In the Clutches of Karma

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The Wheel is broadly been divided into four realms: 1. Hub, 2. Inner circle (divided into two parts), 3. Body of the Wheel (divided by six spokes), and 4. Rim. All are in the grips of Wrathful Yama, as depicted in the painting.

The hub depicts three spiritual poisons in the form of three animals – a pig, symbolizes delusions (moha), a snake symbolizes aversion, hatred (dvesha), and a cock, passion (raga). The hub is surrounded by an inner circle, which is divided into two parts. The left side from bottom upwards depicts Adepts who have done good deeds and consequently ascended to the world of gods, while the right side, from top to bottom depicts beings that have indulged in evil deeds and consequently descended into hell. The body of the wheel, which is divided into six parts, surrounds the inner circle. The existence in the first three worlds is considered superior or good, and the last three inferior or bad. And these world are shown in this relation in the picture, the highest being heaven, and the lowest hell.

The first and the upper one region of the Wheel is heaven in which the palaces of gods have been shown. A lute Buddha is standing in this region to help the gods. According to tradition gods who born from lotus bosoms enjoy heavenly delights. They are subject to law of anityata, of birth, life, death and rebirth. They may live for millions of years in heaven, but when their merits are exhausted they have to come down. Heaven is followed by the world of asuras (titans). This world is depicted below on the right of heaven. The titans were expelled from heaven because of their pride. They fight the gods for the fruits of the wish giving tree whose roots are in their realms but fruits are in the world of gods. The third one is the realm of humans, below the left of heaven. In this region generally suffering of human life is depicted. The fourth on is the animals, depicted below the world of asuras. The animals (tiryag-yoni), live in a fearful world of uncontrolled instincts. The fifth position is the realm of tantalized ghosts, shown below the world of humans. Animal faced and emaciated ghosts, as shown in the present painting, whose insatiable greed in past births have given them tantalizing thirst and hunger. The lowest realm is the hell (naraka), presided by Yamaraja, the king and judge of the dead. This realm is divided into two parts – cold and hot. The cold hell is shown on the right of this realm, and the hot hell on the left. Standing Buddha is depicted in all realms to help the beings.

The outermost circle (rim of the Wheel) is made up of twelve segments, illustrating the twelve nidanas or interdependent causes of rebirth, the scheme that the Buddha offered through which to understand the biological process of life and death – it begins from ignorance, which is misknowledge about the states of the egocentric self, and ends with old age and death. The unchallenged force of ignorance again leads to another life and another and another endless suffering.

This description by Dr. Shailendra Kumar Verma, Ph.D. His doctorate thesis being on the "Emergence and Evolution of the Buddha Image (From its inception to 8th century A.D)."

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Unveiling the Divine Art: Journey into the Making of Thangkas

A Thangka is a traditional Tibetan Buddhist painting that usually depicts a Buddhist Deity (Buddha or Bodhisattva), a scene, or a mandala. These paintings are considered important paraphernalia in Buddhist rituals. They are used to teach the life of the Buddha, various lamas, and Bodhisattvas to the monastic students, and are also useful in visualizing the deity while meditating. One of the most important subjects of thangkas is the Bhavacakra (the wheel of life) which depicts the Art of Enlightenment. It is believed that Thangka paintings were developed over the centuries from the murals, of which only a few can be seen in the Ajanta caves in India and the Mogao caves in Gansu Province, Tibet. Thangkas are painted on cotton or silk applique and are usually small in size. The artist of these paintings is highly trained and has a proper understanding of Buddhist philosophy, knowledge, and background to create a realistic and bona fide painting.

The process of making a thangka begins with stitching a loosely woven cotton fabric onto a wooden frame. Traditionally, the canvas was prepared by coating it with gesso, chalk, and base pigment.

After this, the outline of the form of the deity is sketched with a pencil or charcoal onto the canvas using iconographic grids. The drawing process is followed in accordance with strict guidelines laid out in Buddhist scriptures. The systematic grid helps the artist to make a geometrical and professional painting. When the drawing of the figures is finalized and adjusted, it is then outlined with black ink.

Earlier, a special paint of different colors was made by mixing powdered forms of organic (vegetable) and mineral pigments in a water-soluble adhesive. Nowadays, artists use acrylic paints instead. The colors are now applied to the sketch using the wet and dry brush techniques. One of the characteristic features of a thangka is the use of vibrant colors such as red, blue, black, green, yellow, etc.

In the final step, pure gold is coated over some parts of the thangka to increase its beauty. Due to this beautification, thangkas are much more expensive and also stand out from other ordinary paintings.

Thangka paintings are generally kept unrolled when not on display on the wall. They also come with a frame, a silken cover in front, and a textile backing to protect the painting from getting damaged. Because Thangkas are delicate in nature, they are recommended to be kept in places with no excess moisture and where there is not much exposure to sunlight. This makes them last a long time without their colors fading away. Painting a thangka is an elaborate and complex process and requires excellent skills. A skilled artist can take up to 6 months to complete a detailed thangka painting. In earlier times, thangka painters were lamas that spent many years on Buddhist studies before they painted.