Tsakli in a Ritual

Tsakli of Mahakaruna and others are used in an empowerment ceremony
recorded in The Secret Visions of the Fifth Dalai Lama.

Tsakli Paintings are used in Tibetan rituals and empowerment ceremonies as visualization aids or as a substitute for the object depicted. They can be simply held up during a ritual or placed on the altar with other items and changed gradually over several days of teachings.

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1. Set of Cloth Initiation Tsakli. 6 paintings, each 4" x 3 1/4" (8 x 10 cm.) 19th Century Tibet, possible older. Lamas, fierce protectors and benign deities for a practicioner's initiation. Fine paintings in vegetable colors on thick, sized canvas with an an explication in Tibetan script on the back. SOLD.
2. Set of Tantric Tsakli Arranged as a Banner. 8 cards, each 4" x 3 1/4". 19th Century Tibet. Painted on cloth backed with mulburry paper, numbered and identified on the back. The paintings show tantric deities and magicians to be summoned in an initiation ceremony. Hung on a string by leather tabs with hand sewn cloth banners below. $550.
3. Initiation Tsakli Set. Tibet, 19th Century. 5 paintings on cloth of some of the lamas and benign deities and consorts appealed to in an initiation. Vegetable colors on sized canvas. Each 4" x 3 1/4" (8 x 10 cm.) SOLD.
4. Complete Set of 20 Initiation Cards. Tibet, 19th or early 20th Century. Stiff mulberry paper. Each 4 1/4" x 3 1/2". Numbered one through twenty with fine paintings in bright colors -- fine writing on the back. The first card, of the Buddha, has a lot of wear; it was probably the most popular card. $650.
5. Bodhisattva Tsakli Set. Tibet, 19th Century. Stiff mulberry paper. 12 cards, each 4 1/4" x 5". $850.
6. Lion-Headed Deity. Tibet, 19th Century. On a mulberry paper card, measuring 4" (10 cm.) by 4 7/8" (12 cm.) Initiation card showing a diety with a lion head and lion skin around the waist, holding out a cup in one hand. The inscription on the back, written in the U-med Tibetan script, invokes liberation. SOLD.
7. Long Banner with Buddhas, Lamas and Teachers. Tibet, 19th Century. 16 paintings on cloth over stiff mulberry paper cards, each 3 1/2" x 4". $1200.
8. Lama Tsakli. Tibet. Cloth on a stiff paper card. A lama from the yellow hat sect holding a jewel. 2 7/8" x 3 1/2" (7.2 cm x 8.8 cm). $65.
9. Offering Tsakli. Tibet. Cloth on a stiff paper card. A table set with offerings. 2 7/8" x 3 1/2" (7.2 cm x 8.8 cm). SOLD.
10. Mahakala Tsakli. Tibet, 19th Century. On cloth, 3 1/4" x 3 3/4" (8.2 cm x 9.5 cm). Very fine painting of Mahakala, surrounded by flames, dancing on two corpses (symbolizing the death of negativity) and holding his consort Vajravarahi. His crown is painted with gold paint. $145.
11. Guardan Deity on a Dragon. Tibet, 18th or 19th Century. 3" x 3 1/2" (7.5 cm x 8.5 cm). Finely painted, although with some damage -- showing a Dharma protector riding a dragon above mountains and clouds. The back has the mantra Om Ah Hum. Painted on a stiff mulberry paper card. SOLD.
12. Guardian Deity on a Horse. Tibet, 18th or 19th Century. 3" x 3 1/2" (7.5 cm x 8.5 cm). Painted on a stiff mulberry paper card with some water damage at the bottom. A guardian figure riding a horse and hold an orb and sceptre. The back has the mantra Om Ah Hum. SOLD.
13. Auspicious Vessel. Tibet. Initiation card calling on the power of the water to cleanse duality and the obscuring habits of body, speech and mind. 2 3/4" x 3 1/2" (7 cm x 9 cm). SOLD.
14. Non-Duality Tsakli. Tibet. Initiation card. A seated Buddha holds a vessel filled with the elixir that banishes extremes and brings equinimity and non-duality between self and others. 2 3/4" x 3 1/2" (7 cm x 9 cm). SOLD.
15. Protector Tsakli. Tibet. Calling on Mahhakala, on behalf of one's self and others, to give the power to protect against obstacles, ignorance and afflictive emotions. 2 3/4" x 3 1/2" (7 cm x 9 cm). SOLD.
16. Ripening Tsakli. Tibet. Invoking the Buddha to purify the mind of attachment, ripening the conscious for a higher rebirth. 2 3/4" x 3 1/2" (7 cm x 9 cm). SOLD.
17. Jewel Tsakli. Tibet. The jewel of perfect knowledge that will guard against the suffering born of attachment. 3 1/2" x 4 1/2" (9 cm x 11 cm). Painted on mulberry paper card. SOLD.
18. Pride Tsakli. Tibet. Guarding against the ripening of karma stemming from pride. 2 3/4" x 3 1/2" (7 cm x 9 cm). SOLD.
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