The Tibetan View of Time

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Mouse and Horse

Ox and Sheep

Tiger and Monkey,

Hare and Bird

Dragon and Dog &

Serpent and Pig (Pig).

The inter-relations (affinity and antagonism) of five elements are well defined.

The Tibetan year is lunar, and number nominally three hundred and sixty days so that in order to bring it into keeping with the moon's phases one day is occasionally omitted, and as it is unlucky days which are omitted, and these occur irregularly, the Tibetan year and months do not always correspond exactly with the Chinese months and years. And the solar difference is compensated by inserting seven intercalary months (Da-s'ol) every nineteen years.

The year begins in February with the rise of the new moon. The months (Da-wa) are named first, second, etc. and the word Da-wa prefixed thus, Da-wa-tang-po, 'first month'. The week is divided into seven days (Za), bearing (for the lamas adopted the Aryan system) the names of the sun, moon, and the five planets, two being allotted to each day, and is represented by a symbol which is a concrete picture of the name – The Sunday is symbolized by the round disc of Sun, Monday by Crescent of the Moon, Tuesday by red eye of the planet Mars, Wednesday by turquoise blue hand, with a pointing index finger making the threatening tarjani gesture of the planet mercury, Thursday by golden or green ritual dagger of the planet Jupiter, Friday by an arrowhead of the planet Venus, Saturday by a bundle of fibre of the Saturn. At the bottom is the blue-black raven of the invisible eclipse planet Rahu, the 'wild god of the sky'. Rahu's decapitated raven head is sealed with an open lotus neck-choker.

The different days of the week are associated with the elements, the Sunday, and Tuesday with Fire, Monday, Wednesday with Water, Thursday with Air, and Friday and Saturday with Earth. Each hour and day of the week possesses a lucky or unlucky character, and the days of the month according to their order introduce other sets of unlucky combinations. Thus the individual days of the week are divided – Monday and Thursday are best. Sunday and Tuesday are rather 'angry'. Saturday and Wednesday are only good for receiving things (Yang-sa) and not for giving away. Saturday is not quite so gloomy and malignant as western mythology.

The days of the month in their numerical order are unlucky per se in this order. The first is unlucky for starting any undertaking journey etc. The second is very bad to travel. Third is good provided no bad combinations otherwise. Fourth is bad for sickness and accident (Ch'u-jag). Eight is bad. The dates counted on fingers, beginning from thumb and counting second in the hollow between thumb and index finger, the hollow always comes out bad, thus second, eighth, fourteenth, etc. Ninth is good for long journey but not short (Kut-da). Fourteenth and twenty-fourth are like fourth. The others are fairly good. In accounts, etc. unlucky days are often omitted altogether and the dated counted by duplicating the preceding day.

The center of the painting, the astrological diagram is inscribed by Manjushri on the under shell of the tortoise. In the inner central circle are the Tibetan numerals one to nine arranged into a 'magic square' known as the 'nine mewas, with the number five at the center and other eight numbers arranged around it so that their digits add up to fifteen – horizontally, vertically, and diagonally.

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Unveiling the Divine Art: Journey into the Making of Thangkas

A Thangka is a traditional Tibetan Buddhist painting that usually depicts a Buddhist Deity (Buddha or Bodhisattva), a scene, or a mandala. These paintings are considered important paraphernalia in Buddhist rituals. They are used to teach the life of the Buddha, various lamas, and Bodhisattvas to the monastic students, and are also useful in visualizing the deity while meditating. One of the most important subjects of thangkas is the Bhavacakra (the wheel of life) which depicts the Art of Enlightenment. It is believed that Thangka paintings were developed over the centuries from the murals, of which only a few can be seen in the Ajanta caves in India and the Mogao caves in Gansu Province, Tibet. Thangkas are painted on cotton or silk applique and are usually small in size. The artist of these paintings is highly trained and has a proper understanding of Buddhist philosophy, knowledge, and background to create a realistic and bona fide painting.

The process of making a thangka begins with stitching a loosely woven cotton fabric onto a wooden frame. Traditionally, the canvas was prepared by coating it with gesso, chalk, and base pigment.

After this, the outline of the form of the deity is sketched with a pencil or charcoal onto the canvas using iconographic grids. The drawing process is followed in accordance with strict guidelines laid out in Buddhist scriptures. The systematic grid helps the artist to make a geometrical and professional painting. When the drawing of the figures is finalized and adjusted, it is then outlined with black ink.

Earlier, a special paint of different colors was made by mixing powdered forms of organic (vegetable) and mineral pigments in a water-soluble adhesive. Nowadays, artists use acrylic paints instead. The colors are now applied to the sketch using the wet and dry brush techniques. One of the characteristic features of a thangka is the use of vibrant colors such as red, blue, black, green, yellow, etc.

In the final step, pure gold is coated over some parts of the thangka to increase its beauty. Due to this beautification, thangkas are much more expensive and also stand out from other ordinary paintings.

Thangka paintings are generally kept unrolled when not on display on the wall. They also come with a frame, a silken cover in front, and a textile backing to protect the painting from getting damaged. Because Thangkas are delicate in nature, they are recommended to be kept in places with no excess moisture and where there is not much exposure to sunlight. This makes them last a long time without their colors fading away. Painting a thangka is an elaborate and complex process and requires excellent skills. A skilled artist can take up to 6 months to complete a detailed thangka painting. In earlier times, thangka painters were lamas that spent many years on Buddhist studies before they painted.