Paradise of Padma Sambhava   Padma Sambhava was the Indian yogi who laid the foundation for Lamaism, the Tibetan form of Buddhism. The fact that he made only two trips to Tibet and did not remain, did not prevent a mythology from growing about his person. He converted the demons of ancient Tibet into defenders of the faith and emphasized spells and magic. The Tibetans regard him as a mythological second Buddha; hence, a great number of paintings of his paradise and his miracles. This painting depicts his pure earth, a spiritual sphere of mind. His entire paradise is built on a continent which rises like a great rocky island. All of the approaches are through terrible regions of man-eating cannibals and other ferocious creatures. The difficulties can be understood when the foreground mountains are studied in contrast with the island itself. The distances are tremendous. Even if it were possible to reach the delicate bridges there would still be many other hindrances in the shape of protective deities.       The artist has managed very well to reveal a complex structure. This painting is a series of x-ray cut-aways. Actually if he depicted the continent in its simplest form it would be one giant rock. But he has sliced it so the inside can be seen. There is the series of Chinese-styled buildings which, with their wandering walls can very easily be read as concave or convex alternately. This allows a view inside where the huge figure of the saint himself is sitting. Surrounding him are interlocking halos, also presented in the cut-away views. Everywhere about the palace are jeweled trees, flying angels and various emanations. The rainbows end in clouds which are painted in the peculiar manner of Lhasa artists. Assuming the mountains to be of normal size, the extent of this paradise state will be realized. Next
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