Padmapani Lokeshvara with Chenrezig and Manjushri, Handcrafted Buddhist Statue, Antique Finish

Commentary
Manjushree is the Bodhisattva who holds the flaming sword [Skt. Khadga] of enlightenment, by his left hand in a warning( Tarjani) hand gesture ( Mudra) in his left hand representing his realization of wisdom to cut through ignorance & wrong view. His right hand depicted in teaching (Jnana Mudra) holds the stem of a Blue Lotus (Utpala) flower upon which rests the Book (Pustaka) of Perfection of Transcendental Wisdom. The blue lotus is a symbol of the victory of the spirit over the senses and signifies the wisdom of knowledge. This represents the lotus that he obtained from the middle of the lake in the Kathmandu Valley out of which grew a lotus bearing a Blue Flame which represents wisdom. Manjushree sits upon a moon disc upon a lotus with an elongated stem arising from a lake. He wears a gold diadem fitted with precious jewels. He wears a silk scarf fastened at the waist and over this, a softly glowing green scarf decorated with golden motifs. His head is silhouetted against a nimbus. The lotus he is sitting on has an elongated stem and arises from a lake representing his recovery of the blue flame of transcendent wisdom and the teaching he originated. The white sash is the attire of the Vajrayana school of Buddhism.

According to legend, Manjushree founded the Nepalese civilization. In ancient times, way before Buddha Shakyamuni the Kathmandu Valley was a vast lake. The Buddha Vipashyin came to Nepal to meditate on the hill above the lake. Wishing to give the rough mountain people an object of worship, Vipashyin threw a lotus seed into the lake. When this lotus bloomed, a blue flame of wisdom light shone from the center of its thousand petals. This light was called the Swayambhunath Dharmadhatu, the Self-Sprung Infinite Field of Light, and the flame of the enlightened mind of the primal Buddha, Vajradhara burned at its center. The light of Vajradhara also emanated in the colors of the rainbow and in each of the five colors appeared one of the Five Buddhas - Vairochana, Akshobhya, Ratnasambhava, Amitabha, and Amoghasiddhi. Then Manjushri went to Nagarkot Peak on the edge of the lake, and after having pondered in Samadhi how best the lake may be drained, with his keen-edged sword of wisdom he cut three Gorges. After the lake had been drained and the Valley bottom made suitable for cultivation Manjushree founded the city of Patan which was originally called Manjupattan. He taught the people many things. Manjushree manifests himself in the form of Yamantaka, known also as Vajrabhairava in order to overcome the lord of Death, Yama.
The Book (Pustaka) represents Transcendent Wisdom which came to be embodied by the Dyani {Pancha} Buddha Families. The book symbolically contains Buddhist teaching that had been lost to mankind & which was revealed to Manjushree. The book is commonly mistaken for the Prajna Paramita which was written by many hands between 100 & 200 CE realizing the Boddhisattva Principle. The book of Manjushree alludes to Wisdom and the emanation of the Five Transcendent Buddha Families. These are Vairochana, Akshobhya, Ratnasambhava, Amitabha & Amoghasiddhi. Wisdom Energy is a power that can extinguish the Five Negative afflictions. Each family heads wisdom and energy to overcome these Five hindrances to enlightenment which are greed, hatred, delusion, jealousy & pride.

Mantra of Manjushree

Iconography
Avalokiteshvara, Chenrezig, is visualized in many forms, with various numbers of faces and arms, and various colors and ornaments. He sits on a lotus and the flat disc of the moon, with another moon disk behind him, reflecting his total purity. Two of his four arms are joined in the prayer position holding the wish fulfilling gem. In his other left hand he holds a lotus flower and in his other right hand, a crystal mala (rosary), which he is using to count the repetitions of his mantra, "Om Mani Padme Hum", Hail to the Jewel in the Lotus, which liberates all beings from suffering. He wears the silks and ornaments of a Bodhisattva, representing all his special qualities, and the soft skin of an antelope over his shoulder, symbolizing his complete freedom from violence. He smiles with deep understanding, love and compassion as his eyes look upon all beings.

The four arms and hands signify the four immeasurable:
Immeasurable loving kindness
Immeasurable compassion
Immeasurable joy
Immeasurable equanimity.

Chenrezig, the Bodhisattva of Boundless Compassion, is the very embodiment and realization of the four immeasurable. The four immeasurable are the vehicles through which Chenrezig benefits beings.
The first two, the inner arms, have palms joined at the heart, holding a sky-blue, and wish fulfilling jewel. This symbolizes that in whatever way Chenrezig manifests to benefit beings, the quality of Chenrezig's mind is never separate from the all-pervasive primal wisdom.

In the outer right hand, Chenrezig is holding crystal beads and moving them the way we use a mala to count mantras. This symbolizes that there is not one moment when Chenrezig does not benefit beings. Like the steady movement of counting the beads, Chenrezig is continuously benefiting sentient beings and turning the wheel of enlightened activity.

In the outer left hand, Chenrezig holds a lotus flower. This symbolizes that in benefiting sentient beings, Chenrezig manifests in whatever forms are necessary in accordance with the mental capacities, circumstances, and aptitudes of sentient beings. Chenrezig may appear in any of the different realms, such as the hell realm or the hungry ghost realm. However Chenrezig may appear, he remains free from any of the worldly stains of the various realms of life, the way a lotus flower growing in a swamp appears free of the stain of the mud. The left hand of Chenrezig, holding the flower, symbolizes that stainlessness.

All the various features of this image have meaningful connections to the wonderful qualities of Chenrezig, and by focusing on these details as we visualize the image in the meditation, we can gradually awaken our own awareness of those same qualities in ourselves.

Practicing of Avalokiteshavara
The image of Chenrezig that is visualized in the meditation practice is not a real person who happens to be perfect in every imaginable way. It is an image, an imaginary form with wonderful qualities. Chenrezig glows in the dark, Chenrezig even glows in the daylight.
Kalu Rinpoche said, "One does not think of the deity's body as solid or material, made of flesh and blood like one's ordinary body, or made of metal or stone like an idol. One thinks of it as appearance that is inseparable from emptiness, like a rainbow or like a reflection in a mirror."

The particular wonderful qualities that Chenrezig manifests for us are just the ones we need to get more in touch with, as aspects of our own nature, if we want to become an enlightened Buddha, or even if we just want to become a truly compassionate person. We and the image of Chenrezig are two extremes we have flesh and blood bodies, but not as much compassion as we would like to have, and Chenrezig has a body made of rainbows, and boundless impartial compassion. When we put those two extremes together, in the Chenrezig meditation, we move in the direction of manifesting as a being with a physical body, a body of rainbow light and unlimited compassion.

Various aspects of the form we visualize remind us of the most important qualities of this particular manifestation of awakened mind, the qualities we are trying to connect to.
In visualization practice we imagine ourselves to be a Buddha, in this case the Buddha of Compassion, Avalokiteshvara. By replacing the thought of yourself as you, with the thought of yourself as Avalokiteshvara, you gradually reduce and eventually remove the fixation on your personal self, which expands your loving kindness and compassion, toward yourself and toward others, and your intelligence and wisdom becomes enhanced, allowing you to see clearly what someone really needs and to communicate with them clearly and accurately.

Avalokiteshvara, Chenrezig is the embodiment of that unselfish urge to look upon each other as loving equals. If you are in need of guidance in healing, unity, unselfishness, or the mastering of fears, you may meditate on the qualities of Avalokiteshvara, Chenrezig {as above}, say the mantra" Om Mani Padme Hum".
In most religious traditions one prays to the deities of the tradition in the hopes of receiving their blessing, which will benefit one in some way. In the Vajrayana Buddhist tradition the blessing and the power and the superlative qualities of the enlightened beings are not considered as coming from an outside source, but are believed to be inborn, to be aspects of our own true nature. Avalokiteshvara, Chenrezig, and his love and compassion are within us.

His Holiness The Dalai Lama said, "Thus the six syllables, "Om Mani Padme Hum", mean that in dependence on the practice which is in indivisible union of method and wisdom, you can transform your impure body, speech and mind into the pure body, speech, and mind of a Buddha."

Mantra of Avalokitesvara

This art form is shrouded in secrecy, as each artisan holds their own closely guarded formulas and methods. With deep knowledge of materials and an artistic sensibility, they skillfully replicate the natural aging process, infusing the Padmapani Lokeshvara with a sense of authenticity and character. The result is a captivating piece that tells a visual story, evoking a bygone era and adding a touch of allure to any space.

The artist's dedication to creating an aged aesthetic goes beyond mere appearance. It is a deliberate and intentional effort to give the Padmapani Lokeshvara a unique identity, imbued with the charm and beauty of time. With every carefully applied treatment and artistic touch, the Padmapani Lokeshvara becomes a work of art that not only stands as a testament to the artisan's skill but also carries a sense of history and narrative, making it truly exceptional.

The method of metal casting in which a molten metal is poured into a mold that has been created by means of a wax model. Once the mold is made, the wax model is melted and drained away. Bronze statues come to life differently than marble statues. Instead of carving a block or marble, the bronze artist uses the lost-wax technique to make a series of molds, and then pours melted bronze into the final mold to create the sculpture. This method has been around since 4500 BCE.

There are few important steps in lost wax casting process :
Step 1: Sculpting ( It all starts in the studio with an idea, Then figuring out how to realize the vision in clay.)
Step 2: Mold Making.
Step 3: Wax Pouring.
Step 5: Wax Spruing.
Step 6: Shell Dipping.
Step 7: Bronze Pouring.

Interestingly enough Loss wax process is also called Investment casting because after layers have been formed and dried, the wax is melted out of the ceramic tree by using steam (120°C) in an autoclave. This is why it is called "lost wax casting". The majority of the molten wax which can then be regenerated and is reusable.