A Shakyamuni thangka usually places the seated Buddha in the middle, with his right hand touching the ground and his left hand resting in his lap holding an alms bowl. Around him, a good painting shows small scenes from his life, which is a bit like a storybook for people who could not read.

You can usually find his birth in a garden, the four sights that made him leave the palace, his years of fasting, the awakening under the Bodhi tree and finally his passing. The scenes follow a loose clockwise order from the top left, though regional styles vary. Buy authentic thangka painting with these scenes painted in a readable size, because tiny, blurred panels usually mean the painter rushed the part that takes the most patience.

Spending a few minutes tracing the story is a lovely way to get to know a painting you plan to live with.