Philosophy of Tibetan ThankasThe philosophy of Tibetan Thankas is connected with the traditional Buddhist religion. Every Deity has his own quality and this is symbolically represented in the colours or the pose and the attributes they hold. If these symbolically intended attributes are not put in the right way the Thanka can not be used for meditation. It is that strict it follows the traditional rules. The Thankapainting can help the person who is meditating to visualize the deity. Every Deity represents a different aspect or quality of the Buddha. Like compassion is represented by the Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara and the figure of his trancedent wisdom is represented in Bodhisattva Manjushri.So if one want to meditate on compassion than he or she can meditate on or visualize Bodhisattva Avalokitesvara. In this kind of meditation one becomes the Deity itself and also the quality where it stands for is coming in the awareness of the one meditating. And also the more one meditate the more one accumulate compassion in him or herself. So it is essential to know more about the deities and where they stand for to fully understand the Philosophy behind the Tibetan Thankas and the place they have in their religion.Different sort of ThankasDifferent sort of Thankas are: Multicoloured Thanka, Black Thanka, Gold Thanka and Red Thanka.Multicoloured Thankas; have mostly bright colours and they are also symbolically used.Black Thankas; have a black background and the Deity is painted in mostly gold. These Thankas picturing the wrathful deities.Gold Thankas; are painted to earn merit because of the large amount of gold that is used.Red Thankas; are specially used to paint the peaceful deities. Such as the long live deity, Amitayus. The red background follows the colour of the body of Amityus, which this deity symbolically is recognised by.The making of Thankas1. Sketch2. Colour3. Detail4. Delineation5. Dry shade6. Gold burnish7. Gold delineation8. Opening of the eyesMaterial that is usedThe material that is used has to be a high quality cotton or canvas.This canvas has to undergo a certain process. The fabric is set very tight to a frame. Glue is boiled and some powder is added until a milky essence is achieved. This than have to stand for a night and if the substance is constant it is ready for use. It has to be reheated and applied to the fabric with a brush.It is dried flat in the sun and after it is put on a smooth wooden board. Then the surface again made a little wet with a fabric and is rubbed with a smooth stone to make the surface of the canvas waterproof and smooth. After this they check if the canvas is waterproof and they repeat it up to 6 times if necessary.This process is very important to get a well balanced panting. When the amount of glue in the material and the paint is right the Thanka looks smooth, flexible and natural. It is also very light. When there is too much glue the Thanka will look very stiff, glossy and shady. And have a hard surface.When the glue is not enough the Thanka will be soft but also unclear and furred, and roughness due to sketch and erase also have consequence on the material.If the painting is finished they are usually put in a silk or Chinese brocade frame. On the top they put a thin silk cover that protects the picture from dust and light, when not used.There are also two small strings sowed on top to hold up the thin silk cover. On top of the Thanka and down it has a wooden stick that makes the painting become even. Also they are rolling the picture in the frame around the stick so they are saved when not used.If the Thanka is framed than through a ceremonial ritual they blow as a matter of speaking live into the deity or Thanka painting in total. Also they put some holy water, not on the painting but on a mirror that reflex the painting.Then they put on the backside of the thanka the Mantra that goes with the specific Deity. These are mystic formulas that give them a kind of live power or some have just Om Ah Hum on the backside. As a sign that it is powerful on spiritual, verbal and physical level.