The Buddhist lama Yongzin Ngawang Zangpo

The Kagyu order of Himalayan Buddhism calls itself literally Tibet’s “Oral Tradition” (Kagyu), and the lama represented here—Yongzin Ngawang Zangpo—was one of its sixteenth-century masters.

Identified by an inscription behind his throne on this image, Yongzin Ngawang Zangpo was not only a monastic abbot but also an eminent scholar. During his lifetime, he was regarded as the reincarnation of a previous master. Ngawang Zangpo’s red hat is characteristic of the Kagyu lineage, whose teachings he transmitted.