Author Topic: Family protrait  (Read 3987 times)

Ensapa

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Family protrait
« on: April 18, 2012, 03:50:17 PM »
I found this really beautiful picture that my friend sent to me, and lets see how many protectors that we can identify :P If i am not mistaken, this picture was taken after the performance of a cham dance.



I see Setrap(?) Mahakala, Dorje Shugden, Kalarupa. I cant identify the rest tho, and who is the Dharma protector/ Cham dancer with a lighting rod?

Perhaps one day we can be lucky enough to see the Cham dance of Tulku Dragpa Gyaltsen's biography, what powerful blessings it can bring to those viewing!

This is what a cham dance is, according to Wikipedia.

Quote
Cham dance
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


The Black Hat Dance, or shana.[1]
The cham dance (Tibetan and Dzongkha: ????; Wylie: 'cham),[2][3] also spelled tscham or chaam, is a lively masked and costumed dance associated with some sects of Buddhism, and is part of Buddhist festivals. The dance is accompanied by music played by monks using traditional Tibetan instruments. The dances often offer moral instruction relating to compassion for sentient beings and are held to bring merit to all who perceive them.[1][4]
Cham dances are considered a form of meditation, and an offering to the gods. The leader of the cham is typically a musician, keeping time using some percussion instrument like cymbals, the one exception being Dramyin Cham - where time is kept using dramyin.

dsdisciple

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Re: Family protrait
« Reply #1 on: April 19, 2012, 08:41:54 AM »
What a lovely family portrait! Nice to have friends in high places with the skills to help us at our level.

Who needs enemies when you have these Dharmapala's in your corner! 

If I am not mistaken your picture looks like a Yama Dharmaraja Cham (Dance of Dharmapala's) performed at Monlam Celebrations at Tibetan New Year and other significant celebrations such as Padmasambhava's and Tsongkhapa's Birthday's.

The main protectors of Law "Wrathful Deities" are:

1) Yama - Choe jia
2) Begste
3) Vaishravana - Kebera / Namse
4) Mahakala - Gonpo
5) Shri Devi - Palden Lhamo
6) Hayagriva - Tam drin
7) Yamantaka - Jam Yang

Not sure about some of the masked cham dancers??? at a guess they may be local deities or various emanations of the same deity for example  Mahakala has 72 emanations, factor in location differences and buddhist lineage these dancers could be from??? makes for an interesting pick the Dharmapala?

My guess would be that iconography of the rod could represent a sword? and the crown of skulls represent an enlightened Dharma Protector eg. - Hayagriva (Tam drin).

I love the photo it's like they are all taking time out from Dharmapala duties and hanging out like one big happy family. Nice

xo