Dharmapala Thangka CentreTibetan Antiques

This Tsa Tsa it shows the fourarmed Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara Lokeshvar or Shadakshari [Tibetan: spyan ras gzigs, སྤྱན་རས་གཟིགས] on a double lotus throne. He holds his hands in Namaskaramudra, the gesture of greeting and prayer.

Avalokiteshvara Lokeshvar is also called the Great Conduct Bodhisattva, a name that reflects his practice of Buddhism through his famous Ten Great Vows. The six Tibetan syllables at the bottom edge are the Mantra of compassion »Om Mani Padme Hum« [jewel in the lotus], which belongs to Avalokiteshvara. It is probably the most famous mantra of Buddhism. This mantra is particularly associated with the four-armed Shadakshari form of Avalokiteshvara. The Dalai Lama is said to be an incarnation of Avalokiteshvara, and so the mantra is especially revered by his devotees.

The archway at the top is decorated with the Pratiyasamutpadāga in Tibetan script. Wikipedia: Pratītyasamutpāda, commonly translated as dependent origination, or dependent arising, is a key doctrine in Buddhism shared by all schools of Buddhism. It states that all dharmas [phenomena] arise in dependence upon other dharmas: »if this exists, that exists; if this ceases to exist, that also ceases to exist«. The basic principle is that all things [dharmas, phenomena, principles] arise in dependence upon other things.