This ancient Tsa Tsa represents Tsongkhapa, the founder of the Gelugpa school, surrounded by the five Tathagata Buddhas Vairocana, Amitabha, Ratnasambhava, Akshobhya and Amogasiddhi.
Tsongkhapa [Tibetan རྗེ་ཙོང་ཁ་པ་བློ་བཟང་གྲགས་པ་1357 - 1419] was one of the most important Tibetan lama and the founder of the Gelug school and a great reformer. His teaching later gave rise to the Gelug School of Tibetan Buddhism.
It is believed that the 1st Dalai Lama, spread his teachings, following the example of their teacher and his far-reaching activities. The school prospered to such an extent that by the time of the 5th Dalai Lama [1617 - 1682] it had become the largest school in Tibet in terms of numbers. The other schools also expanded at this time.
Tsongkhapa, who received teachings from the teachers of all schools, was considered an emanation of Manjushri and was therefore respected and revered by the followers of the other Tibetan schools as well.
In 1409, Tsongkhapa founded Ganden Monastery near Lhasa. His Collected Works, amounting to 25 volumes, contain texts on all aspects of Buddhism and clarify some of the most difficult points of Sutra and Tantra.
Buddhism in Mongolia has been significantly influenced by the Gelugpas [also called Yellow Caps] since the 15th century. This has not changed until today. Accordingly, the origin of this Tsa Tsa is undoubtedly here.
The back shows a seal impression in the lower right corner and in the upper right corner a consecration fingerprint of a lama.
1000 Buddhas of the fortunate eon [»Bhadrakalpa«]
»Bhadrakalpa« is also known as »fortunate« or »auspicious eon«, is our current era according to Buddhist cosmology. »Bhadrakalpika Sūtra« is a Mahāyāna sutra with 24 chapters written in c. 200 - 250 CE, said to have been taught by Gautama Buddha in Vaishali. It includes the names of the 1000 or 1002 Buddhas of this »Fortunate Aeon«.
On mural wall paintings or thangkas, sometimes you can actually find the representation of 1000 Buddhas on this subject. On a Tsa Tsa this is of course not possible for technical reasons.
Therefore, each of the Tathagatas shown here represents 50 Tathagatas of its type. Thus, this Tsa Tsa portrays Tsongkhapa and the 1000 Buddhas of the Good Age in its core. The 20 Tathagatas depicted thus replace the 1000 representations on murals and thangkas.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Measurements: | 5.6 x 4.8 x 0.6" | 14.2 x 12.2 x 1.5 cm |
| Price: | 247 $ | 230 € |
| Shipment: | Parcel Service from Germany |
| Material: | Painted burned Clay |
| Age: | Early 20th cent. |
| Origin: | Mongolia |
| Condition: | Excellent, only very few traces of age |
| High resolution: | Display [1.8 MB, 2892 x 3303 px.] |
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