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021
The Buddha Shakyamuni as the Progenitor of the Thirty-Five Confession Buddhas

Thangka, painting
Cotton support with opaque mineral pigments in waterbased (collagen) binder
25.5 x 36.5 inches
Central Tibet
Ca. 17th century
Indeterminate style

As a means of individual purification, monks and initiated lay practitioners will "confess" the transgressions, faults and attachments of all their past lives, and their present life, before a group of thirty-five "confession" Buddhas. Each Buddha represents the vehicle through which one overcomes a particular hinderance that obstructs progress along the path of attainment.

John C. Huntington

Shakyamuni Essay

 

Museum #: 92.049

Huntington Archive Image Scan #: T1023