Zangdok Pelri, known as the Glorious Copper-Colored Mountain, is the Pure Land of Guru Padmasambhava. Zangdok Pelri is located on the southeastern subcontinent Chamara (sometimes identified with Sri Lanka), which was an untamed abode of demons until Guru Padmasambhava subdued them and transformed them into compassionate beings by means of his miraculous powers. It is believed that Guru Padmasambhava lives today, in an indestructible body, in his palace atop the Copper-Colored Mountain.

According to the Nyingma tradition, Zangdok Pelri itself is a mandala of esoteric dimension representing the inconceivable nature of awakened mind. It has been likened to a “blueprint for enlightenment” due to its ineffable power and truth. The portrayal of Zangdok Pelri in this painting is derived from sources encoded by Guru Padmasambhava himself in more than fifteen Nyingma texts and is informed by the artist’s extensive training and experience in building three-dimensional mandalas using celestial measurements according to ancient tradition.