"With a body red in colour, three faces, six hands, the main face is red, right green, left white; each face possesses three glaring eyes, bared fangs and a curled tongue, moustache, eyebrows and hair - brownish-yellow, flowing upward. Set atop the faces are three green horse heads with mouths gaping and neighing loudly. From the gaps in the mane sparks issue filling the three thousand-fold world. For the six hands, in the first right a vajra is held, second a katvanga, third a sword. The first left is in a wrathful gesture, second a lance, third a lasso of intestines; wearing an upper garment of a fresh elephant hide and a human skin, a lower garment of tiger skin, five dry human skulls as a crown and a necklace of fifty fresh [heads], a brahmin cord of human hair, adorned with drops of blood and clumps of charnel ashes. The four right legs are bent and the four left extended - treading on the forms of the eight great nagas [above a sun disc and multi-coloured lotus]; standing in the middle of a blazing fire of pristine awareness." (Tsarchen Losal Gyatso 1502-1566).

At the top center sits Buddha Amitabha, red in colour with the two hands folded in the posture of meditation. To the left is Khasarpani Avalokiteshvara, white with one face and two hands, seated in a relaxed manner. Below that is White Manjushri (Siddhaikavira Tantra) with one face and two hands, the right in the gesture of generosity and the left holding a lotus stem blossoming at the left ear supporting the Prajnaparamita book.

To the right of Amitabha is Vajrasattva with one face and two hands holding a vajra and bell. Below that is the goddess of wisdom and the arts, Sarasvati, white in colour, with the two hands holding and strumming a stringed instrument (Skt.: vina); seated in a relaxed posture.

At the bottom center is the Great Black One with Six Hands, Sadbhuja Mahakala, wrathful emanation of Avalokiteshvara, blue-black in colour and surrounded by the flames of wisdom. To the left is Kurukulle, goddess of power from the Hevajra Tantra, red with one face and four hands; standing in a dancing posture. To the right is the great powerful red one, Ganapati, the dancing elephant headed god with one face and twelve hands; emanation of Avalokiteshvara. These two red deities arise from the collection known as ‘the 13 Golden Dharmas’ of Sakya. At the right corner is yellow Vasudhara, goddess of wealth, with one face and six hands; seated in a relaxed posture. At the left corner is the wealth deity Vaisravana with one face and two hands; riding a snow lion.

The ‘Secret Accomplishment’ Hayagriva, practiced in all schools of Tibetan Buddhism, is a Treasure Teaching of the Nyingmapas discovered by Nyemowa Sangye Wangchen (12th century). The Shangpa Kagyu master Kyergangpa acquired the teaching directly from Guru Rinpoche in a dream and was further instructed to receive the teaching of the ‘Terma’ from Nyemowa. The practice was then made famous throughout Tibet by the lama Kyergangpa.

An inscription of fine gold lettering in Nepali ‘lantsa’ script runs along the bottom front of the painting.

Jeff Watt 9-98