These amazing & beautiful miniature Buddhist Paintings are called Tsakli & the larger Scroll Paintings are called Thangka, below you see very fine Tsakli & Thangka Paintings from Tibet, Mongolia & Bhutan. 

Buddhist teaching is not something learned from books, although they certainly play a part in reinforcing what one has already learned. The prime way of learning in Buddhism is through one’s master’s words. A common sentiment in those lands is that, without a fully qualified master to transmit them, the Buddha’s teachings may well never have existed.

In learning the many complex rituals involving sometimes hundreds of deity forms, their names, iconography, secret syllables, and so on, a student must have a teacher who almost always transmits this information orally. As an aid to memory, especially where complex deities are to be learned, small cards representing these myriad forms are shown by the master to the teacher, and the details, often found on the back of each card, are read aloud by the teacher with the intention that the student retains the details in their memory. These small cards are called Tsakli or Tsakali. Due to their constant use, it is extremely rare to find any that pre-date the 17th century, although there do exist Tsakli dating to the 13th century.

Please have a look at my Exhibitions Gallery https://www.oceanicartsaustralia.com/exhibition-and-publications/