Avalokiteśvara in Tibetan Buddhist art of the Later spread (Tib. phyi dar) of the Dharma. Image classification proposal, part 1.

Joanna  Grela

Titles

Avalokiteśvara in Tibetan Buddhist art of the Later spread (Tib. phyi dar) of the Dharma. Image classification proposal, part 1.

Abstract

According to traditional Buddhist narratives and popular beliefs, Tibetans are a people chosen by Avalokiteśvara. Therefore, his worship and multitude, as well as diversity of his images are quite common both in temples and public areas. Unlike the widespread analyses where the Bodhisattva has been treated as a peaceful tutelary deity, and classifications of its images have been based on morphological features (i.e. the number of hands, heads, etc.) or by artistic styles and techniques. This paper proposes another approach by grounding images in Tantric Buddhism models used locally. In the first part of the article, the images of Avalokiteshvara are inscribed in the bodyspeech-mind models as well as the external, secret and the first of the three internal aspects of the Three Refuges, also known as the Three Jewels, which covers a much wider set of iconographic material than usually considered.

Keywords

Avalokiteśvara, maṇi mantrā, Three Jewels, Three Roots, Three Refuges, Tibetan art

References

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Information

Information: The Polish Journal of the Arts and Culture. New Series, 2020, 12 (2/2020), pp. 27 - 40

DOI: https://doi.org/10.4467/24506249PJ.20.007.13446

Article type: Original article

Titles:

English:

Avalokiteśvara in Tibetan Buddhist art of the Later spread (Tib. phyi dar) of the Dharma. Image classification proposal, part 1.

Polish:

Avalokiteśvara in Tibetan Buddhist art of the Later spread (Tib. phyi dar) of the Dharma. Image classification proposal, part 1.

Authors

Joanna Grela

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7696-5296

Centre for Comparative Studies of Civilisations of the Jagiellonian University, Grodzka 52 Street, 31-044 Krakow

Published at: 2020

Article status: Open

Licence: CC BY-NC-ND

Percentage share of authors:

Joanna Grela (Author) - 100%

Article corrections:

-

Publication languages:

English

View count: 835

Number of downloads: 1180

<p> Avalokiteśvara in Tibetan Buddhist art of the Later spread (Tib. <em>phyi dar</em>) of the Dharma. Image classification proposal, part 1.</p>

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