Butön Rinchen Drup
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| Butön Rinchen Drup, Brass, ca. 16th/17th C.E. Tibet, Currently at Patan Museum |
A hat of the portrait of Butön Rinchen Drup over the head is sharply pointed upward and covers a pair of ear hovering on each shoulder. The hat is engraved with numerous microscopic dash lines texture and bordered by round solid string over the forehead. Also there seems circle shaped emboss gold on its forehead that represents Urna. The oval shaped face of Butön Rinchen Drup seems not much of realistic. Its face has full-opened eyes wherein cornea seems missing on right eyeball inlaid with silver. The combination of its eyebrows and eyes express the feature of semi-aggressive (Ardhakrodha) character of Butön Rinchen Drup. Perhaps it is because of inlaid emboss silver cornea on its eyes, upward lines drawn in its eyebrows and the hard line drawn in its glabellas and bridge of the nose, however the lower part of the face from its eyes seems calm. Although the Thanka painting of same icon from Shalu monastery painted by Kyenrab Jamyang in late 17th C.E. and currently displayed in Asian Art Museum of San Francisco from the collection of Avery Brundage (Rhie & Thurman, 1991, p.213) represents fully calm facial expression of Butön Rinchen Drup on its eyes as well with rounded eyebrows. It has long pointed nose, upturned large lower lip chiseled with hard line, sleek planed cheeks and rounded chin. Its neck seems stout with four semi-circular downy necklines. It wears sophisticated Tibetan monastic robes with thick and heavy drapery covering entire body. The hems of collar as well as folded drapery covered from the right arm up to left arm completely throughout anterior of navel and legs areas are skillfully engraved with floral motifs. The hand gesture of the portrait performs Dharmachakra Mudra or Bodhyangi Mudra similar to the hand gesture of Vairochan Buddha, that means the gesture of preaching in which its both hands are detained next to the chest by combining both thumb tips of each hand with the right palm outwards from its chest and the left palm inwards to its chest. The both hands of Butön Rinchen Drup also hold the stalk of a pair of lotus flowers that drift at shoulder height. A thunderbolt (Vajra) rests on the lotus of its right side while a bell (Ghanta) lies on the lotus of its left side. A diamond shape floral pattern is also precisely engraved in the palm and lines of phalanx of the fingers as well as nails are chiseled of its each hand where the tip of middle finger of right hand seems broken. The portrait is seated in the meditative posture (Vajraparyankasan or Vajrasan or Dhyanasan or Padmasan) with the right leg crossing over the left leg, where the sole of both feet are turned upwards and seems like unusually inclined. Like in its palm, a diamond shape floral pattern is also precisely engraved in the both sole. The toes of both feet as well as heels do not appear liveliness. The sculpture is seated on the triangular round shape throne with double tired abundant lotus petals. The upper tired lotus petals looks upwards and lower tired lotus looks downwards. The throne is encircled by the petite spheres on the top while lower throne is enclosed by double rows in which upper row posses petite spheres while lower one is solid. There also seems engraved inscription with Tibetan script in between these two rows. The portrait also comprises some traces of cold gold on its face, right arm along with both hands and soles of both feet.
The brass portrait of the great
Tibetan scholar Butön Rinchen Drup (1290 - 1364) is displayed in gallery E of Patan
Museum which is also inlaid with silver and gold. It is created by using Lost Wax Casting (Si Lhoka Dhaleyayegu) technique. It is
about 32cm high and dated from ca. 16th/17th C.E. from
Tibet. It is also recognized as Ratnasiddhi in Sanskrit terminology.
Exceptionally, the icons of Butön
Rinchen Drup in the form of sculpture
or painting are completely rare in the Buddhist art. Tibetan Buddhist Iconography
refers to Butön Rinchen Drup as seated on lotus throne in meditative position
and hands in the gesture of preaching and carrying the stalks of a pair of lotuses
with Vajra and Ganta that correspondingly hover at right and left shoulder. He is
dressed in the sophisticated robes of a lama along with a yellow hat. Historically,
he is considered as the 11th abbot of Shalu (Zhalu) Monastery, which was liberally allied with the Sakya school
of Tibetan Buddhism and retaining its own practice rooted on the Sakya and
Kadam teachings of Butön Rinchen Drup who compiled the scriptures based on Tripitaka (transmitted Words of Buddha) renowned
as the Old Nartang, the Buddhist Encyclopedia of Tibetan version of the Kangyur
and Tengyur. Shalu Monastery was founded by the princes of Shalu in 1027 located near
Shigatse (Jhikhachhen in Medieval Nepal
Bhasha) Tsang and restored
during Butön Rinchen Drup was abbot in 1333 after ruined by the devastating
earthquake of 1329. In comparison of iconographical texts and illustrated paintings
and sketches of Butön Rinchen Drup (Rhie
& Thurman, 1991, p.212-214; Stein & Zangpo, 2013, Coverpage Image &
Namgyal, 2012, http://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Buton-Rinchen-Drub/TBRC_P155), this brass sculpture is much similar
with its iconographical form and attributes. Therefore, the uncertain title of
the brass Portrait of Lama as Panchen Lama Chogle Namgyal by the scholar Slusser
displaying at Patan Museum must be validated as the icon of Butön Rinchen Drup.
Dedicated to
Late Mary Shepherd Slusser
(The Eminent International Art & Culture Historian of Nepal)
Note
The dimensions of the sculpture is
taken from the book Patan Museum Guide due to the inappropriate
circumstances to re-measure the objects showcasing in the glass interior for
security purpose.
Image Source
The photograph from Patan Museum by
Tejesh Man Shakya
Bibliography
Chandra, L. (Ed.). (1971).The
Collected Works of Bu-ston. Śatapiṭaka, 26 (64). New Delhi: International
Academy of Indian Culture.
Namgyal, D. R. (1996). A Handful of Flowers: A Breif Biography
of Buton Rinchen Drub. (H. V. Bogaert, Trans.) Dharamsala: Library of
Tibetan Works and Archives.
Namgyal, T. (2012, September). http://treasuryoflives.org/biographies/view/Buton-Rinchen-Drub/2845. Retrieved September 2012, from The Treasury of Lives Web
site: http://www.treasuryoflives.org
Olschak. B.C.(1973). Mystic
Art of Ancient Tibet. London: George Allen & Unwin Ltd.
Pal, P. (1983). Art of
Tibet – A Catalogue of the Los Angeles County Museum of Art Collection. Los
Angeles: Los Angeles County Museum of Art & University of California Press.
Rhei, M. M. & Thurman, R.A.F. (1991). The Sacred Art of Tibet. London: Thames
and Hudson Ltd.
Rin-chen-grub, B.-s. (1986). The history of Buddhism in
India and Tibet (2nd ed.). (E. Obermiller, Trans.) 1986: Sri Satguru
Publications.
Ruegg, D. S. (1966). The life of Bu ston Rin po che : with
the Tibetan text of the Bu ston rNam thar. Roma: Instituto italiano per il
Medio ed Estremo Oriente.
Schaeffer, K. R. (2004). A
Letter to the Editors of the Buddhist Canon in Fourteenth-Century Tibet: The
"Yig mkhan rnams la gdams pa" of Bu ston Rin chen grub'. Journal of the American Oriental Society
, 124 (2), 265-281.
Shakya, S. L. (2072 B.S.). A Study on
Buddhist Metal Images of Patan Museum and Image Making Techniques. Tribhuvan
University, Central Department of Buddhist Studies. Kirtipur, Nepal: Unpublished.
Slusser, M. S. (2013). Patan Museum Guide. Lalitpur:
Patan Museum.
Buton's History of Buddhism in India and Its Spread to Tibet
A Treasury of Priceless Scripture.
(2013). (L. Stein, Trans.) Boston & London: Snow Lion An imprint of
Shambhala Publications, Inc.
© All rights reserved by the Author Shanti L.
S. Bajracharya
Special
Thanks to
Prof.
Dr. Milan Ratna Shakya
Head
of Department
Central
Department of Buddhist Studies
Tribhuvan
University
Mr.
Suresh Lakhe
Acting
Head
Patan Museum
Mr.
Tej Ratna Shakya
Founder
& Foundry based Classical Sculptor
Foundry
Foundation Nepal
Mr.
Shishir Ratna Shakya
Founder
& Creative Head
Kala
Nest
RESEARCH
DIRECTOR
TEJESH
MAN SHAKYA
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