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Creation process of “Maitreya” Thangka for his Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama

May 11, 2010

I had the privilege to create another large scale Thangka for His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama who will be arriving to Bloomington, Indiana to visit the Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center on May 11, 2010. For the Thangka, I chose to create a rare Diety called Maitreya (Tibetan: Jampa) symbolizing the future Buddha within and without everyone, who is expected to come to earth from Tushita Heaven. He is a Bodhisattva whose devotion spans both Theravedic (Hinayana) and Mahayana countries. He is supposed to reappear on earth in human form, for the deliverance of all sentient beings to enlightenment by revealing that which time and ignorance have covered. He will be the last of the five Buddhas to gain supreme enlightenment in this aeon. He holds the stock of a lotus in his right hand and is either represented standing or sitting.

I was delighted to get an opportunity to create another Thangka for His Holiness. The Maitreya’s teachings wish all sentient beings to rid loose of doubts, and the torrents of cravings, free from all misery crossing the ocean of becoming and as a result leading a holy life of oneness. The finished Thangka came out wonderful which was then beautifully embroidered by my wife Baja.

In the following days, I accompanied my Dharma Wheel class, led by our teacher Lama Tetum and headed to Bloomington, Indiana by car from Denver, Colorado. Upon arrival to Bloomington we took up to a nearby accommodation and toured the Tibetan Mongolian Buddhist Cultural Center along with the newly constructed prayer wheel pavilion. The next day, in preparation for the arrival of His Holiness and for the opportunity to gift the Maitreya Thangka, I was dressed in the traditional Buddhist Lama robe attire and was given a special Lama pass. Incredibly I did not realize that the pass would later allow me to sit with the monks just yards away from His Holiness at the welcoming conference. And just as His Holiness arrived at the Culture Center, I had a brief moment to gift him the Thangka on his way inside. I was very fortunate and grateful to all the people and Lamas that made possible such a great opportunity.

Below are a few of the pictures from the Maitreya Thangka creation process:

You can also go to my exhibitions page to see more picture from the day.

Posted in News | Also tagged creating maitreya thangka, dharma wheel buddhist class, maitreya thangka, tibetan mongolian buddhist cultural center |

Creation process of “Amatyus” Thangka for his Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama

September 2, 2006

I am excited to have embarked on an exciting artistic and spiritual endeavor as of recent. His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama was scheduled to arrive in Denver for the PeaceJam conference a couple weeks ago followed by a special appearance and talk at the University of Denver for the Mongolian and Tibetan communities that reside in Colorado. The event was a joint venture hosted by the Colorado Mongolian Association of Colorado and Tibetan Association of Colorado. Of course this became big news for my Dharma Wheel Buddhist class and the many religiously devout Buddhist Mongolians of Colorado. In conjunction to the event, my request of gifting a specially drafted Thangka to His Holiness on behalf of the Colorado Mongolian community was generously accepted by the organizations involved and so began my creation of the “Amatyus” Thangka.

The Thangka painting process consisted of a few weeks since I was on a very limited time frame before the arrival of His Holiness. For the Thagka, I chose to create the Amatyus Diety (Tibetan: Tsepagme), known as the Buddha of limitless life. Amitayus is the reflexive form of Amitaba and is the embodiment of infinite life and therefore the focus of the life practices that remove the possibility of untimely or premature death. He brings about a healing of sicknesses, degeneration and imbalances in the five elements of the body due to karma, excess and unclean living. He is often red but sometimes white in color. His two hands rest in his lap in the mudra of equanimity with the palms facing each other holding the Vase of Life, that is filled with the nectar of immortality.

Traditionally, the Thangka painting process consists of discipline and grueling labor, a practice that is very significant to my life and spiritual beliefs. Thus I was extremely honored and blessed to dedicate myself to creating the Amatyus Thangka wishing His Holiness and all sentient beings health and longevity. The finished Thangka came out wonderful which was then beautifully embroidered by my wife Baja.

On the morning of September 17th, His Holiness arrived at the University of Denver while a large crowd of Mongolians and Tibetans gathered outside. After everyone was seated inside, I had the honor of gifting the Amatyus Thangka to His Holiness The Dalai Lama on stage and in person. To my dismay, The Dalai Lama graciously accepted the painting as he kneeled forward in prayer stance to bless the Thangka. It was truly an incredible and indescribably moment that I will cherish with me forever.

Below are a few of the pictures from the Amatyus Thangka creation process: