Draft:Tshurpu Scroll

The Tsurphu Scroll or the Miracles of the Mass of Universal Salvation hand scroll depicts the miracles that the Fifth Karmapa, Deshin Shepka, performed during his visit to Nanjing around 1407. The scroll was constructed with oil paint on silk. It is nearly 50 meters long and depicts the story throughout 49 illustrated scenes. It is currently preserved at Tibet Museum in Lhasa.

Karmapa relationship
The Fifth Karmapa, Deshin Shepka, was called upon by Emperor Yongle to visit Nanjing, one capital of the Ming Dynasty in 1407. He was asked to provide religious instruction to servants and family of the emperor. Deshin Shepka stayed for roughly a year. During this time he was said to have preformed countless miracles. This handscroll, the Miracles of the Mass of Universal Salvation, was commissioned by the Yongle Emperor as documentation of the Karmapa's influence during his stay.

According to art historian Aurelia Campbell, Deshin Shepka and Yongle's relationship was intended to be mutually beneficial. Yongle would gain religious confirmation from the Karmapa and the Karmapa would be granted a platform to acquire followers and promote his own Buddhist practices.

Yongle's Rise to Power
Emperor Hongwu was the first emperor of the Ming Dynasty. He centered his imperial government in the capital city of Nanjing. Hongwu raised his family in Nanjing. When he passed away, the throne was passed down to his grandson, as his oldest son had also died. Hongwu’s fourth son Zhu Di usurped the throne from the rightful heir and was subsequently crowned as the Yongle Emperor in 1402.

Motivation for Scroll
“The emperor constantly looked for signs that Heaven approved of his reign. If a sign appeared, he would immediately order that it be documented in visual form.”

Inscriptions
The inscriptions of the in Chinese, Persian, Uyghur, Tibetan and Mongolian.

The Yongle Emperor drafted the architectural and religious imagery as well as the multilingual inscriptions of the scroll to highlight specific themes that validated his claim to the throne.



Symbols
The five colors of the rainbow–white, yellow, red, green and blue–correspond to the five elements and the Five Buddhas of Tibetan Buddhism.

In her chapter of the book Cultural Intersections in Later Chinese Buddhism, Patricia Berger explains how “atmospheric displays of light and color” and “wuse haoguang (multicolored rays of light)” are some of the most frequently reported manifestations of any Karmapas’ powers. Berger's translation of the inscription for the fifth day notes that “a relic was seen glowing at the top of the pagoda like a newly risen bright moon or flowing, glistening water.” She then outline her belief that the light emitted from the mandala hall on the fifth day Karmapa's ceremony in Nanjing is representative of the Fifth Karmapa's power.