch, which is called the "door of the thangka." After consecration the painting becomes the abode of the deity, with the reds and yellows in the "frame" indicating a radiation of rainbow light. The painting is to be used, then rolled up, and put away. |
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 Aum Mani Padme Hum
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