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This Tibetan 'thangka' shows Heruka embracing his partner. The terrifying aspects of the painting indicate the force necessary to defeat the powers of evil and ignorance. Deities have many heads, arms, and eyes because of their universal, all-encompassing nature and the extensiveness of their abilities. In Tantric Buddhism, the combination of male and female divinities shows that truth cannot be divided. The combination of wisdom (associated with the female) and compassion (associated with the male) is essential to reach Buddhist enlightenment. Some images, like 'Heruka and a partner', show sexual union, which symbolises the amalgamation of these two forms of knowledge, as well as the non-duality of truth.
Asian Art Department, AGNSW, December 2011
Details
Other Title
Heruka and partner
Date
18th century-19th century
Materials used
thangka; pigment on cloth
Dimensions
133.0 x 90.4 cm
Credit
Gift of Dr John Yu and Dr George Soutter 2006
Location
Not on display
Accession number
261.2006

Place
Where the work was made
Tibet
Shown in 1 exhibition
Exhibition history
Conversations through the Asian collections, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Sydney, 25 Oct 2014–13 Mar 2016