The Buddha Amitabha and lamas

The central  figure in this painting is not a bodhisattva, but rather  the red Buddha of the west, Amitabha,whose name means "infinite light." The standing figure to his right is the two-armed form of white Avalokiteshvara, embodiment of compassion (karuna);  Amitabha is often regarded as the spiritual father of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. To Amitabha's left  is the blue bodhisattva Vajrapani, embodiment of power  (shakti).

The top  row  of the painting includes (left  to right) Shakyamuni, the historical Buddha; Amitayus,the Buddha of Boundless Life,seated  within a sunburst of rainbow-colored rays; and the great  saint and teacher Padmasambhava. The second row contains important religious leaders of the Karma Kagyu order  of Himalayan  Buddhism. The bottom row includes the guardian Mahakala-often regarded as a fierce form of Avalokiteshvara.

Typical of the paintings of the Kagyu Order of Kham (Eastern Tibet), this thangka painting contains  a profusion of green in a simple landscape and has an expansive sense of space.