Exploring The Shape Of The Demon In The Murals Of The Labrang Monastery

The wheel of Life and Death in Tibetan-Buddhism is the simple,basic blueprint on where souls are directed after death in Buddhism.Yama,as an important figure holding reincarnation disk,is originally descended from India.Labrang Monastery is located in the traditional Tibetan area of Amdo,where many artistic styles of Buddhism amalgamate and interact with each other,a transition zone for Vajrayana and Exotoric Buddhism.Nowadays styles of modellings of Yama are results of convergence of many cultures and arts in Buddhism.Their modellings follow basic standards of Tibetan Buddhism,dense and thick in color,ferocious and fiendish in manners.It is such styles of modelling of deterrent force that reflect that Bhavacakra reincarnation is not merely a fantasy,but an inevitable essence in mortal world.Researches on modellings of Yama in The wheel of Life and Death help us understand difference made in distinct domains and cultural environments in expressions of arts based on Bhavacakra,Buddhism,which is extremely meaningful for explorations at transitions of Buddhism from the west to the east.In this paper,starting from art of modelling of Yama,comparison,between modellings in The wheel of Life and Death in Labrang Monastery and Thankgka,will be presented and explored,to delve into cultural origin and artistic feature of modelling of Yama.Eventually that makes us believe that formation of art cannot be isolated from certain times and social backgrounds,convergence among arts in different eras,which leads to change of aesthetic view,and influences evolvement of styles of arts.