On the Earliest Depictions of Padmasambhava in Tibet: Emergence and Variation

Abstract

While Tibetan texts of some of Padmasambhava’s teachings are recorded in the Dunhuang material, depictions of Padmasambhava are considerably later and appear to become common only in the course of the thirteenth century. This lecture will present some of the earliest such depictions and explore their historical and religious contexts. It will also discuss the distinct appearance of the Precious Teacher in depictions up to the fifteenth century.

About the Speaker 

Christian Luczanits is David L. Snellgrove Senior Lecturer in Tibetan and Buddhist Art at the Department of the History of Art and Archaeology, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. His research focuses on Buddhist art of India and Tibet, the latter primarily based on extensive field research and in situ documentation. Before joining SOAS in 2014, he was Senior Curator at the Rubin Museum of Art in New York. Since 2012, he leads a research project on “Tibetan Buddhist Monastery Collections Today”.