The event depicted in this "thanka" (rolled painting) is the descent of Buddha Shakyamuni from the thirty-third heaven. A giant triple ladder leads the way from cosmic Mt. Meru down to earth. Considered one of the twelve great deeds of the Buddha, he ascended to heaven to give a discourse to his mother, Queen Maya, who died when he was seven days old and therefore never received his teachings. He then returned to earth to continue his ministration. Halfway down, a group of monks and celestials surround him on clouds, while another welcoming party bearing auspicious gifts awaits his arrival on earth. The Buddha's ability to transcend the earthly realm in a physical way is a result of his extraordinary state of consciousness.
Details
- Artist Name: Phurbu Tshering of Chamdo Attributed to (Tibetan, active 19th century)
- Title: Descent of the Buddha
- Date: 19th century
- Medium: Opaque watercolor and gold on cotton with silk border
- Dimensions: thanka: 18 x 12-1/4 in. (45.7 x 31.1 cm); overall: 39-1/2 x 23-1/2 in. (100.3 x 59.7 cm)
- Credit Line: Norton Simon Museum, Gift of Pratap and Chitra Pal
- Accession Number: P.1998.3.3
- Copyright: © Norton Simon Museum
Object Information
Buddha: Radiant Awaking
- Art Gallery of New South Wales, 2001-11-10 to 2002-02-24
Tibet: Tradition and Change
- The Albuquerque Museum, 1997-10-18 to 1998-05-24
Treasures from the Himalayas: Sacred Treasures from Tibet, Nepal and Northern India
- Norton Simon Museum, 2003-05-30 to 2003-10-27
In the Land of Snow: Buddhist Art of the Himalayas
- Norton Simon Museum, 2014-03-28 to 2014-08-25
The Universe: Creation, Constellations and the Cosmos
- Norton Simon Museum, 2001-02-04 to 2001-06-04
- Art Gallery of New South Wales, Buddha: Radiant Awakening, 2001, fig. 24 pp. 40 - 41
- Pal, Pratapaditya, Asian Art at the Norton Simon Museum, Volume 2: Art from the Himalayas & China, 2003, no. 140 pp. 8-9 (detail), 20, 206-207
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