Tricycle Gallery
Brought to you by the Rubin Museum of Art
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Earth-touching Buddha
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One of the most recognizable and poignant images in Buddhist iconography is the "Earth-touching Buddha," the Buddha seated with the fingertips of his right hand gently touching the ground. At the moment of his enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree, the Buddha was challenged by the demon Mara to prove the claim that a human being could become an awakened one. In reply, the Buddha touched the ground and called the earth to be his witness.
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Ganapati
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The elephant-god Ganapati, also known as Ganesh, provides wealth and success to devotees, and is frequently pictured in places of business in India. He is pictured here surrounded by treasures and bodhisattvas. The wish-fulfilling jewel above his head helps his followers understand the dharma and attain enlightenment. When his image is placed over a doorway, he helps ensure a safe journey and return home. Calling on the mighty Ganapati helps to overcome obstacles.
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Guhyasamaja
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The Guhyasamaja Tantra, one of the earliest Buddhist tantras to come out of India, is personified here by the Buddha Guhyasamaja Akshobhyavajra and his female consort, Sparshavajri. Semi-peaceful in appearance, their main pair of hands hold a vajra and a bell, symbols of male and female, compassion and wisdom, skillful means and emptiness—the duality that constitutes enlightenment.
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King of Shambhala
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Shambhala is a enlightened kingdom that is believed by some to exist in a secret location in the Himalayas. This image is of Taye Namgyal, the twenty fourth king of Shambhala, who are guardians of Kalachakra. It has been prophesized that, during a future age when the world is dominated by warfare and destruction, a savior will emerge from this hidden kingdom to bring peace and wisdom to world when it is needed most.
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Mahakala (Legden)
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Mahakala is a Buddhist dharma protector. As such, he is wrathful in appearance despite the fact that he is a manifestation of compassion. The terrifying expression and powerful stance that issue forth from Mahakala with his weapon embody the urgency and strength that practitioners need in order to cut through the obstacles on the path to enlightenment.
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Padmasambhava
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Padmasambhava was the man who successfully established Buddhism in Tibet in the eighth century. Sometimes referred to as “The Second Buddha,” many Tibetan Buddhists regard him as equally important a religious icon as the historical Buddha, Shakyamuni. He was a renowned teacher, scholar, meditator, and magician, and his 25 five principal disciples were the first generation of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism, a lineage that remains unbroken to this day.
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Rahula
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The fierce protector deity Rahula sits in a lake of blood, symbolizing his release from worldly attachments. He has eyes all over his body to show his vigilance in protecting the dharma. The fire that surrounds him burns up the miseries of the world. If you get a bad astrological reading or horoscope, calling on Rahula will ward off any ill effects. Legend says that Rahula tried to steal the sun and moon long ago, but was caught. Periodically, he gets revenge: He causes eclipses by swallowing the sun and moon.
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Shakyamuni Buddha
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In the moments leading up to his enlightenment under the Bodhi Tree, the Buddha was attacked by the armies of Mara. The armies came wielding many weapons— bows, arrows, tridents, and swords—however, as they approached the sitting Siddhartha, their armaments were transformed into flowers, which then showered him like offerings.
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Snow Lion
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Snow lions adorn the national flag of Tibet. The snow lion represents a clear mind, at peace and free of doubt. Their main quality is fearlessness, dominance over mountains, and mastery of the earth element. The vibrant energy of the snow lion symbolizes goodness and natural sense of wonder. The snow lion is one of the protectors of the Buddha and guards his throne. Their roar embodies the sound of emptiness: freedom from karma and wordily worries.
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Amitabha
Amitabha, "The Buddha of Infinite Light," is the Buddha of the Pure Land of Sukhavati, the Land of Great Bliss. Practitioners invoke Amitabha's name to ensure good health and longevity, and to attain rebirth in Sukhavati, where conditions for enlightenment are most favorable. Amitabha sits on a lotus throne decorated with the feathers of a peacock. As the peacock’s brilliant colors come from the venom of the snakes they eat, so devotion to Amitabha transforms the three poisons of greed, anger, and delusion into their antidotes: generosity, compassion, and wisdom.
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Avalokiteshvara
A central figure in Mahayana Buddhism, Avalokiteshvara is the Bodhisattva of Compassion, "He Who Hears the Cries of the World." A bodhisattva is one who defers enlightenment until all beings have achieved liberation. Avalokiteshvara’s many arms and multiple eyes help him to give aid in many places once in times of crisis and danger. Here Avalokiteshvara has eleven faces and one thousand arms.
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Kalachakra
Kalachakra refers to specific tantric practices and commentaries that center around the idea of the cycle (chakra) of time (kala), from planetary cycles to the cycles of human breath. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama has been instrumental in bringing these teachings to the West. As a deity, Kalachakra is an omniscient all-seeing Buddha who is said to be the living manifestation of time itself.
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Maitreya
Maitreya, the "Buddha of the Future," will appear when the teachings of the historical Buddha are long forgotten. His coming will coincide with the shrinking of the oceans, so that he can travel to every corner of the earth at will. He currently resides in the heavenly realm of Tushita, where all Buddhas are born, and can be accessed through meditation and prayer. Throughout the centuries, several important texts and teachings are said to have arisen from interaction with Maitreya.
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Manjushri
As the bodhisattva associated with prajñā (transcendent wisdom), Manjushri wields a flaming sword in his right hand to cut through ignorance and the entanglements of dualistic thinking. He is referred to in the earliest Mahayana literature, such as the Prajnaparamita Sutra (Perfection of Wisdom Sutra), which is the text supported by the lotus he holds in his left hand. In this image he is depicted riding a ferocious snow lion, representing wisdom’s power to tame the mind.
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Shakyamuni Buddha
On the night of his enlightenment, the Buddha resists the tempter-demon Mara's repeated attempts to distract him from his ultimate goal of realization. In a last-ditch effort to undermine the future Buddha"s resolve, Mara asks him, "Who bears witness to your awakening?" In response, the Buddha reaches down to touch the earth and answers, "I call the earth as my witness." At this moment, the ground shakes and the trees shudder in response. Mara, the tempter, has been defeated.
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Vajrayogini
Vajrayogini ("Diamond Female Yogi") is a manifestation of ultimate wisdom and compassion. She aids in the transformation of mundane experience into higher levels of spiritual understanding. She is most commonly depicted dancing naked while holding a skull-cup containing the blood of ego in one hand and a curved knife to cut to the essence of things in the other. She often wears a garland of human skulls or severed heads.
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White Tara
Tara, the "Mother of Liberation," appears in many different colors and aspects. White Tara represents purity, wisdom, and truth. She bestows longevity and serenity to those who call upon her. Born from the tears of the bodhisattva of compassion Avalokiteshvara, she has seven eyes—the usual two plus one on each hand, foot, and in the middle of her forehead—which allow her to see the world's suffering. Her white aspect also represents daylight: She labors all day long to relieve the suffering of the world.
