Page 113 - Sotheby's October 3 2017 Tantra Buddhost Art

This rousing, charismatic figure of Lhatsun Kunga Chögyam is
depicted here seated upright and vibrantly alert. He is seated
atop a high double-lotus throne covered in a textile with
incised florets, which are further incised on his voluminous
one-shouldered robe. Over his bare torso, he wears a
meditation belt with geometric motif across the right shoulder.
He is ornamented with a bracelet on the left wrist, and a
large pair of spiral earrings in his extended lobes. He holds
an upright vajra in the left hand, with the right hand raised in
karanamudra.

The figure is identified by the Tibetan inscription on the
sculpture verso reading: Homage to Lhatsun Kunga Chögyam.
Chögyam is a common Tibetan abbreviation of the proper
name Chökyi Gyatso, and the current work certainly depicts
the Drukpa Kagyu lama, Lhatsun Kunga Chökyi Gyatso (1432-
1505).

The latter is best known as one of the main teachers of
beloved Buddhist saint, Drukpa Kunley, credited with
introducing Buddhism into Bhutan. Drukpa Kunley, also
referred to as the “Madman of Bhutan”, is an historical figure
infamous for his wildly unorthodox behaviour and practices
regarding sexual decorum. He is often depicted barechested
with the right shoulder wrapped in a meditation belt, as is
the current figure of his guru, Lhatsun Kunga Chögyam.
According to the spiritual biography of Drukpa Kunley, after
imparting Tantric teachings to his disciple, Lhatsun Kunga
Chögyam left him with the following admonition: “All dharma
teachings must be meditated on. If you only recite the texts
without meditating, your mind will become rigid.”

THE HEART OF TANTRA – BUDDHIST ART INCLUDING PROPERTY FROM THE NYINGJEI LAM COLLECTION 111