Tsog Shing Thangka

Gelug Field of Accumulation At the center is Shakyamuni Buddha (Tibetan: sha kya tu pa, sang gye. English: the Sage of the Shakya Clan, Enlightened One): surrounded by lineage teachers, Indian adepts, meditational deities, protectors and wealth deities - the Field for the Accumulation of Merit (Tib.: tsog shing). This painting and a number of others labeled as Gelug Refuge Field Shakyamuni 'B' appear to have been created using a common model or possibly a wood block print model.In the Gelug Tradition of Tibetan Buddhism there are numerous Refuge Field composition types distinguished both by central figure and also by support (i.e. lotus or tree): (1) Shakyamuni Buddha, (2) Je Tsongkapa, (3) Pabongka Design, and (4) Lotus Support, and (5) Block Print. The first three types are depicted at the peak of a wish-fulfilling tree, seated on a throne and lotus. The fourth type is placed only on a lotus blossom. The two general types of central figures for all types of Refuge Fields are Shakyamu