MONGOLIAN COLLECTABLES

MONGOLIAN COLLECTABLES

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Thangka-j104

Auspicious wealth promoting thangka of Six-armed White Mahakala

This lively provincial thangka depicts White Mahakala - a form of this wrathful Buddhist deity that is associated with the attainment of wealth and very popular in Mongolia . As a "wealth deity" his practice specifically supports the comfort and economic well-being of tantric practitioners. Mahakala the "great black protector" is a Dharmapala (protector of dharma") in Mongolian and Tibetan Buddhism. The Six-Armed Mahakala is favored by the Gelugpa order (which is prevalent in Mongolia ) and in this form is considered to be a fierce and powerful emanation of Avalokiteśvara - the bodhisattva of compassion.

In this thangka, the central deity is surrounded by a mandala of dancing dakinis with different symbolic attributes associated with the attainment of enlightened wisdom. Though stationary, the White Mahakala imparts a sense of powerful vitality through the animated postures of his arms and movement in his floating scarves. The painting if framed here in a blue silk brocade comprised of two contrasting patterns and has a silk covering..

There are as many as seventy-five different manifestations of Mahakala – each with a different origin and name. However, White Mahakala’s body is white, his face is wrathful and he has three eyes. He has six arms and he holds a wish- fulfilling jewel mounted on a jewel-tipped handle, in front of his chest - this emblem is held by deities associated particularly with wealth. He is adorned with jewelled ornaments and wears a beautiful skirt made of many scarves with jewels hanging down on the skirt. Mahakala is almost always depicted with a crown of five skulls, which representing the transmutation of the five negative afflictions into the five wisdoms. However in the White Mahakala his crown is decorated with jewels and not skulls as befits his wealth-creation role. Under each of his feet is a prostrate deity with an elephant head representing the overcoming of obstacles.

There are four ways of performing a wealth ritual to White Mahakala:

with a wealth pot;
with a skull cup;
with a fire ceremony after a retreat to Mahakala; and
with a drawing, which is worn of the mantra chakra to Mahakala

Performing the White Mahakala ritual is supposed to bring endless wealth to the needy tantric practitioner in such things as family, material goods, foods, power knowledge and spirituality. This role underscores this deity’s popularity in rural Mongolia .

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