Himalayan Art Resources

Item: Shakyamuni Buddha - Avadana (teaching stories)

ཤཱཀྱ་ཐུབ་པ། 释迦牟尼佛
(item no. 30)
Origin Location Eastern Tibet
Date Range 1700 - 1799
Lineages Karma (Kagyu)
Size 83.82x60.96cm (33x24in)
Material Ground Mineral Pigment, Fine Gold Line on Cotton
Collection Shelley & Donald Rubin
Catalogue # acc.# P1994.10.7
Painting School Palpung / Situ
Notes about the Central Figure

Classification: Person

Appearance: Buddha

Gender: Male

Interpretation / Description

Avadana Painting #9 containing stories 34-38. From a set of 22 tangkas and 108 stories.

(34) The Nagas Nanda and Upananda, Maudgalyayana subdues two troublesome nagas.
(35) The Householder Sudatta, several stories about the virtue of pure generosity.
(36) Ghosila, The Honest official, further stories about the virtue of gift giving.
(37) Purna's Power of Virtue, an illigitimate child grows up, renounces worldly life, becomes a monk and then an arhat.
(38) Mukapangu, The Idiot Cripple, a prince is faced with many difficulties while trying to become a monk.

The Avadana paintings were conceived and sponsored by Situ Panchen Chokyi Jungne (1700-1774). From the first set of paintings numerous copies were later made.

[Story names from Leaves of the Heaven Tree, the Great Compassion of the Buddha by Padma Chopel, 19th century. (Based on the Bodhisattvavadanakalpata of Kshemendra, 11th century). Translated by Deborah Black. Berkeley: Dharma Publishing, 1997.]

Jeff Watt 4-2000

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Painting Set: Avadana Composition (Situ Panchen Design) Main Page
Painting Set: Avadana, Palpung Style (Rubin Set 1)
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Painting Set: Avadana Composition (Situ Panchen Design, Stories 34 to 38)
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