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Wikimedia Commons · Public domain · Hover to magnify, click for fullscreen
Original fileDolpopa
Dolpopa sits in the center on a lotus pedestal, wearing traditional red and saffron monk's robes with a red pandita hat. His hands are in the earth-touching and meditative mudras, and his shoulders are flanked by two lotus flowers supporting a sword and a book, representing Manjushri. The composition is arranged in a hierarchy, with smaller figures of lineage lamas in circular niches along the periphery, and a small shrine containing a dharma wheel and ritual offerings placed at the base of the central throne. At the very bottom, the scene transitions to a landscape with a dark blue wrathful deity on the left and a white figure riding a lion on the right, all set against a vibrant background of clouds, rainbow arcs, and lush foliage.
This painting represents the Jonang school of Tibetan Buddhism, famous for its 'Zhentong' (empty of other) philosophy, which Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen significantly expanded through his seminal text, the 'Mountain Dharma'. The inclusion of both peaceful and wrathful deities signifies the synthesis of sutra and tantric practices characteristic of the tradition.
Various Tibetan inscriptions in Uchen script are visible at the base of the figures and throughout the bottom register, labeling the deities and lineage masters.
Translation
The inscriptions serve primarily as identification labels (nameplates) for the various lamas and deities depicted in the secondary registers.
Dolpopa Sherab Gyaltsen
The central figure is the founder of the Zhentong philosophical tradition and author of the 'Mountain Dharma' (Ri chos nges don rgya mtsho).
Object
thangka
silk
18th century
Tibetan
religious
Digital Source
Wikimedia Commons · Public domain
2066 × 2800 px
Linked Data
AI AI-cataloged fields generated by gemini-3.1-flash-lite-preview on April 20, 2026. Getty identifiers are AI-inferred and may require verification.