A VotiVe PrAyer And dedicAtion on

An eArly thAngkA of sMAn blA

Amy Heller
dedicated to Anthony Aris, with respect and esteem, to honour his commitment to
enhancing awareness of the science and art of tibetan medicine.

sMan bla and his entourage. Pigments on cotton, late 11thearly 12th century, West
tibet/Western himalayas. the Pritzker collection (photograph by hughes dubois).*

the present thangka of sMan bla is part of a corpus of thangka, illuminated manuscripts and portable paintings on wood from the Western
himalayas now conserved in the collection of Margot and thomas J.

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AMY HELLER

Pritzker, which particularly relect the inluences of Kashmiri artists

invited to embellish the newly founded temples during the eleventh
century. As will be discussed below, these paintings share distinctive
aesthetic and technical characteristics which further enrich our understanding of the cultural and aesthetic tendencies then coalescing in the
kingdom of guge under the aegis of the sovereign lha bla ma ye shes
od and his royal chaplain rin chen bzang po (heller 2014: 3649).
the thangka represents the buddha of healing, accompanied by two
attendant Bodhisattvas, within the conines of a shrine positioned above
lotus petals, supported by a plinth on which is inscribed in elegant calligraphy the ye dharma prayer in tibetan dbu can letters. in the lower
register, there are two dedication prayers in tibetan cursive script which
surround a scene of offerings by a tibetan buddhist lay devotee dge
bsnyen khyung grags and his wife, named as the donors of the thangka
in the prayers. these two prayers have features characteristic of archaic
orthography in tibetan, for example da drag (in the word smand bla),
and superabundant a chung (for example dge ); in the prayers and the
ye dharma verse, the spelling of some of the sanskrit words is at variance with standard transliteration of sanskrit in tibetan adopted subsequently, for example, lapis lazuli, sanskrit: vairya is here spelled pe
du rgya. After a brief description of this thangka, the translation of the
prayers is given along with the complete transliteration, in the hope that
this may be useful for future textual studies.
the thangka is exceptional in terms of iconography, aesthetics and
technique. the iconography is distinctive due to the representation
of the buddha. tibetan repre-sentations typically portray the buddha
of healing with his right hand extended towards the ground, palm up,
in the varada-mudr of generosity and boon-bestowing, holding a leaf
of a medicinal plant to present to those in need. here the buddhas
hand is raised above his shoulder, with the open palm facing right, in
a gesture reminiscent of the abhaya-mudr, or gesture of protection,
simultaneously clasping a golden leaf of the same medicinal plant between the thumb and index inger. This iconography relates to early
representations of the buddha of healing in central Asia and china,
notably in Dunhuang mural paintings, where 97 Bhaiajyaguru paradises have been identiied, from the Sui dynasty to the Xixia period.1
in these murals, most frequently his body is represented as blue or in
a pale lesh tint, occasionally white or more rarely red, while extant
portable paintings from dunhuang and central Asia tend to represent

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his body as beige or golden color.2 the blue body color is clearly linked
to the lapis lazuli radiance attributed to the buddha of healing; it became ubiquitous in later tibetan representations. even so, the iconography of the present thangka, with the right hand raised at shoulder level,
is directly related to chinese and central Asian models, which often
display a variant of abhaya-mudr with palm open, facing forward,
ingers extended but the tips of the thumb and index inger touching
(see, for example, the buddha of healing on stein painting 32 on silk,
dated Ad 836, i.e. during the tibetan occupation of dunhuang).3 such
mudrs are quite different from those of later Tibetan iconography, irst
identiied in circa 13th century murals in cave-temples in West Tibet,
where already the deep-blue buddha of healing is represented seated,
enthroned, his right hand forming the varada-mudr of boon-bestowing
and generosity (Pritzker 2000: 131; heller 2012: 6465) in the model
which will become the standard tibetan representation. it remains to
be determined how and when the ritual evocations and iconography
of the buddha of healing in dunhuang reached the kingdom of guge;
however, there is evidence his cult was practiced by tibetans during
the tibetan occupation of dunhuang. in terms of textual references in
the tibetan dunhuang manuscripts, although lacking a full description
of the buddha of healing in tibetan language, there is reference to his
cult notably in the tibetan manuscripts iol tib J 386 (dalton and van
schaik 2006: 122), Pelliot tibtain 247 and 248 (lalou 1939: 6869)
and the tibetan inscription on the stein painting 32. there is no complete ritual description of the buddha of healing among the dunhuang
manuscripts.
Visually this thangka of the buddha of healing is striking and impressive. it is quite large, 81.3 x 69.9 cm. the entire composition has
a yellow border of black scrolling designs. At the base, there are two
squares with dedication prayers written in small tibetan script beside
the two donors who are portrayed beside their prayers as they accomplish votive offerings of gtor ma, conch shells, butter lamps, inter alia.
Above them is the plinth on which the ye dharma verse is written, supporting the lotus base on which the buddhas cushion is positioned. the
large scale of the entire composition is accentuated by the dimensions
of the buddha himselfhis body is massive, surrounded by a wide
circular aura of gold and red tints, while his head is inside an elongated oval halo extending to the small gold head of the krtimukha at the
center of the poly-lobate archway of the shrine. the vivid deep blue of

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AMY HELLER

the buddha, with chromatic modeling to emphasize the muscles of his

torso and arms, contrasts strongly with the red monastic robes trimmed
with yellow, as if gold threads were woven into the fabric, and the red
henna adornment of his palms and the soles of his feet. this type of
sfumato shading of muscles, the hefty body proportions and spherical
ua with a small gold jewel inial all relect the Kashmiri aesthetic
in painting which is well known thanks notably to the illuminations in
the Prajpramit manuscripts discovered in tholing by giuseppe
tucci, now conserved in the los Angeles county Museum of Art and
the tucci Archives, isiAo, roma.4 the buddhas left hand holds the
bowl of alms in his lap, illed with the leaves and stems of a medicinal
plant (arura). his right arm is extended, bent at the elbow to raise the
hand, palm forward, simultaneously clasping the small green leaf of
the arura plant with the tips of his thumb and middle inger, in a distinctive gesture reminiscent of the mudr of protection as discussed
above. The Buddha of Healing is lanked by his customary entourage
of two bodhisattvas: at his right, the red Sryagarbha, holding the red
disk of the sun (srya) above his right shoulder; and at his left, the
white candragarbha, holding the white crescent of the moon (candra)
above his left shoulder. beneath them are a tibetan layman with long
black hair wearing the full white robe of a buddhist upsaka, ostensibly performing a consecration ritual, and an elegant tibetan lady, his
wife, wearing a long white cape with red garments beneath. he wears
garments known from the donor portraits in the illuminations of the
tholing manuscripts (Pal 1983: 123126) and her appearance is very
similar to murals of ladies and goddesses in tibetan garb portrayed in
eleventh century murals at tabo (klimburg-salter 1997: fig. 56, protectress Rdo rje chen mo/Wi nyu myin and Fig. 142, lay donors) and in
contemporary donor portraits at tholing (heller 2010: fig. 8). the costume of long white cape above red dress is still worn today by ladies in
humla (heller 2009: fig. 67), indicative that it is a traditional costume
of Western tibet and the Western himalayas.
dedication verses and consecration prayers are frequently written
on the reverse of thangka but the presence of such prayers on the front
is unusual. it is also infrequent to name and portray the donors on the
front of thangka. here, however the square sections of the prayers
are integrated in the very composition of the painting directly beside
the donor portraits and offering scene. donor portraits with inscribed
names of local Tibetan men and women igure in the lower register of

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325

mural paintings inside a stupa at Tholing which has been identiied as

the funerary stupa of ye shes od (ca. 1025 ce), thus it may have been
a contemporary practice to portray the donors in this manner (heller
2010: 5058).
technically this thangka has distinctive characteristics which have
led to the identiication of twelve such paintings as produced in Guge
and the Western himalayas. As observed by painting conservator JeanMichel terrier, a light paste (derived from a vegetal liquid) was applied
to the cloth as an undercoat, making the fabric less permeable to facilitate smooth, even application of colours. this preparation is made according to a traditional recipe irst described in a 4th7th century Indian
text, the Viudharmottarapura. some of the paintings have also a
very light undercoat of chalk-white (calcium carbonate) either on the
upper surface or both surfaces; a very small number have a thick coating of chalk under the paint layer, while other paintings have no coating
of chalk-white at all. These technical aspects are wholly speciic to this
group of paintings. these technical considerations in complement to
the kashmiri aesthetic matrix of the painting itself and the importance
of the inscriptions in tibetan language in the very composition of the
painting tend to suggest that this thangka of the buddha of healing was
a product of an atelier of kashmiri master artists and their tibetan partners working together in guge.
As mentioned above, the spelling of the ye dharma is at variance
although the verse is clearly recognizable. Due to the irst syllable O,
this present inscription is a scriptural quotation which functions as a
prayer.5 the ye dharma formula reads:
O y rdhar rma y (inserted below: he) tu pra b bha y (inserted below: he) dun te shan ta th g t ya bha dan (inserted below: t) ti sham
tsa you ni[?] rou dha ei bam b hi m h shr m na//6

of the factors of existence (dharma) rising from a cause, the Tathgata

has spoken; of their cessation too: He, the Mahramaa, who speaks
truthfully (evavd). (scherrer-schaub 1994: 714)

The two sections of prayers are different. The irst series of verses appears to be a quotation from a ritual or text dedicated to the buddha
of Healing, but the precise source has not been identiied. The second
series of prayers is directly related to the donors and their hopes to be
reborn in the paradise of the buddha of healing as well as their commitment and aspirations towards the path of the buddha and his followers.

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AMY HELLER

VotiVe prAyer, pArt 1:

Praise to the Bhagavat Bhaiajyaguru.
Praise to the one who illuminates, the dispeller of the darkness of ignorance who is like the sun (Sryagarbha).
Praise to the one who illuminates brightly, the dispeller of the darkness
of aflictions who is like the moon (Candragarbha).
having thus assembled [the buddha and his two bodhisattvas], i venerate the Lord of the lapis lazuli radiance, Bhaiajyaguru, the conqueror
of illness and the three poisons.
Upon entry into the immutable sphere of the dharma (dharmadhtu),
May you yourself become the essence of the dharmadhtu.
in the deep blue color of the dharma itself, i venerate the lord of the
lapis lazuli radiance,
the lord of life of all sentient beings....
May all the torments of illness and ignorance be appeased.
(Radiant) like the sun, the left hand holds the bowl of alms illed with
the antidote of all disease; the right hand holds the arura plant which
is the medication to cure all disease.
i thus venerate the lord of the lapis lazuli radiance!

VotiVe prAyer, pArt 2:

By the virtue of the muniicence of the donors Khyung grags and his
wife who have made this celestial palace of the buddha of healing and
his entourage of (the two) bodhisattvas, candragarbha who is like the
moon and Sryagarbha who is like the sun, may this in this life give
them the capacity to make offerings to the buddha, hear the holy dharma, and provide service to the community of monks, and after passing
beyond this life, may they have a miraculous birth from a lotus in the
paradise of the Bhagavat Bhaiajyaguru ; may they behold the Bhagavat Bhaiajyaguru and receive the prophecy to become Bodhisattvas.
Until reaching this moment, wherever they are born, even in the body
of a woman or a servant, may they meet spiritual mentors (dge bai
bshes gnyen, sanskrit kalyamitra) and practise the noble dharma of
Mahyna.
in sum, by the virtue of our (offering)
may all beings of the three realms [i.e., desire realm (dod khams, k-

A VOTIVE PRAYER AND DEDICATION

327

madhtu), form realm (gzugs khams, rpadhtu), and formless realm

(gzugs med khams, arpyadhtu)]
be released from the illness of the three poisons [of ignorance, greed
and hatred]
and obtain the glory of... .

tHe tibetAn text of tHe two prAyers 7

Text 1
1) ....
bcom ldan das rgyal po la stod
2)
pao / nyi ma lta bur ma rig mun pa sel la stod/
3)
zla ba lta bur nyon mongs mun pa sel la stod//
4)
de ltar bsdus pas dug gsum nad/ x (bcom ldan) smand gyi
5)
bla/ pe dur rgyai o la phyag tshal lo// chos
6)
dbings myi gyur thugs su chud pa la/ khyed
7)
nyid chos kyi dbings kyi ngo por gyur/ myi
8)
gyur chos nyid sku mdog (thing) be dur rgyai od la
9)
phyag tshal lo / gro kun tshe bdag
10)
pa la / ma rig nad kyis rab tu gdung pa rnams / nyi (ma ltar)
11)
bdud rtsi gang pai lhung mdzad g.yon su snams/ dus pai
12)
nad la sman pai phyag g.yas a ru ra/ pe dur rgyai od

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AMY HELLER

13)
la phyag tshal lo/
Text 2
1)
rgyu sbyor bai yong gyi bdag po dge bsnyen khyung grags
2)
gza smad kyis bcom ldan das smand kyi bla khor byang chub
3)
sems dpa nyi ma ltar snang byed dang / zla ba ltar rnam par snang
4)
byed gzhal yas khang dang bcas pa bzhengs pai dge bai rtsa ba
5)
dis tshe di la sangs rgyas mchod pa dang/ dam pai chos nyand
6)
pa dang/ dge dun la bkur sti byed pa dang myi bral bar gyurd cig
7)
di nas shi phos nas bcom ldan das smand gyi blai zhing
8)
khams su padma las rdzus te skyes nas bcom ldan sman blai
9)
zhal mthong nas byang chub tu lung bstand pard gyurd cig / de ma

10)

thob kyi bar du gar skyes kyang mo lus dang bran lus s te dge
11)
bai bshes gnyen dam pa dang phrad nas theg pa chen poi dam pai
12)
chos spyod par gyur cig// mdor na bdag gi dge pa dis
13)
khams gsum gro ba ma lus kun/ dug gsum nad dang bral

14)

gyur dpal cho thob (par shog)//

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notes
* i wish to thank thomas and Margot Pritzker for their kind authorization to study
this painting in their collection.
1 I thank Roderick Whitield for this information and discussion of the Dunhuang
representations of the buddha of healing (personal communications March 2014 and
August 2014), notably citing his student chih-hung yens dissertation: there survive
over 97 jingbian (or pictorial representations of the stra) of the Bhaiajyaguru, and
16 independent illustrations of Bhaiajyagurus vows and/or of the Forms of Violent
death among the murals of the Mogao caves; also, some portable paintings found in
Mogao cave 17 were dedicated to the Bhaiajyaguru. They were made of all the materials in common use at dunhuang, i.e., silk, ramie cloth, paper, murals and stucco representations; and the time span of these representations extended from the sui dynasty
(581618) to the Western Xia (10381227). In terms of number and time span, no other
Buddhist site relating to Bhaiajyaguru can compete with Dunhuang. Chih-hung Yen,
Bhaiajyaguru at Dunhuang. PhD dissertation, SOAS, University of London, 1997, p.5.
2 Cf. Bhaiajyaguru, Kocho, 8th9th century, painting on ramie, Museum fr Indische Kunst, Berlin (MIK III 4803) (Hrtel & Yaldiz 1982: 186); Bhaiajyaguru, Dunhuang, mid-10th century, ink and colors on paper, british Museum (oA 1919.11.071)
(Whitield 19825: vol. 2, pl. 74); Paradise of Bhaiajyaguru, Dunhuang, 7th8th century, ink and colors on silk, national Museum of delhi (http://www.nationalmuseumindia.gov.in/prodCollections.asp?pid=54&id=5&lk=dp5 ); Paradise of Bhaiajyaguru,
dunhuang, 836 A.d., ink and colors on silk (oA 1919.11.032) (see note 3 infra).
3 This important painting has Tibetan and Chinese inscriptions, see Whitield 1982:
vol. 1 plate 16, and the previous studies in karmay 1975: 1011; stoddard 2008: 1011.
Detail photographs of the painting, its inscriptions, and the description by Whitield
may be accessed through the International Dunhuang Project website 1919,0101,0.32
(http://idp.bl.uk/database/oo_scroll_h.a4d?uid=4787505146;recnum=40384;index=1).
4 the likelihood that these illuminations were painted by kashmiri artists is reinforced by Paul harrisons recent discovery of traces of sanskrit letters on the border of
the illuminations, while tibetan scribes wrote the tibetan text of the scriptures (harrison 2007: 235).
5 I thank Ven. Mtshan zhabs Rinpoche Ye shes don grub, Zrich, for this observation and discussion of the iconography and rituals for the buddha of healing, which he
taught for many years (personal communication March 2014).
6 i gratefully acknowledge discussion with lauran hartley and her suggestions on
the transliteration of this inscription (personal communication July 2014).
7 i thank shawo mkha byams, librarian of tibet University, lhasa, for his collaboration to establish the reading of these prayers and i thank Ulrike roesler for her
suggestions on their translation.

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