100. PALDEN LHAMO Thangka (Thanka). Free Brocade / Free Shipping.

PALDEN LHAMO Palden Lhamo is one of the main Dharma Protectors in Tibetan Buddhism. Also known as Shri Devi in Sanskrit, she is a direct emanation of the Goddess Saraswati manifesting in a wrathful form. Above her is Lama Tsongkhapa, the renowned 14th century Tibetan saint and scholar. To Lama Tsongkhapa's right is his heart disciple, Gyaltsab Rinpoche and to his left is his other heart disciple, Khedrub Rinpoche. Palden Lhamo’s form is that of a fierce female ogress, with jutting teeth and fangs. Her three eyes represent her ability to see into past, present and future realms without any type of obstruction. She is dark blue in colour representing her attainment of great bliss - the realization of emptiness. Her right hand is in the sky holding a skull cup representing the destruction of obstacles. The skull cup is filled with blood, representing great bliss. She carries a human-skin bag full of diseases that she collects from those who invoke her. Her legs are in a semi-relaxed posture and chains connect one ankle to the other. Palden Lhamo is the personal protector of the Panchen Lama and of all fourteen incarnations of the Dalai Lama. She is practiced within all four schools of Tibetan Buddhism and she is a fully enlightened Buddha. Propitiating her and making offerings to her is extremely beneficial to overcome our spiritual and worldly obstacles. Palden Lhamo is one of the Eight Dharmapalas, wrathful protectors of the Buddhist dharma, and the only female Dharmapala . She is considered the wrathful form of Shri Devi, the wrathful Dharmapalas are usually considered to be Tantric deities. The symbols that surround Palden Lhamo , as well as her extensive retinue, are characteristic of Dharmapalas in general with a few additional symbols unique to her important role. The image of Palden Lhamo on the previous page is a typical Thangka of the fierce Dharmapala . She is riding a horse, an animal that can carry one across water, symbolizing Palden Lhamo's ability to cross the ocean of cyclic existence. She has dark blue skin, a sign of her might in subjugating demons. Her three rounds, red eyes seek out the enemies of the dharma. She has long golden hair, sharp teeth to gnash vice, and has ash marks on her body from the time she spends in cemeteries. The aureole surrounding Palden Lhamo is fire – like, flames that consume passions and desires. Palden Lhamo has many symbolic items surrounding her person. Her right hand wields the surmounted Vajra ( Dorje ) while in Vajratarjani mudra ( Dorje Khrobo Digdzub Chag Gya ). The Vajra is an ancient weapon that in Tibet is thought to cleave in two the enemies of dharma. Vajratarjani Mudra, a variation of Tarjani Mudra, is a gesture of powerful menace. Palden Lhamo's left hand holds a skullcap full of blood and substances used in esoteric rituals, proving her Tantric connections. Her garb is impressively grotesque; a diadem of five skulls, human skins, lion and snake earrings and fresh tiger skins. Palden Lhamo means "Glorious Goddess" and can feature a wide range of wrathful female protectors and dakinis. Usually, Palden Lhamo refers to the Gelugpa version of her as a wrathful emanation of Saraswati otherwise known as Magzor Gyalmo and Remati. Magzor Gyalmo was said to be named Remati during the time she was married to king Shinje of Lanka who ruled over the dudpos. Remati vowed that if she failed to convert the king to Buddhism, she would end his dynasty. She tried many times to convert him to avoiding the killing of dharma practitioners, but failed along with their son being raised to kill Buddhists. With no choice, she slaughtered her son while her husband was out hunting. She ate her son's flesh, drank his blood with his skull as a kapala or cup, and flayed his skin to become a saddle. Thus, she escaped out towards the north. Just as she left on a mule, the king returned and found out about his son's murder. Enraged, he shot the rump of the mule that Remati was riding. In response, Remati healed the wound and transformed it into an eye stating, "May the wound of my mount become an eye large enough to watch over the twenty-four regions, and may I myself be the one to extirpate the lineage of the malignant kings of Lanka!" There, she traveled onwards through India to Tibet to China to Mongolia and was said to have finally settled down on the mountain, Oikhan in eastern Siberia. Others myths say that when she died, she was reborn in hell and fought her way out of the hell, stealing a bag of diseases and a sword. When she escaped to the charnel grounds, she found no peace and prayed to the Buddha for a reason to live. The Buddha Vajradhara(tantric Shakyamuni) appeared before her and requested her to protect the dharma. Astonished, Remati agreed and thus arose as the dharmapala she is. Her retinue consists of the Lion-headed dakini Simhamukha(Sengdongma) behind her and the Makara-headed dakini Makaravaktra holding the reins of the mule in front of Palden Lhamo. Surrounding them are the 4 Goddesses of the Seasons, the 5 Sisters of Long Life, and the 12 Tenma goddesses. Size: Size without Brocade: 15 inches by 20 inches Shipping: We ship within 2 business day. DHL Shipping: 5 to 8 business days with tracking number. Insurance against loss. We do wholesale too. Our one and only priority in this business is to provide "Hassle free Customer Satisfaction". We have "Quality Products" with "Cheapest Price" in the market. Please contact us to resolve any issues. Contact us via email before leaving any negative or neutral comments. We promise you that we will resolve any issues. Please confirm the return address with us before returning the product.