Buddha at Vajrasana Surrounded by the Eight Types of Stūpas

Eight commemorative stūpas

The tsa tsa displays a central Buddha image, showing him sitting in meditation and holding his hands in the bhumisparsha mudra. He is surrounded by eight types of stūpas. Each one representing one of the eight great events in the Buddha's life. Above the central image showing the Buddha at Bodh Gaya is the stūpa displaying the Buddha's descent from Tāvatiṃsa heaven , the birth stūpa is above the central image and the stūpa showing the death of the Buddha is shown in the lower right corner. The englightenment stūpa<br />is found at the lower left corner. What is interesting here, is that despite the central image showing the englightenment of the Buddha, there is also the type of stūpa which is connected with the place of englightenment depicted.

Pakhoutoua, Elena A. Reproducing the Sacred Place: The Eight Great Events of the Buddha’s Life and their Commemorative Stupas in the Medieval Art of Tibet (10th to 13th century), diss. University of Virginia, 2009, 276.

Elena A. Pakhoutoua

13th.- 14th. century

tsa tsa (votive tablet)

Central Tibet