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BLISSFUL UNION - Cakrasanvara, a 12 armed yiddam deity thangka by brian batista
BLISSFUL UNION
Oil on canvas
20.5” X 24 3/4”
2011

Painted here is Cakrasanvara, a 12 armed yiddam Deity, depicted as a"yab-yum" figure. The yab-yum style is very common in the east and it shows the deity in a sexual union. In the west, yab-yum translates into Highest/Supreme Bliss.

Sa‑ Cvara and consort, Vajravarahi, are not to be thought of as two
different entities, such as an ordinary husband and wife
. In reality, Sa-Cvara and Vajravarahi’s divine embrace is a metaphor for the union of
great bliss and emptiness, which are one and of the same essence.

Cakrasanvara is a Tantric meditational deity of the Highest Yoga Tantra class of Vajrayana Buddhism. She is regarded as the most important Mother Tantra, representing female deities like yoginis and dakinis. Mother Tantra practices focusing on mental isolation and repetitive activity. This leads to a blissful awareness of emptiness, as the immediate cause for achieving a Buddha's omniscient awareness or dharmakaya.

Their skin tones are pink and blue with opposing colors on the hands and feet much like the opposing elements of a yin & yang. Each hand holds a ritual implement toward greater understanding of enlightenment.

Print available here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/82668862/blissful-union-tantric-yab-yum-figure|http://www.etsy.com/listing/82668862/blissful-union-tantric-yab-yum-figure|