The 8th Karmapa Mikyö Dorje with Disciples

The central figure, the 8th Karmapa, is depicted in a black, pointed hat with golden ornamentation, seated in a meditative pose on an elevated, elaborate throne. He wears red and pink robes, with a gold-patterned cloth draped across his lap, and holds a mala in one hand while making a gesture of teaching with the other. He is surrounded by four smaller seated figures, each enclosed in a subtle circular halo: two occupy the upper corners among stylized pine trees and mountainous clouds, and two sit in the bottom foreground near a small bird and a rabbit. The palette is dominated by muted earth tones, soft pinks, and delicate gold leaf highlights, typical of a 16th-century Tibetan thangka.

This painting represents the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism, featuring Mikyö Dorje (1507–1554), a central figure in the lineage and a prolific scholar. It reflects the devotional practice of 'guru yoga,' where the practitioner meditates on the teacher as a means to realize the nature of mind.