Thangka with Seated Sakyamuni

Buddhist practitioners strive for nirvana, a state in which they no longer yearn for earthly desires or temptations. In this stunningly detailed Tibetan thangka painting, we see the Buddha at rest, having left his life on earth to achieve enlightenment. Painted in pigment over two hundred years ago, the images of Buddha, deities, elephants, and other animals remain vibrantly colored.