Deification of Tibetan Teachers
In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition the deification of living teachers began with Padmasambhava and the early pairing with Amitabha Buddha and the deity Avalokiteshvara. In the Nyingma Tradition he is known as the 2nd Buddha of this age. Artistic representaions reflecting this change begin to appear as early as the 13th to 15th centuries (click on the dates for examples).
The Gyalwa Karmapa is another interesting Tibetan teacher, unlike Padmasambhava, the Karmapas are understood as the first incarnation lineage of Tibet beginning in the 12th century and continuing up to the present day (the 17th incarnation). The painting on the left is very interesting because it is the oldest composition known (16th century) depicting three depictions of Karmapa, appearing in ordinary form, but representing the highest spiritual states in Buddhism according to the written inscriptions accompanying each.
In the top register are three Karmapas that are not meant to represent any living Karmapa. These three represent the three Buddha bodies. Reading the painting from left to right are the (1) Buddha Karmapa representing the Dharmakaya, (2) Vidyadhara Karmapa representing the Sambhogakaya and (3) Mahasiddha Karmapa representing the Nirmanakaya. Below that, in the second register the 1st and 2nd Karmapas are depicted, along with name inscriptions, continuing down to the 8th Karmapa, Mikyo Dorje.