46 - Matthieu RICARD (Born in 1946)

Matthieu RICARD (Born in 1946) The Dance of the Eight Manifestations of Padmasambhava, Shechen Monastery, Nepal, 2010 Art print, UltraChrome HDX pigment inks, Epson Premium Glossy paper, mounted on 2mm Dibond 60 x 90 cm Label on the back of the mount. This exhibition print may show slight marks or imperfections. Proceeds from the sale of this print will benefit the Karuna Shechen Association and its relief programs for victims of the August 26, 2026, floods in Nepal. The Dance of the Eight Manifestations of Padmasambhava is the intense climax of the annual sacred dance festival held on the 10th day of the 2nd lunar month at the Tibetan monastery of Shechen in Nepal. Before an awestruck congregation, nearly two hundred monks take part. Padmasambhava, accompanied by the King, Abbot Shantarakshita, and his two principal spiritual consorts, the Queen of Tibet, Yéshé Tsoguial, and the Indian princess Mandarava, and followed by the Eight Manifestations and a vast procession, emerges from the temple and takes his place on a throne erected in the middle of the courtyard beneath a multicolored silk parasol. The dance of the Eight Manifestations is the most intense moment of the festival of sacred dance at the Tibetan monastery of Shechen in Nepal. Nearly two hundred monks participate in the dance, in front of a spellbound, devoted audience. Padmasambhava, accompanied by King Trisong Detsen, Abbot Shantarakshita, and his two principal companions—the Queen of Tibet, Yeshe Tsogyal, and the Indian princess Mandarava—followed by the Eight Manifestations and a vast procession—all emerge from the temple and take their places on a throne erected in the middle of the courtyard beneath a parasol of multicolored silks.