Majestic Dharma Treasures
The Tibetan Dragon Canon (Longzangjing) is regarded as a consummate achievement of Qing imperial craftsmanship largely on account of its breathtaking art of bookmaking and mounting. This section invites visitors to closely examine the material richness of this “gold-adorned Buddhist canon.” Departing from conventional display methods, the exhibition presents in full the complex layers that envelop the scripture folios: from the outermost yellow padded sutra cover to the yellow satin damask double-layered wrapper embroidered with seven roundels of dragon motifs, and further to the finely crafted five-colored sutra curtains. Each textile component embodies profound symbolic meanings associated with the protection and veneration of the sacred canon.
Beyond textile and embroidery arts, the production of the scripture protecting boards themselves represents a synthesis of lacquerware, metal inlay, and polychrome painting. The various mantras incised on the outer boards are not merely decorative, but constitute a supreme protective boundary imbued with religious significance. On the inner boards, the gilt-painted motifs of the Eight Offerings and the Five Sensory Offerings—together with the Eight Auspicious Symbols depicted along the edges of the folios—attest to the Qing court’s profound reverence for the sacred canon and its meticulous, highly sophisticated design.
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Outer Scripture Protecting Boards
Tibetan Dragon Canon, Avataṃsaka Section, Case Shi
Qing dynasty (1644-1912)
H: 36.5 cm; W: 92.2 cm
Gucang 000097Prior to the Tibetan Dragon Canon (Longzangjing), the scripture protecting boards of Tibetan Kangyur manuscripts were not known to bear inscriptions of mantras. Instead, they were typically decorated with auspicious motifs or images of the Buddha, as seen, for example, on the Yongle edition of the Kangyur in the Museum’s collection displayed in this exhibition. The mantras carved on the outer protective boards of the Tibetan Dragon Canon form the first line of protection for the sacred words of the Buddha. The selection and arrangement of these mantra syllables are not merely an accumulation of auspicious expressions. Rather, they are carefully drawn from an important tantric scripture in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, the “Elimination of All Evil Destinies” (Sarvadurgatipariśodhana-tantra / ngan song thams cad yongs su sbyong ba'i rgyud).
The central deity of this tantra is Sarvavid Vairocana, who presides over a mandala of the Five Tathāgatas. The arrangement of the mantra syllables on the protective boards is therefore not arbitrary; it serves as a sonic representation of this mandala, transforming a visual sacred diagram into a consecrated boundary inscribed upon the physical boards themselves. In this way, the protective boards become embodiments of the mandala, functioning to purify all internal and external obstacles that might defile or threaten the sacred words of the Buddha.
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Inner Scripture Protecting Boards
The pictorial program of the Tibetan Dragon Canon (Longzangjing) represents not only a pinnacle of early Qing court art, but also a crucial bridge between earlier traditions and later developments. More importantly, it established an authoritative and standardized model for imperial Buddhist imagery. The iconographic conventions and deity groupings formulated in the Tibetan Dragon Canon served as prototypes and points of reference for subsequent Buddhist artistic projects sponsored by the Qing court, exerting a lasting influence throughout the dynasty. These include the Mongolian Kangyur printed during the late Kangxi reign, the Tibetan Kangyur reproduced under the Qianlong Emperor, and the sculptural and thangka programs of the imperial Buddhist temples known as the “Six-Class Buddhist Temple (Liupin Folou),” such as the Fenhua Lou and Baoxiang Lou.
Among the most frequently cited iconographic sources in Himalayan art studies today is the Collection of Five Hundred Buddhas (bris sku mthon ba don ldan). This illustrated compendium is largely based on the Precious Source of Sādhanas from the Ocean of Yidams (yi dam rgya mtsho’i sgrub thabs rin chen ’byung gnas), compiled by the seventeenth-century Jonang master Taranatha. Commonly known as the Hundred Sādhanas from the Precious Source, the work records the principal deities of various Buddhist lineages through a combination of text and image.
The Tibetan Dragon Canon surpasses the Collection of Five Hundred Buddhas in two significant respects. First is its date. Completed in 1669, the eighth year of the Kangxi reign, the painted imagery of the Tibetan Dragon Canon predates the nineteenth-century compilation of the Collection of Five Hundred Buddha by approximately two centuries. It remains the earliest and most completely preserved painted set of Buddhist scripture boards known to survive. Second is its scale. The upper and lower protective boards of the Tibetan Dragon Canon contain a total of 756 painted images. Even after eliminating repeated names, the corpus still comprises 526 distinct deities, forming a far more extensive iconographic network.
The imagery on the protective boards also demonstrates the extraordinary resources mobilized by the early Qing court—resources beyond the reach of most monasteries in Tibet and Mongolia. The paintings employ rare natural mineral pigments, while the surrounding shrine frames are richly embellished with gold. As a result, the colors remain remarkably vibrant and luminous more than three centuries after their creation. Stylistically, the paintings embody a distinctive synthesis of Chinese and Tibetan traditions. The postures, attributes, and iconographic details of the deities strictly follow Tibetan Buddhist conventions, while the rendering of auspicious clouds, floral motifs, and drapery folds incorporates elements of Qing court painting. In addition to their meticulous brushwork and rich coloration, the figures are further adorned with inlaid gemstones and other precious materials. Such sumptuous techniques are characteristic of the Qing imperial workshops and are rarely encountered outside the court.
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