Die Lebenslegende Milarepas als „Wimmelbild“

Abstract

In this article I present a systematic approach to the study of traditional Tibetan Buddhist murals painted in the second half of the 20th century. For more than 20 years there have been calls in Tibetan studies and Tibetan art history to research contemporary Tibetan Buddhist art. Although there have been a number of contributions on modern Tibetan art, where and how today traditional Tibetan Buddhist paintings are produced and received in monastic contexts is far less the subject of research. I therefore present the example of a mural in a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Kathmandu painted in the 1990s. The focus of my study is on the iconographical representation of the Milarepa’s hagiography in this painting. Due to its specific location, this image can be interpreted from various perspectives that include the local Tibetan Buddhism of the Himalayan region, the Tibetan diaspora in Kathmandu, as well as the global Buddhism of the international tourists in Kathmandu. In connection with the image analysis, I present a systematic approach I have developed for the study of Tibetan Buddhist murals in situ in various Buddhist monasteries in Asian and European countries. Last but not least, this article is also a contribution to the diverse and ongoing reception of the Milarepa hagiography in Tibetan Buddhist contexts.