Refuge Field: Components & Elements
The various Components & Elements of Refuge Field paintings have been catagorized and listed in this new Outline Page. The topic is especially interesting because Refuge Field paintings are a relatively new art subject in Tibetan Buddhism. The two principal components of any Refuge Field painting are (1) the Environment (ground, lake, tree, throne, clouds, etc.) and (2) the actual Field of Accumulation (Refuge objects: Guru, lineage, Buddha, etc.).
The earliest paintings depicting a Refuge Field belong to the Gelug tradition and clearly date to the 18th or possibly the late 17th century. Paintings following the iconographic programs of other religious traditions only begin to appear in the 19th century with paintings of the Longchen Nyingtig lineage of the Nyingma followed by Drugpa and Drigung Kagyu lineage depictions. All of the other Tibetan and Himalayan Buddhist lineages, schools and traditions, along with the Bon religion, only adopted the new Refuge Field composition in the early part of the 20th century with some traditions like the Sakya and the Nyingma (aside from the Longchen Nyingtig) only adopting the new composition style in the mid to late 20th century.
Links:
Refuge Field Main Page
Refuge Field Outline Page
Refuge Field: Components & Elements