Thangka

In the centre presides the Primordial Buddha and "owner" of the Dzogchen teachings Samantabhadra, in union with Samantab- hadri. The colour of the sky, Samantabhadra appears seated in the lotus posture, his hands in the samadhi mudra.

The following section, in its entirety, is an extract from Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche's teaching given at Lerab Ling in autumn 2014.

The 108 Masters of the Dzogchen Lineage Thangkas Project is a major initiative that has been the vision and aspiration of Orgyen Tobgyal Rinpoche for more than 30 years. The aim is to uphold and preserve the highest teachings of Buddhist tradition - Dzogchen lineage - by commissioning the creation of 108 thangkas that depict the main holders of this lineage. Each thangka will depict the main master of the lineage with one or two of their individual yidam deities, two or three of their main teachers, and five or six of their main students. The background environment will be portrayed in accordance with an accurate description of their life events. Each thangka will include a representation of a particular dharma protector. Together these thangkas will tell the history of the lineage and its development, starting with dharmakaya Samantabhadra and passing through sambhogakaya Vajrasattva and then nirmanakaya masters such as Garab Dorje, Shri Singha, Vimalamitra, Padmasambhava, King Trison Deutsen and Yeshe Tsogyal, continuing with Longchenpa, Jigme Lingpa, and the three Jamgons, all the way down to contemporary masters such as Jamyang Khyentse Chokyi Lodro Rinpoche, Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche, Dudjom Rinpoche, Tulku Urgyen Rinpoche, Nyoshel Khen Rinpoche, Drubwang Penor Rinpoche, Dodrupchen Rinpoche, and others.