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The Six Ornaments and Two Excellent Ones of the Southern Continent is the name given to the group of the most important Indian Buddhist scholars of the Mahayana Tradition. The two foremost among the first six are Nagarjuna, founder of the Madyamaka Tadition, and Asanga, founder of the Yogachara tradition. Their two principal students were Aryadeva and Vasubhandu respectively, followed by the two, Dharmakirti and Dignaga. These six constitute the 'six ornaments.'

The 'two excellent ones' are Gunaprabha and Shakyaprabha. The 'southern continent' refers to India, or the human continent of Jambudvipa in the Buddhist cosmological system where there are four continents that surround the central mountain (Sumeru) of a small world system.

The Six Ornaments Main Page and Outline Page have been updated along with the addition of painting and drawing sets.

The Six Mother Monasteries of the Nyingma Tradition are Katog Dorje Den (founded in 1159), Tubten Dorje Drag (1632), Palyul Namgyal Jangchub Ling (1665), Urgyan Mindroling (1676), Dzogchen Urgyan Samten Choling (1685) and Shechen Tennyi Dargye Ling (1735). This version of the six was promoted by the Shechen Rabjam incarnation line of Shechen Monastery.

An earlier list has the monastery of Chongye Palri Tegchog Ling in place of Shechen Monastery. Dodrubchen Monastery is sometimes substituted for Katog. Samye was the first Buddhist monastery in Tibet established by King Trisong Detsen and Shantirakshita with the help of Padmasambhava. Samye is not included in the list of six probably for a number of different reasons such as its importance for all of Tibetan Buddhism and the fact that it has been under Sakya administration for more than several centuries.

The Eight Chariots of Spiritual Accomplishment is a 16th century classification of Tibetan religious traditions. The system was later  popularized by Jamgon Kongtrul Lodro Taye in the 19th century. The Eight Chariot system lists what Kongtrul promotes, in several publications, as the significant practice traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. Kongtrul uses this Eight Chariot formulation in structuring the Dam Ngag Dzo collection of practices. It is also important to mention that Kongtrul was not fixed on one system or one presentation but used a number of other variations of the Eight Chariots system in other writings. Several painting sets are known to have been created depicting the principal teachers and deity practices of the Eight Chariots of Spiritual Accomplishment.

Images of various Anuttarayoga Tantric meditational deities accompanied by the initiation & teaching lineages of the Sakya & Ngor Tradition.

Images of various Anuttarayoga Tantric meditational deities of the Sakya Tradition. The paintings are from the Kham region of Eastern Tibet and likely commissioned and created in the Dege area.

Images and biography of Chetsun Sengge Wangchug (12th century) the originator of the Chetsun Nyingtig and later re-discovered by Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo (1820-1892).

The three composition painting set depicts the Karma Kagyu Mahamudra Lineage ending with the 14th Gyalwa Karmapa, Tegchog Dorje (1799-1869). The iconographic details in each painting are really fascinating. The lineage begins in the central Marpa painting with the primordial Buddha Vajradhara at the top center. Directly above Milarepa is the Indian siddha Tilopa. Directly above Gampopa is Naropa. The lineage then descends through the Marpa composition and then moving again to the Milarepa painting followed by the Gampopa painting and the completion of the lineage up to the 14th Karmapa.

At the lower center of the Marpa painting is a depiction of the 10th Shamar Mipam Chodrub Gyatso (1742-1792). At the lower center of the Milarepa composition is what appears to be a Tai Situ, possibly Chokyi Jungne. At the lower center of the Gampopa composition is the 5th Karmapa Deshin Shegpa (1384-1415).

The Mindroling Monastery was founded in 1676 by Terdag Lingpa Gyurme Dorje (1646-1714). In the 19th century Mindroling was included as one of the six great monastic institutions of the Nyingma Tradition along with others, both new and old, such as Katog, Dorje Drag, Payul, Shechen  and Dzogchen. Some of the art and iconography of Mindroling is distinctive because of either identifiable historical figures like Terdag Lingpa, unique iconography or name inscriptions written on the paintings or sculpture.

Generally with Nyingma art, when it is possible to identify a sub-tradition, it can be contextualized either by monastic institution or by individual lineage  - 'kama' or 'terma' - such as with Pema Lingpa, Dorje Lingpa, Dudjom Lingpa, etc.

The navigation page listing individuals with a graphic Outline Page has been updated along with the navigation page for Religious Traditions.

A Biography of Lowo Khenchen Sonam Lhundrub (b.1456/1441 - d.1532/1525), the most famous 16th century Ngorpa teacher of Mustang (Lo Montang), has been uploaded to the website to accompany the images of paintings and sculpture. Almost every major collection of Tibetan sculpture in museum or private hands will have a figure of Lowo Khenchen. After the Five Founding Teachers (Jetsun Gongma Nga) of Sakya and then the founder of Ngor Monastery, Ngorchen Kunga Zangpo -  Lowo Khenchen is surely the most common portrait image of a Sakya teacher. The images of Lowo Khenchen on the HAR website do not properly reflect the total number of images that are extant in known collections.  More images will be uploaded to the Lowo Khenchen page in the near future.

The Southern Alleghenies Museum of Art was the first museum represented on the Himalayan Art Resources website back in early spring of 1998. Many of the painting descriptions have recently been reviewed and updated. Some identifications have changed, additional links have been added. Painting Sets images have also been added to all compositions belonging to larger painting sets.

A quick guide outline page has been added for the Himalayan art collection of The Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago. The work of documenting the collection continues and the next project will be to catalogue the Block print collection.

"This collection includes approximately 4,400 secular and religious objects that were acquired in China and eastern Tibet by Field Museum anthropologist Berthold Laufer in 1908-09. Nearly all date from the 17th through the 19th century. The highlights of this collection include more than 1,000 traditional Tibetan books, both printed and hand written woodblocks, 850 costumes and personal accessories, 800 ritual containers and images and 350 tangka paintings. These objects comprise one of the largest and best-provenanced Tibetan collections in the United States." (The paragraph above is taken from the Field Museum website).

Although physically kept together as a set of three paintings and displayed on the HAR website as a set of three paintings, the three compositions were not likely to have been originally intended or created as a three painting set.

The Choggyur Lingpa painting appears to be the earliest and executed in an Eastern Tibetan Kham style of painting. It has the cleanest brush strokes and the most carefully rendered portrait. Looking at the three paintings together it is important to note that Choggyur Lingpa passed away in 1870.

The painting of Jamgon Kongtrul reflects a true late 19th century Palpung monastery style of painting. Here Kongtrul is depicted as an old man with white hair and wearing extra clothing appearing as a white short sleeved shirt noticable on the proper right arm. His face shows wrinkles and the actual hand prints display clear signs of serious arthritis with the irregular shapes and twisting of the fingers. Kongtrul passed away in 1899.

The Khyentse Wangpo composition is the simplest of the three employing blocks of colour and spheres to frame the various line drawn figures. The face of Khyentse and the iconography is very standard with no attempt to show personality, portrait like features, or reflect the age of Khyentse at the time of commissioning. Khyentse passed away in 1892.

The three paintings appear to be created by three different artists at three different times. The Choggyur Lingpa is likely to have been the first and the Jamgon Kongtrul the last. It is also important to mention that all three paintings have different brocade mounts. The sizes need to be confirmed and then also considered. Since the three reside in the same location it must be assumed that they came together at some point and then over time began to be considered a set, no doubt also because of the modern printing in publications, as religious cards and posters, all three side by side, stripped of the brocade mounts.

Mipam Chokyi Wangchug, 6th Shamar Incarnation of the Karma Kagyu (Kamtsang) Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Shamarpa is considered an emanation of Amitabha Buddha and known as the Red Hat Karmapa following after the Black Hat Karmapa. This composition is number 26 in a larger set of paintings depicting the abbreviated Mahamudra Lineage of the Karma Kagyu Tradition. (See the Karma Kagyu Lineage Sets Main Page and Outline Page).

Mahachakra Vajrapani is a Tantric form of the bodhisattva Vajrapani - appearing as a meditational deity - regarded as completely enlightened. Just as there are many forms of Vajrapani, so also are there many varieties of Mahachakra both with consort and without.

This textile composition of Vajrapani executed in a Chinese embroidery technique is regarded as one of the best examples of its type found in any collection worldwide. Observed closely, small beads of red coral and white pearls have been added as real ornaments and decorations. They can especially be seen decorating the hair of Mahachakra Vajrapani. Throughout the textile composition the thick gold threads are actually hair, often horse hair, wrapped with gold wire.

Choying Dorje (1604-1674), the 10th Karmapa, was a prolific artist that created both paintings and sculpture in a unique style. There are approximately 100 paintings and 60 sculpture recorded in the biographical literature. Aside from those recorded objects there are also a number of sculpture claiming to be the work of Choying Dorje either through inscription or style. The depiction below of the 9th Karmapa Wangchug Dorje does not so far appear in any of the lists of Choying Dorje's known works but bears an inscription and the stylistic appearance of a Choying Dorje sculpture.

An outline page listing the painting sets for the Four Transcendent Lords has been added along with related book covers and sculpture.

A Vajra Nairatmya Outline Page has been added. As a principle Tantric meditational deity she is most commonly known as the consort of the deity Shri Hevajra. However, like Vajrayogini of the Chakrasamvara cycle of Tantras, Nairatmya has several independent practices and mandalas originating in Tibet with the Sakya, Kagyu and Shangpa traditions.

The Shri Devi Main Page has been updated, the organization improved, more links and more navigation choices.

Shri Devi is a category of Tantric Buddhist deity. Her primary function is a Protector (Dharmapala) and specifically the primary female Wisdom Protector of Himalayan and Tibetan Buddhism. There are dozens of different variations and forms of Shri Devi. She is typically in wrathful appearance following the Indian model of a Rakshasi demon. In most occurrences and uses of Shri Devi, but not all, she is paired with a specific form of Mahakala. Aside from the individual Anuttarayoga Tantras that teach various forms of Shri Devi, the principal texts are the Twenty-five and Fifty Chapter Mahakala Tantras. The textual source for Magzor Gyalmo is the Dakinyagnijihajvala Tantra, Dege Kanjur, volume 98, pp.223-253. It is found in the Nyingma Tantra section, vol.3. TBRC w22084.

Shri Devi is not one entity or personality. Depending on the form of Shri Devi she could be a wrathful emanation of a number of different deities such as Sarasvati - the peacful form of Shri Devi Magzor Gyalmo. Some forms of Shri Devi such as with four arms - Dudusolma - are the wrathful form of Shri Lakshmi (Pal Lhamo).

The Mahakala Main Page has been updated and the organization improved with more links and more navigation choices.

Mahakala is a category of Tantric Buddhist deity. His primary function is as a protector (Dharmapala) and specifically the primary Wisdom Protector of Himalayan and Tibetan Buddhism. There are dozens of different variations and forms of Mahakala. He is typically in wrathful appearance following the Indian model of a Raksha demon. In most occurrences and uses of Mahakala, he is paired with a meditational deity such as Panjarnata Mahakala and Shri Hevajra, Chaturbhuja Mahakala and Chakrasamvara, Chaturmukha Mahakala and Guhyasamaja. In most cases Mahakala is an emanation, or wrathful aspect, of the principal meditational deity that he is associated with. For instance Panjarnata Mahakala is the most wrathful emanation, or form, of Hevajra. In other situations Mahakala might be a wrathful emanation of Vajradhara or Akshobhya Buddha. Aside from the individual Anuttarayoga Tantras that teach various forms of Mahakala, the principal texts are the Twenty-five and Fifty Chapter Mahakala Tantras.

In one specific case, Shadbhuja Mahakala, Avalokiteshvara takes on the form of Mahakala. Therefore, it can be said that the Shadbhuja form, with one face and six hands, arising from the Eight Chapter Mahakala Tantra, is a wrathful Avalokiteshvara.

Types of Mahakala:

1. Bernagchen (Black Cloak)

2. Brahmarupa (Bramhmin Form)

3. Chaturbhuja (Four-hands)

4. Chaturmukha (Four-faces)

5. Danda (Stick)

6. Kakamukha (Raven-faced)

7. Kartaridhara (Knife Holder)

8. Legden (Excellent One)

9. Maning (Genderless)

10. Panjarnata (Two-hands)

11. Raudrantika (Killer of Rudra)

12. Shadbhuja (Six-hands)

13. Shanglon (Minister, from the Yutog Nyingtig)

14. Vyaghra-vahana (Riding a Tiger)

15. Others....