Avalokiteshvara

Avalokiteshvara's mantra is OM MANI PADME HUNG

Avalokiteshvara is the Buddha of compassion. The Tibetan name for this Buddha is Chenrezig. Here he appears in simple form with one face and four arms. At the center of his heart he holds a wish-fulfilling jewel. In his left hand he holds an utpala flower and in his right, a mala. The utpala flower is a very rare type of blue lotus. The closed, opening and opened buds represent the Buddha.s omniscient awareness of past, present and future. The mala is a string of beads with which to count prayers or mantras, similar to a rosary used by Catholics.

This is the first thangka made by Ella under the direction of her teacher Andy Weber and was gifted to Geshe Pal Tsering, a Tibetan Buddhist teacher resident in Auckland, NZ. The landscape depicts the Himalayan mountains and Waiheke Island (Auckland) at the foot of the painting. These were the most beautiful places the artist imagined to offer to the Buddha.

The painting is Windsor & Newton gouache on canvas as are most of the other paintings in this gallery.