Avalokiteshvara (Tibetan: Chen-ri-zig) is the Bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas and is the earthly manifestation of the self born, eternal Buddha, Amitabha. He guards this world in the interval between the historical Shakyamuni Buddha, and the next Buddha of the Future Maitreya. Chen-ri-zig is considered to be the patron deity of Tibet with His Holiness the Dalai Lama as the primary earthly manifestation.

Manjushri (Jampel-Yang) is the embodiment of the discriminative awareness (prajna) of all the Buddhas as visualized in the form of a meditational deity. He represents the perfected state of the faculty of intelligence inherent within each individual’s mental continuum. As the bodhisattva of wisdom, he is shown as a beautiful youth with a golden yellow/white complexion. He is depicted holding aloft a flaming sword of wisdom in his right hand that cuts through ignorance and in his left hand a lotus blossom bearing the Perfection of Wisdom scripture (representing his master of all knowledge)

Vajrapani (Chag na Dorji) is the embodiment of power and skillful means of all the buddhas as visualized in the form of a meditational deity. Vajrapani is depicted as being wrathful in aspect, holding a vajra in his right upraised hand and a skull cup in his left. There are various aspects of Vajrapani and associated with these are related meditational practices.

The three deities are often depicted in the triad, as in this thangka to represent the three forms of Buddha: Compassion, Wisdom, and Power.

The thangka comes framed in a traditional silk brocade border.