Vajrapani, the wielder of the thunderbolt, is the bodhisattva¹ that protects Buddha and represents the power of all the buddhas. To accentuate his role as a guardian and the power of enlightenment itself, he is portrayed in wrathful form, often with fierce fangs and necklaces of snakes or skulls. Even though one of the first thankgas² I purchased features him, it took me a few years to hang it up - I was kind of freaked out by his ferocity. One day, I finally put his thangka on my wall despite this feeling, and over time I felt like I developed a close affinity with him. His ferocity is an expression of the all-encompassing nature of divine love.

Here, I wanted to depict him in a way that suggested this lovability and in a manner I could relate to a little better - a cute teddy bear. This piece is based on that thangka. It is the first of the series.

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