Images
Barawa Kagyu Refuge Field
Nineteenth century (likely made after 1829) painting from Drumpa Monastery in southern Tibet near the border of Bhutan depicts the Mountain Dharma Trilogy transmission of Yanggonpa. The painting portrays Kagyu masters including lineages of the Barawa subsect of the Drukpa Kagyu. Annotations and analysis courtesy of Dr. Marlene Erschbamer.
Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje
This 19th century painting depicts the central figure of Do Khyentse Yeshe Dorje with previous Nyingma masters above.
Jikten Gonpo with the First Chungtsang and the Second Chetsang
This sixteenth century painting shows the Drigung founder, Jikten Gonpo, with two men who stood at the beginning of the two main incarnation lines at monastery, the Drigung Chetsang and the Drigung Chungtsang.
Karma Kagyu Refuge Field
Karma Kagyu Field of Accumulation painting with the Fifteenth Karmapa, Kakyab Dorje, as the last lineage holder at the time of the compositions creation.
Machik Labdron and Chod Refuge Field
Mid-20th century painting of Machik Labdron and the Chod refuge field displaying teachers and deities.
Padmasambhava
The style of this painting is known as tshal thang, a red background with fine gold lines forming the shapes of the subject deities. Only the eyes are filled with white and black pigments.
Padmasambhava
An early image of Padmasambhava with Nyangrel Nyima Ozer and masters of various traditions, including Padampa Sanggye.
Padmasambhava
This eighteenth century painting features Padmasambhava surrounded by his consorts Yeshe Tsogyel and Mandarava. Below are Śāntarakṣita and Trisong Detsen.
Padmasambhava - Guru Drakpo
This 20th century painting depicts Padmasambhava in wrathful form as Guru Dragpo, in the treasure tradition of Padmasambhava biographer Nyangrel Nyima Ozer.
Padmasambhava as Pema Jungne
A nineteenth century painting of Padmasambhava as Pema Jungne depicts his disciple Sokpo Pelgyi Yeshe in the lower left corner.
Padmasambhava as Sengge Dradok
This Nyingma painting of Padmasambhava as Sengge Dradok shows Yeshe Tsogyel in the lower right corner.
Padmasambhava with Drigung Kagyu Refuge Field
This late eighteenth or early twentieth century Drigung Kagyu painting of Padmasambhava and the Drigung Kagyu refuge field is associated with a terma tradition of Rinchen Puntsok. Drigung Monastery is pictured along the bottom of the painting along with Terdrom on the left edge. A nearby treasure site is shown adjacent to Terdrom.
Padmasambhava with Jigme Lingpa and Disciples
This 18th century painting depicts Padmasambhava as a monk surrounded by several disciples and Jigme Lingpa above his head.
Rahula and Retinue
Rahula, wrathful protector of the the treasure tradition, is depicted with various masters in a nineteenth century painting from Kham.
Rigdzin Kunzang Sherab
An 18th century painting of Rigdzin Kunzang Sherab, the founder of Pelyul monastery, surrounded by deities and Nyingma masters.
Wangdu Nyingpo and other masters
Wangdu Nyinpo was the Twenty-ninth Sakya Tridzin. This painting gives visual representation to his previous incarnations, which include Padmasambhava, and some of his disciples.
Bibliography
Bischoff, F. A. 1978. "Padmasambhava est-il un personnage historique?" In Proceedings of the Csoma de Koros Symposium, pp. 27-33. Louis Ligeti, ed. Budapest: Akademiai Kiado.
Bischoff, F. A., and Charles Hartman. 1971. "Padmasambhava's Invention of the Phur-bu: Ms. Pelliot Tibetain 44." In Etudes tibetaines dediees a la memoire de Marcelle Lalou, pp. 11-27. Paris: Adrien Maisonneuve.
Blondeau, A.M. 1980. "Analysis of the biographies of Padmasambhava according to Tibetan tradition: classification of sources." In Tibetan Studies in Honour of Hugh Richardson, pp. 45-52. Michael Aris and Aung San Suu Kyi, eds. Warminster: Aris and Philips.
Cantwell, Cathy, and Robert Mayer. 2012. A Noble Noose of Methods: The Lotus Garland Synopsis: A Mahāyoga Tantra and its Commentary. Vienna: Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften.
Cantwell, Cathy and Robert Mayer. 2013. “Representations of Padmasambhava in Early Post-Imperial Tibet.” In Tibet after Empire: Culture, Society and Religion between 850-1000, pp. 19-50. Lumbini, Nepal: Lumbini International Research Institute.
Dalton, Jacob. 2004. "The Early Development of the Padmasambhava Legend in Tibet: A Study of IOL Tib J 644 and Pelliot tibétain 307."Journal of the American Oriental Society, vol. 124, no. 4, pp. 759-772.
Hirshberg, Daniel. 2016. Remembering the Lotus-Born: Padmasambhava in the History of Tibet's Golden Age. Sommerville, MA: Wisdom Publications.
Karmay, Samten. 1988. The Great Perfection. Leiden: Brill, pp. 137-138.
Tsogyal, Yeshe. 1999. The Lotus-Born: The Life Story of Padmasambhava. Translated by Erik Pema Kunsang. Boston: Shambala Publications.
Tsogyal, Yeshe. 1978. The Life and Liberation of Padmasambhava. Translated into French by Gustav-Charles Toussaint; translated into English by Kenneth Douglas and Gwendolyn Bays. Berkeley: Dharma Publishing.
Wangdu, Pasang and Hildegard Diemberger. 2000. dBa' bzhed: The Royal Narrative concerning the bringing of the Buddha's Doctrine to Tibet. Vienna: Verlag der Österrichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften.
Zangpo, Ngawang. 2002. Guru Rinpoché: His Life and Times. Ithaca, NY: Snow Lion Publications.
A list of Tibetan biographies of Padmasambhava on TBRC is here.