PEACEFUL TARA WITH VASE AND LOTUS
Gilt Bronze
H: 16 3/4 (42.5 cm) W: 10 5/8" (27.0 cm)
D: 7 1/8" (18.1 cm)
Bogdo Khan Palace Museum
One of Zanabazar's large sculptural projects was his series of Green Tara and her twenty-one manifestations, four pieces of which are seen here. The entire set represents the Taras invoked in "Twenty-One Verses in Praise of Tara," part of the Tara Tantra. Like many Tibeto-Mongolian Buddhist deities, Green Tara, a goddess of compassion, has both benevolent and wrathful aspects. Of these four, no. 106 is easily identified as Ekajati, also called Black Tara, a fierce emanation of Tara who holds the chopper and skull cup. The other wrathful Tara (no. 105) is identified by an inscription on the base as "the seventh Green Tara," who destroys enemies' magical powers. The benevolent Tara of no. 103, whose form is harmoniously framed by lotuses, has a seated Amitabha Buddha in her crown, an iconographic feature of Avalokiteshvara, Lord of Compassion. More mysterious is the peaceful deity (no. 104), who is notably masculine in appearance with a thicker waist and lacking the prominent breasts of the other four figures. This Tara is perhaps Avalokiteshvara himself, Tara's male counterpart. 
PORTRAIT OF ZANABAZAR
H (of figure): 26 1/2 in. (67.3 cm) W:17 in. (43.2 cm) D: 13 1/2 in. (34.3 cm)
Choijin-Lama Temple Museum
Some of the earliest images of Buddhist masters can be dated to eighth century China, when portraits of Chan patriarchs were painted to memorialize the oral transfer of the dharma from one master to the next. These portraits were set up in patriarch halls and used in rituals that resembled Confucian ceremonies to honor the dead. For the Chinese, such lineages also established the political legitimacy of certain masters over others, and their right to control the growing wealth of the Chan monastic community, much as an imperial dynasty derived its authority from inheritance.(1)
Tantric Buddhists also emphasized the importance of lineage, because they believed the only sure introduction to tantric methods was with the help of a guru, whose experience was needed to guide the initiate along a spiritually dangerous path. Thus consecrations were passed from guru to disciple, creating lines of revelation that were spun back into antiquity, to the time of Shakyamuni himself.(2) These lineages of spiritual descent were reinforced in Tibet when the concept of reincarnation was first introduced in the fourteenth century. Incarnate lamas not only possessed the authority gained by studying with established adepts, they embodied the idea that the Buddha's doctrine was passed on even without instruction, transcending death.
 SOYOMBO
In 1986 Zanabazar created Scripts which named Soyombo with 90 letters. It devoted to write words in Mongolian, Sansicrid and Tibet. He has took some ideas from Indian, Lanzish Scripts. This letter was very hard to write for this reason it had not developed among the people. But the head letter became all Mongolian symbol. In this head letter includes all other letters mean feature. The Sansicrid word Soyombo Zoldi means the light which was born itselfand it includes itself many symbol of religion, philosaphy and politics.Under the Soyombo there has drawn soil, water, fire, air, sky, which in orient philosaphy thinks they are the preface of the universe. And middlecy the Soyombo there has drawn humans method which means inside of the universe.
for more information click on: http://www.zanabazar.zzn.com
The universe without a figure The universe with a figure Method / Female and male symbol 
|
