The meditation deity Akshobhyavajra, described in the Secret Assembly (Guhyasamaja) Tantra, symbolically unites the Five Buddha Families. Three-headed, six-armed, holding a vajra and bell and embracing a consort, he represents the ultimate form of Buddha Akshobhya and the unification of method and wisdom that allows one to overcome duality.
In this painting many of the stylistic elements — the faces, the scrollwork background, the hierarchical organisation — are reminiscent of early Tibetan art. In contrast, the fullness of the deities’ garments and their patterns (such as the Chinese-inspired flowers and clouds), the gilding of all the figures, and the sense of movement are later developments that emerged with the Khyenri painting tradition in the fifteenth century.
