Description of a Kadam Thangka

by Jamyang Khyentse Chökyi Lodrö

Oṃ svasti!

For the thangka of the triad Jo, Drom and Ngok, Jowo Atiśa is in the centre, with a
very handsome and resplendent appearance. His body is straight and his head
poised in a dignified manner. His two hands, at his heart, form the gesture of
teaching the Dharma. He wears a blue tunic, red lower garment, and saffron robes.
On his head is a yellow paṇḍita hat with short ear-flaps and a saffron design. His
legs are crossed. To his right is a Kadam stūpa, several stacked volumes, and a
mendicant’s staff. To his left is a casket. His seats are a lotus, moon disk and lion
throne. In front is an anointing vase, an alms-bowl filled with curd, a cup, crystal
container and fruit.

On his right is Dromtönpa, a layman with strands of braided hair. He is stocky with
a serene smile, majestic, with a peaceful, subdued manner. His head is bowed
towards Lord Atiśa. His right hand, in the mudrā of granting refuge, holds a crystal
rosary. His left hand is in the gesture of supreme generosity and holds a white lotus
adorned with a jewel. He wears a white inner garment, a broad robe, and a cloak
that is dark brown or another colour not used by monastics. He has no hat.

On his left is Ngok Lekpé Sherab[1] as a middle-aged monk. His right hand, in the
gesture of teaching the Dharma, holds an utpala adorned with a sword, while his
left hand, in the gesture of equanimity, supports a volume of text. He wears a red
shirt, red skirt, saffron dharma robes, and a yellow outer cloak. He is stocky with a
charming demeanour and seated upright. Both disciples have seats of silken
cushions.

Above Lord Atiśa’s head is the Sage Trisamayavyūha, who generally resembles the
Lord of Sages [I.e., Śākyamuni]. His hands are in the gesture of teaching the
Dharma, and his seats are lion throne, lotus and moon disk. In front of him and to
the right is the principal deity of the Vajradhātu, who has four faces and resembles
Sarvavid. His body and all his faces are white. Both his hands form the gesture
known as ‘supreme awakening’ at his heart, for which the left hand is below,
gripping the right fist, upon which he holds a full five-pronged vajra. He wears a
jewelled crown with silk ribbons, a choker,[2] long and short necklaces, anklets and
bracelets, a sash, and upper and lower garments of white silk. (Although both are
said to be white, to avoid any fault of confusion, distinguish the outer [clothing] or
bluer flesh tones within, as appropriate.) His seats are lion throne, lotus and moon
disk.

To the left is Vairocana Abhisaṃbodhi, whose body is bright gold and whose two
hands rest in the gesture of equanimity. His precious ornaments are like
Vajradhātu’s. He wears an upper garment of blue silk and a multi-coloured lower
garment. His legs are crossed in vajra posture. His seats are a white lotus and
moon disk.
To their right is White Tārā, Wish-Fulfilling Wheel, with seven eyes as usual, and
showers of five-coloured nectar. To their left is Green Tārā, in her usual form, with
rainbows reaching as far as Lord Atiśa and cascading jewels.

Above Dromtönpa’s right shoulder, upon a streaming rainbow and within a rainbow
cloud, is Four-Armed Avalokiteśvara in the usual form. Upon a rainbow that extends
from Ngok’s left shoulder, and amidst a rainbow cloud, is Ḍombī Heruka, riding a
tiger together with his consort, in the standard form.

In front of Lord Atiśa is Vajradhara Könchok Tenpa Rabgye,[3] whose form and face
resemble the basic form of Jé Rinpoche [i.e., Tsongkhapa]. His nose is not so large
and his eyes have a slight hint of vibrancy. His hands are in the ‘knot’ gesture and
his clothes are similar to Ngok’s. The upper garment should not be lengthy but
drawn in the usual way. For the paṇḍita hat on his head the ends of the long ear-
flaps are turned in. His seats are a jewelled throne and silk cushions. He has an
anointing vase and so on in front, just like Lord Atiśa.

Beneath Dromtönpa is Mahākāla with a hooked knife in the style found in some of
the thangkas of Nechu. His body is dark blue, and he brandishes a hooked knife in
his right hand. His left hand holds a skullcup of blood at his heart. He has three
eyes. He bares his fangs and has a lolling tongue. His hair and eyebrows are orange
and point upwards. His limbs are short and thick, and he has a large belly. He
stands with his left leg slightly extended. He wears a crown of dried skulls, a
necklace of freshly severed heads, a tiger-skin skirt and snake ornaments, and he
blazes with fierce, dark red flames. His seats are a lotus, sun-disk and human
corpses.

At his crown is Blue Acala, whose body is only thumb-sized and dark blue in colour.
His three eyes are red and round. His right hand brandishes in the air a flaming
sword. His left hand holds a vajra lasso at his heart while making a threatening
gesture. His eyebrows and hair are orange. His upper teeth bite his lower lip as he
bares his pointed fangs. He wears a tiger-skin skirt, jewel ornaments, and snake
ornaments, and he stands dominantly with his left leg extended. He stands upon
seats of lotus, sun disk and the supine form of Gaṇapati, amidst blazing fire.

Below Ngok Lotsāwa is White Jambhala riding a dragon. His body is radiant white.
He has a peaceful, smiling expression, passionate and slightly wrathful. He has
three eyes, light yellow hair that streams upwards and upturned light yellow
eyebrows. In his right hand he brandishes a trident. With his left hand he holds a
jewelled staff that rests upon his left hip. He is adorned with jewel ornaments and
wears a silk upper garment and a skirt of various colours. He stands upon a lotus,
moon-disk and turquoise dragon in the midst of multi-coloured clouds and
cascading jewels.

Around the outside the decorative patterns should be as beautiful as possible.

In the east is the Vajra Ḍākinī, blue and holding vajra in her right hand and a
precious cup full of jewels, fruit, silk and so on in her left hand. In the south is the
Ratna Ḍākinī, yellow and holding a flaming jewel in her right hand and a treasure
vase in her left. In the west is Padma Ḍākinī, red and holding a lotus in her right
hand and a hook in her left. In the north is Karma Ḍākinī, green and holding a
crossed vajra in her right hand and a mongoose in her left. They stand in dancing
posture with their left legs extended. All four are like sisters, very small in size, and
can be drawn however is most convenient amidst the clouds.

To Dromtönpa’s right is Radreng Monastery in the middle of a dark juniper forest.

The temple is red with a golden roof. It has a large river in front and a spring on
the left. Behind it is a white cliff like the face of lion with tiny retreat huts to the
fore. All around, above and below, is dense juniper forest. Within the monastery
there are meditating monks wearing only lower robes. Before the garuḍa-headed
temple are monks practising accumulation and purification by offering maṇḍalas and
performing prostrations. Within the juniper forest some shaven-headed monks are
performing circumambulation. Draw some in meditation and others teaching the
Dharma. In the distance behind Radreng is the cloudy glacier of Thanglha from
which a rainbow emanates and which is adorned with a snow lion.

Near Ngok Lotsāwa, in the upper reaches of the Sangphu Valley, with its beautiful
meadows is a red temple and white monks’ quarters. At the foot of the temple,
monks are engaged in exposition, debate and composition. All the lamas of the
saṅgha have yellow hats. To the left, in front of the monastery, are meadows of
flowers and a small grove of tiny juniper bushes, as in standard illustrations.

In front of Könchok Tenpa Rabgye, amidst a tent of rainbow light, is a small

maṇḍala arrangement complete with Mount Meru, the four continents and the sun
and moon, and filled with precious jewels, drawn as beautifully as possible. To its
right and left are offerings of various kinds.

Aside from the differences in landscape everything should be drawn as in the three
[thangkas] for Sakya, Ngor and Tsarpa, as beautifully as possible.

On the back, equal in size to Jowo Atiśa’s form, seat and throne, draw a ‘repairing
schism’ stūpa with the correct lines of proportion and the doorway within the dome,
in gold ink. Maṅgalam.

| Translated (provisionally) by Adam Pearcey with the generous support of the Khyentse Foundation and Tertön Sogyal
Trust, 2021.

Bibliography
Tibetan Edition

'Jam dbyangs chos kyi blo gros. "bka' gdams zhal thang bri yig" in ’Jam dbyangs
chos kyi blo gros kyi gsung 'bum. 12 vols. Bir: Khyentse Labrang, 2012.
W1KG12986 Vol. 11: 593–598
Version: 1.0-20210920

1. The Tibetan text as we have it says Loden Sherab (blo ldan shes rab) here, but
elsewhere refers to the same figure as Ngok Lotsāwa, i.e., Lekpé Sherab (legs
pa'i shes rab), who was Loden Sherab's uncle. The translation has therefore
been amended accordingly.  ↩

2. Reading 'gul rgyan as mgul rgyan.  ↩

3. dkon mchog bstan pa rab rgyas (1801–1866). He was an abbot of Labrang

Tashikyi and a teacher of Jamyang Khyentse Wangpo.  ↩