Buddha thangkas portray Shakyamuni, the historical Buddha, alongside forms such as Amitabha and the Medicine Buddha. He sits in vajra posture with the earth-touching mudra, the gesture of the enlightenment moment, his crown bump, elongated ears, and thirty-two marks rendered exactly as the canon prescribes.

Kathmandu Valley painters grind lapis, malachite, and cinnabar for the deep blues, greens, and reds of his robes and halo, finishing faces and ornaments in raised 24-karat gold. These images anchor home shrines and meditation rooms, inviting calm focus on awakening.