Heruka Chakrasamvara thangka

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Lobsang Damchoi
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Heruka Chakrasamvara thangka

Post by Lobsang Damchoi »

I'm hoping that someone out there can explain the source or significance of a Heruka thangka card. I received it at a Drikung empowerment and the only explanation I got was that it was very precious. The original thangka is quite old or has deteriorated. It has one distinctive feature: two footprints. The figure directly above the yab-yum might be Gampopa. Many other figures surround the central couple on all sides.

Thanks for any answers or leads. // Jon
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conebeckham
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Re: Heruka Chakrasamvara thangka

Post by conebeckham »

we'd have to see an image to comment, but in general foot or handprints on a thangka signify a master's blessing of the image. Heruka Chakrasamvara is of course the main yidam in the Kagyu lineages, along with Dorje Phagmo, the mother.

Depending on the empowerment you received, and the guru you received it from, these may point to the significance of the image. It's hard to tell without seeing it.
དམ་པའི་དོན་ནི་ཤེས་རབ་ཆེ་བ་དང་།
རྟོག་གེའི་ཡུལ་མིན་བླ་མའི་བྱིན་རླབས་དང་།
སྐལ་ལྡན་ལས་འཕྲོ་ཅན་གྱིས་རྟོགས་པ་སྟེ།
དེ་ནི་ཤེས་རབ་ལ་ནི་ལོ་རྟོག་སེལ།།


"Absolute Truth is not an object of analytical discourse or great discriminating wisdom,
It is realized through the blessing grace of the Guru and fortunate Karmic potential.
Like this, mistaken ideas of discriminating wisdom are clarified."
- (Kyabje Bokar Rinpoche, from his summary of "The Ocean of Definitive Meaning")
Lobsang Damchoi
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Re: Heruka Chakrasamvara thangka

Post by Lobsang Damchoi »

Thanks :) Didn't realize that about thangkas...
This is the 1st thangka I've ever seen w/ f-prints -- or the 1st w/ such prominent ones anyway; the f-prints are actually larger (taller & a bit wider) than the central yab-yum. Will try to make a copy over the next couple days and send. It was a Chakrasamvara empowerment that I attended...
Thanks again.
L.D.
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PeterC
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Re: Heruka Chakrasamvara thangka

Post by PeterC »

Someone who has received that empowerment is supposed to carry an image of the Yidam with them at least until they reach the stage of wearing the attire - presumably that would be why they gave you an image, as to the significance of the specific image, hard to say, the footprints are probably an important lineage lama.
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Re: Heruka Chakrasamvara thangka

Post by Lobsang Damchoi »

Thanks so much friends -- love you! The card was given at a Heruka empowerment and Drupchod given by H. H. the Drikung Chetsang Rinpoche.

Lelopa: it's the 1st link you give. :namaste:

PeterC: I didnt know that. I have a few Drikung initiations (very imp. ones) but Gelug is my primary focus. Is this a Drikung tradition to wear the yidam image? In Gelug Heruka commentaries they mention wearing the 4 precious mantras ...

I'm deeply in debt to all who responded.

Lobsang
Lobsang Damchoi
Lobsang Damchoi
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Re: Heruka Chakrasamvara thangka

Post by Lobsang Damchoi »

On footprints & handprints in Kagyu thangkas, see

https://www.himalayanart.org/search/set.cfm?setID=2399

L. D.
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PeterC
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Re: Heruka Chakrasamvara thangka

Post by PeterC »

Lobsang Damchoi wrote: Tue Mar 08, 2022 6:03 am Thanks so much friends -- love you! The card was given at a Heruka empowerment and Drupchod given by H. H. the Drikung Chetsang Rinpoche.

Lelopa: it's the 1st link you give. :namaste:

PeterC: I didnt know that. I have a few Drikung initiations (very imp. ones) but Gelug is my primary focus. Is this a Drikung tradition to wear the yidam image? In Gelug Heruka commentaries they mention wearing the 4 precious mantras ...

I'm deeply in debt to all who responded.

Lobsang
I'm sure it's interpreted differently in different schools, but the requirement to keep an image or samaya items on you is generally true for all Heruka lineages. I'm not familiar with the Gelugpa implementation of this
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