Tashi Mannox and Tibetan Iconography: Buddhist Philosophical Art

The art piece can be described as: The main brush effect character is a combination word that reads Khandro (Dakini), it is common practice, especially of the Petsug or Khamyig Tibetan script styles to abbreviate words, much like the practice of short hand in English. The word Khandro is also written out in full below the abbreviated combination character of Khandro, this is elaborated with an upward 'sky ascending' swirl as part of the 'o' vowel sign that sits above the letter. Contemporary Tibetan calligraphy by Tashi Mannox 2008. Its first publication is on this site thanks to the generosity of the artist.

You may have noticed that our new banner uses striking imagery of rainbow clouds.  The banner presents a snippet of a bigger piece by the wonderful artist Tashi Mannox. You can view the full piece as well as some information about the idea of sky dancing and sky dancers on the “about sky dancers” page.

I was originally combing web images for a good close up picture of the stylized Tibetan clouds that fill my practice thangkas for the visuals on the blog when it was evident that Sky Dancing was going to become more than my file cabinet.  I was trying to avoid taking my thangkas down from the wall and scanning them.  Since Hurricane Katrina destroyed the Dharma Center, my front parlor is basically the sangha temple and Rinpoche tends the alter and thangkas fiercely.

I sought the cloud imagery because the inspiration for “sky dancing” and even my longlived pen name “dakinikat” is rooted in the idea of dakini.  Dakini roughly translates into sky dancer or sky walker and literally translates into “she who traverses the sky”. You can see the obvious sky and cloud connection.  The role and meaning of the dakini and her male counterpart the daka were very compelling to me when I first became a vowholder and practitioner of Vajryana Buddhism.  Vajrayana Buddhism–most commonly known as Tibetan (sic) Buddhism–uses Twilight Language and is steeped in symbols and iconography. This tradition employs  visual communication, verbal communication and nonverbal communication that is deep in meaning and lesson.  The word symbolic is almost too shallow to be used as an adjective.

The Dakini is a ‘wisdom protector’.  “She is the conduit — even sometimes the very matrix or source — of enlightenment and auspiciousness.”  Dakinis have their own writing and language. They find and translate hidden teachings containing great wisdom for people.  Hopefully, by now, you understand why I feel the icon is personally powerful to me as a musician, Buddhist, and professor, as well as for this blog that seeks to bring greater wisdom, conversation, and understanding to what we see, read, and hear.

So, the search for the right Tibetan iconography led me and my karma to the auspicious work of Tashi Mannox. His imagery captures his spiritual practice, his relationship to Kagyu masters, and his western,  modern background. His “Rainbow Cloud Study” was the image that captured me.  The connections were obvious. One of his teachers is Sherab Palden.  My dharma name is Sherab. The first teachings or empowerments that I received as a practitioner were from former Kagyu monks that are now elderly Nyingma masters. You might see why I am so personally drawn to his work.  We share energies.

Tashi Mannox’s website describes the role of his spiritual practice in his artistry as striving “to produce a collection of iconographic masterpieces that reveal powerful, spiritual themes through the majestic images of Tibetan Buddhist calligraphy and iconography”.  His ‘webstudio’ is filled with examples of calligraphy.  (I confess to having tattoos with such imagery and from Googling his name, I see his images also show up as tattoos. Minkoff Minx thought tattoos too.)  His brush stroke rivals masters like Chogyam Trungpa.

You can watch the artist Tashi Mannox describe his process in this video.  You can also hear and watch him describe his training as a text translator and his spiritual philosophy and how this voice enters his art.   He says that he doesn’t see his artwork as “preaching a Buddhist thing’.  He calls his work “humanistic” and “Buddhist philosophical’ art because it’s addressing its audience as human beings.  He believes that artists and musicians have a responsibility to “lift people up, cheer people up and give people more insight.”

Several days ago, I wrote to Tashi Mannox to see if he had any issues with our use of his rainbow cloud  imagery. You know that we’re a small blog with high participation by poor academics. Graphic artists who provide images for “branding” of commercial sites can be extremely pricey.  Tashi immediately and generously gave his permission.  As I shared his gift and art with the other front pagers, his fan base multiplied.   He’s a rare combination of extreme talent, diligent craftsmanship from study and work, and dharma.  I want to thank him very much for his gracious gift.    I want to share his work with you because it is marvelously compelling and uplifting.  That is also his gift.

Enjoy!!