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Padma Sambhava and the Transference to Sukhavati
Padma Sambhava and the Transference to Sukhavati

Padma Sambhava and the Transference to Sukhavati

Date18th century
MediumPigment on cloth
DimensionsFrame: 35 1/4 x 26 1/4 inches (89.5 x 66.7 cm)
CultureTibet
ClassificationsPaintings
Credit LineGift of Ralph Glasgal, Class of 1953, and Linda Glasgal
Terms
  • Paintings
  • Tibetan
  • Buddhism
Object number2009.051.001
Label CopyPadma Sambhava, founder of the Nyingma sect, is associated with the Tibetan Book of the Dead (Bardo Thodol), a Buddhist magical text that assists a dying person to navigate the bardo, the in-between state on the way to the next rebirth. Surrounding the central image are scenes of Padma Sambhava's various emanations protecting beings from suffering. In a scene on the left side of the painting a yogi passes away while seated in meditation as the Bardo Thodol is recited to him. A rainbow projects from the yogi's head toward an image of Amitabha, Buddha of the Sukhavati Pure Land.
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