Unknown
Tibetan
Life of Buddha (Temptation of Evils), 20th c. CE, first half
gouache on cotton
49 ½ x 28 ½ in.
SBMA, Gift of Mrs. Wilbur L. Cummings, Sr. in memory of her son, Wilbur L. Cummings, Jr.
1954.15.19
RESEARCH PAPER
The Life of Buddha (Temptation of Evils) is a Tibetan thangka. A thangka is a painted or embroidered Buddhist scroll designed as a teaching tool to demonstrate the life of the Buddha, and the variety of deities, bodhisattvas, and important lamas. The meaning of the Tibetan word, thangka, is “something that can be rolled up.” Traveling monks unroll thangkas at Buddhist celebrations and annual market days, discussing the various iconographic aspects of the scroll. The most important function of a thangka is its use as a meditation tool to advance an individual’s path to enlightenment. It is believed that the precise religious iconography will assist a meditating individual to internalize the qualities embodied by the Buddha.
This thangka, a colorful gouache on cotton, is called a tson-tang, which is the most common type of thangka produced in Tibet. The artist of this thangka is unknown due to the fact that Tibetan artists do not sign their work because they view themselves simply as a mortal instrument of a divine creation. Tibetan Buddhists are interested primarily in the religious features of a thangka and do not view them as works of art, thus its maker is viewed as a painter, rather than an artist. Thangka makers are usually devout, male laypeople that learn the craft from their family members.
The creation of a thangka generally is done in four steps: preparation of the foundation; sketching; painting; and framing. The foundation is prepared by lashing the cotton cloth to a wooden frame with twine. Both sides of the cloth are covered with a sizing of animal glue made from boiled bones and skin. Once dry, the cloth is painted with gesso made from a mixture of rice flour and plaster or chalk. This surface is then polished with a smooth stone or shell, producing a smooth layer ready for sketching and painting. The second step is to lay down an eight-part grid to orient the charcoal sketch. Once the sketch is completed the outlines are painted black and the canvas is ready for the application of colored pigment that is painted in a specific sequence. Upon completion of a painting, it is removed from the stretcher and framed with either brocade or silk fabric with wooden lath attached at the top and bottom. A curtain of silk designed to cover the painting when not in use is also included on the frame and is tied up decoratively when the thangka is in use.
The Life of Buddha (Temptation of Evils) is one of a series of 8 Tibetan thangkas depicting events in the Buddha’s life: Birth; Life as a Prince and Marriage; Renunciation (cutting hair); Temptation of Evils (Mara); Enlightenment; Teaching; Ascending to Heaven to Visit Mother; and Entering Nirvana. These thangkas were commissioned in 1938 in Gyantse, Tibet by a young American, Wilbur L. Cummings, Jr. (1914-1943), while on an expedition of Tibet with his companion F. Bailey Vanderhoff, Jr. (1913-2008).
This particular thangka depicts the evil demon Mara, disguised as a deity with a bow and arrows. Mara sends temptations and obstacles to prevent Siddhartha from becoming enlightened because he is afraid that his hold over men would be broken because Siddhartha would demonstrate the way to become free from suffering. The imagery in the center shows Mara’s army of demons sent to torment Siddhartha and disrupt his meditation. They surround the meditating Siddhartha, who is wearing rainbow robes and is seated in the vajra-position on a lotus throne, and assault him with a variety of wrathful weapons. One demon pours a pan of boiling oil, another hurls Mount Meru, others use an array of siege machines, and still others use traditional weapons of spears, swords, arrows, and forked sticks. Siddhartha remains completely undisturbed and in deep meditation, his intense focus on love transforms the weapons into flowers and the raging fire into a splendid aura.
Finally Mara sends his three beautiful daughters to seduce Siddhartha, but sensing their true nature he sees them as old hags, and he remains in his meditative state, unmoved by the seduction. With this, Mara concedes defeat and Siddhartha touches the earth to bear witness to his full enlightenment and his transformation into the Buddha. His hands are in the Bhumisparsha mudra (symbolic hand gesture), which translates into “touching the earth” and symbolizes the Buddha’s enlightenment under the bodhi tree. Sthavara, the Earth goddess, is directly below the Buddha paying homage and recounting the deeds that lead to his enlightenment.
The upper portion of the thangka depicts the Buddha surrounded by cloud borne celestial gods delivering “offerings of the five senses” (beautiful objects that captivate the sense of smell, taste, sight, touch, and sound). The bottom portion of this thangka depicts the Buddha surrounded by deities who are paying homage and bringing offerings to a fully enlightened human being. The Buddha’s hands are in the Dharmachakra mudra (teaching gesture) and he is sitting on a lotus throne, which symbolizes purity of speech, mind, and body rising above the waters of desire and attachment. The lotus is one of the “Eight Auspicious Symbols” in Tibetan Buddhism.
The radiant golden Buddha in the center of this thangka is intended to teach us how to overcome fear, temptation, and any final obstacles on the path to enlightenment. This vibrant, colorful, and well preserved thangka is filled with detailed religious iconography and is a superlative example of Tibetan Buddhist art.
Prepared for the SBMA Docent Council by Kathryn Padgett, Ph.D., April 23, 2009.
Bibliography
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Meulenbeld, B. (2001). Buddhist Symbolism in Tibetan Thankas. Havelt: Holland . Binkley Kok Publication.
McArthur, M. (2002). Reading Buddhist Art: An Illustrated Guide to Buddhist Signs and Symbols. London: England. Thames & Hudson.
Rinpoche, D. (1996). Buddhist Symbols in Tibetan Culture: An Investigation of the Nine Best-Known Groups of Symbols. Boston: MA. Wisdom Publications.
Vanderhoef, Jr., F.B. with Ignacio Cabezon, J. (Ed.). (2008). A Glimpse of Another World: A Journey Through Western Tibet (1938). Santa Barbara: CA. Santa Barbara Museum of Art and University of California Santa Barbara.
Zaehner, R.C. (1997). Encyclopedia of the World’s Religions . New York: NY. Barnes and Noble Inc.