{"product_id":"akashagarbha-black-gold-thangka","title":"Akashagarbha Black \u0026 Gold Thangka – Framed Tibetan Wall Art with Hand-Set Crystals","description":"\u003ch3\u003eAkashagarbha\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eOn a black ground drawn entirely in fine gold and copper line, one figure is painted in full colour: Akashagarbha (Tibetan: Namkhai Nyingpo), the bodhisattva whose name means \"womb of space\". He is clear blue, crowned, his hair in a high topknot, seated in the vajra posture with a sword held upright at his right shoulder. He is one of the Eight Great Bodhisattvas.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe design\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e1. Black and gold.\u003c\/strong\u003e The ground is black, and every flower, cloud and leaf around him is drawn in fine gold and copper line. Only his body is in full colour, a clear blue that stands out sharply. In Tibet black and gold together carry a sense of dignity and mystery.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e2. The face.\u003c\/strong\u003e The face is opened last, as thangka painters say: eyes half lowered, calm, under a crown set with crystals and a halo worked in gold.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e3. The sword.\u003c\/strong\u003e He holds a sword upright at his right shoulder, its blade drawn in pale gold, a symbol of the wisdom that cuts through confusion.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e4. Crystals.\u003c\/strong\u003e Red and blue crystals are set at even intervals around the mandorla, one by one, and a jewel offering sits on the lotus base below. The piece shown is framed in Ink \u0026amp; Gold brocade, black and silver.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e5. Hand finishing.\u003c\/strong\u003e The image is printed on heavy card from our own drawing; elderly lay Buddhists at a temple set every crystal by hand and trace the outlines in gold glitter, about two days for each piece.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eThe meaning\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the tradition Akashagarbha is the \"treasury of space\", a bodhisattva whose wisdom and generosity are described as having no edge, like the sky. Among the Eight Great Bodhisattvas who surround the Buddha he is the one tied most closely to space itself, and practitioners keep his image for purification and wisdom practice. This black and gold version is the quieter of our two: a single blue figure in a field of gold line, where the other sets him in a garden of peonies.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eEvery thangka is also an offering\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eEach one is finished at a temple, by elderly lay Buddhists who practise there. Part of every order goes back to that temple. So what you bring home is not only a thangka: you have also made an offering.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ch3\u003eSize \u0026amp; details\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003ctable\u003e\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eFrame\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e55 × 71 × 12 cm (21.7 × 28 × 4.7 in), 4 kg\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eImage\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e40.2 × 56.2 cm (15.8 × 22.1 in)\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003ePrint\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eHeavy card, from our own drawing, to traditional proportions\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eHand work\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eGlass crystals and gold glitter outlines, set by elderly lay Buddhists at a temple\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eFraming\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eSilk brocade frame-within-a-frame, wood frame, acrylic front\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eBrocade\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eInk \u0026amp; Gold · Night Sky · Crimson Cloud · Warm Sun\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eHanging\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eReady to hang\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eDispatch\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003eFinished to order, ships in 3–5 business days\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003cth\u003eDelivery\u003c\/th\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e10–14 business days by air, tracked, free, duties paid\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\u003c\/table\u003e\u003cblockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eMay your mind stay as open as the night sky.\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eTemple consecration (optional, +US$100):\u003c\/strong\u003e choose \"Temple consecration\" above. Your thangka is placed in the temple's main hall overnight and consecrated by the monks with chanting the next morning; we send you photos and a short video of it in the hall (the temple does not permit filming the ceremony itself). The full US$100 is offered to the temple. Consecrated thangkas ship in 5–7 business days and are final sale unless they arrive damaged. We make no claim that consecration protects or changes anything.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Kangrinboqe Sacred Art","offers":[{"title":"Ink \u0026 Gold \/ Standard","offer_id":67867656192273,"sku":"TK-AKA-02-BG","price":570.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Night Sky \/ Standard","offer_id":67867656225041,"sku":"TK-AKA-02-IN","price":570.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Crimson Cloud \/ Standard","offer_id":67867656257809,"sku":"TK-AKA-02-CR","price":570.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Warm Sun \/ Standard","offer_id":67867656290577,"sku":"TK-AKA-02-SA","price":570.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Ink \u0026 Gold \/ Temple consecration","offer_id":67899230585105,"sku":"TK-AKA-02-BG-TC","price":670.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Night Sky \/ Temple consecration","offer_id":67899230617873,"sku":"TK-AKA-02-IN-TC","price":670.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Crimson Cloud \/ Temple consecration","offer_id":67899230650641,"sku":"TK-AKA-02-CR-TC","price":670.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Warm Sun \/ Temple consecration","offer_id":67899230683409,"sku":"TK-AKA-02-SA-TC","price":670.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0980\/9179\/4705\/files\/akashagarbha-thangka-2-01-white.jpg?v=1792918573","url":"https:\/\/kangrinboqesacredart.com\/products\/akashagarbha-black-gold-thangka","provider":"Kangrinboqe Sacred Art","version":"1.0","type":"link"}