Himalayan Art Resources

Item: Shakyamuni Buddha

ཤཱཀྱ་ཐུབ་པ། 释迦牟尼佛
(item no. 65135)
Origin Location Tibet
Date Range 1300 - 1399
Lineages Buddhist
Size 53.98x46.36cm (21.25x18.25in)
Material Ground Mineral Pigment on Cotton
Collection Rubin Museum of Art
Catalogue # acc. #C2002.27.4
Notes about the Central Figure

Classification: Person

Interpretation / Description

Shakyamuni Buddha surrounded by the various figures from the Fifty-one deity mandala of the Medicine Buddha: Eight Medicine Buddhas, Sixteen Bodhisattvas, Ten Great Gods, Twelve Yaksha Generals and Four Guardian Kings. (See the Medicine Buddha Main Page and the List of Mandala Deities).

Along the top register are the Ten Buddhas of the Directions. Descending on the right and left are the Eight Medicine Buddha Brothers. Surrounding the upper torana of the central Buddha figures are the Sixteen Great Bodhisattvas who are retinue figures in the Fifty-one Deity Medicine Buddha Mandala. To the left of the lotus throne is Yellow Jambhala and on the right side is Black Jambhala. Directly below both of those are the Four Guardian Kings of Directions as two pairs of standing figures.

In the bottom register are the Ten Great Gods, Brahma, Indra, Agni, Yama, Raksha, Varuna, Vayu Deva, Yaksha, and Maheshvara and Bhudevi with the addition of Surya (Sun God) on the far left and Chandra (Moon God) on the far right.

Numbered List:
Letters:
A. Buddha
B. Bodhisattva
C. Bodhisattva
D. Yellow Jambhala
E. Black Jambhala

Blue Numbers: Buddhas of the Ten Directions
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.

Green Numbers: Eight Medicine Buddha Brothers
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.

Yellow Section: Sixteen Bodhisattvas
1. Manjushri
2. Avalokiteshvara
3. Vajrapani
4. Nyi Nang (Suryabhaskara)
5. Chandraprabha
6. Mahamati
7. Maitreya
8. Kyab Drol
9. Pobpa
10. Nampar Nonpa
11. Tana
12. Jompa'i Lodro
13. Sampa Legpa
14. Lhunpo
15. Sang Sangpo'i Jung
16. Lhunpo Chenpo

Orange Numbers: Four Guardian Kings
1. Dhritarashtra
2. Virudhaka
3. Virupaksha
4. Vaishravana

Red Numbers: Ten Great Gods
1. Surya (Sun God)
2. Brahma
3. Indra
4. Agni
5. Yama
6. Raksha
7. Varuna
8. Vayu Deva
9. Yaksha
10. Maheshvara
11. Bhudevi
12. Chandra (Moon God)

Jeff Watt 8-2011

Secondary Images
Related Items
Thematic Sets
Collection of Rubin Museum of Art (RMA): Main Page
Buddhist Deity: Medicine Buddha Main Page
Subject: Torana, Shakyamuni Buddha (Early Animal Depictions)
Buddhist Deity: Vairochana Buddha Main Page
Shakyamuni Buddha: Early Paintings
Shakyamuni Buddha: Iconographic Confusions