Szilágyi András (szerk.): Ars Decorativa 19. (Budapest, 2000)

Béla KELÉNYI: Biographical Details from the Year of the Fire-Monkey

series of woodcuts ordered in Tashilhunpo by the minister-plenipotentiary Pholhaneh Sönam Tobgye (1689-1747),

5 who ruled Tibet up until the year of his death.

6 Tucci not only published the captions to some of the scenes (along with translations), but, on the basis of a biography, stated that the artist who made the design was Jamyang Shepa.

7 The background common to the pictures shows that the measurements of the thangkas published so far and of those now in Hungary are approximately the same. All fifteen painted scrolls in the series depict important events in the life of Tsongkhapa, and do so in a definite order. Inscriptions on the reverse sides of the thangkas give the manner of their original arrangement: a scroll was hung in the middle and the others were supplied with inscriptions ranging from "first right" to "seventh right" and from "first left" to "seventh left". Arranged on either side of the prominently depicted principal figure, the scrolls depict Tsongkhapa's life in a total of 203 scenes, and — based on the story of his life (mam thar) — every scene is accompanied by a short caption in Tibetan, supplied (generally speaking) with a number. Events in his life depicted around the principal figure denote a thangka of the "narrative" kind. The two thangkas now in Hungaiy are the first two depictions (first right, second right) of the seven on the right-hand side in the series; both are framed in reinforced silk fabric.

9 The thangka in the Patkó collection has survived in very good condition. As the first picture in the series, it depicts the events preliminary to Tsongkhapa's birth, followed by those of his childhood and youth. Highlighted in the middle is Tsongkhapa, sitting on a lotus-throne and wearing a monk's habit; on his head is the headgear characteristic of the Gelug order. In each hand he holds a lotus-stalk reaching up to his shoulders, on which attributes of Manjushri (a sword and book) can be seen, since Tsongkhapa was considered to be his embodiment. His right hand is held in bhumisparsha mudra posture, while in his left is a cup for alms. His body and head are surrounded by an aureole. The picture has no inscription on its reverse side; the series of biographical events — as in the second scroll — begins in the lower left-hand corner. Where the texts for individual scenes exhibit lacunae, I have supplemented the Tibetan text on the basis of the version published by Tucci, indicating any new material included. The occasional differences in the translations (and the additions to them) are based on the biography of Tsongkhapa by his disciple Khedubje,

10 as well as on the biography published by Kaschewsky." Simultaneously I also used the text which was written on this thangka series by Jamyang Shepa (founder of the Labrang monastery, 1648-1721). ~ The texts beneath the different scenes are as follows: mDo smad bTsong khar yab kLu 'bum dge 'i mnal lam du 'Jam dpal rgya ban glegs bam can dang ICang lo can nas Phyag na rdo rjes rdo rje 'phanzs pa yum la * thim pa rmis pa / 6 yum Shing mo a chos la me tog thang du shif-e]l gyi khye 'u dang nub kyi mkha 'gro [mas] khrus byas pa rmis pa / * The underlined section differs from Tucci's version but corresponds to Jamyang's text. 6. "In Tsongkha, in Lower Do [Amdo Province, Eastern Tibet], a monk with a book from Manjushri's (sacred place, the Wu-tai Mountain in China appeared) in a dream to his f i.e. Tsongkhapa'si father, Lubumge; and a vajra, threw down from the Canglocen heaven by Vajrapani, came into his mother. In her dream a crystal (white-coloured) youth (from the east) and a dakini from the west bathed his mother, Shingmo Achö, in a flower garden." Jo bo rin po [che] gdan drangs pa dang nyi zla skar gsum shar ba rmis pa /7 7. "(The monks in his mother's) dream invoked the Jowo rinpoche (statue at Lhasa), and the Sun, Moon and stars (simultaneously) appeared."