“Take a well-made painting of the Yidam deity and place it in front of you. Sit for a short time without thinking of anything whatsoever and then look at the image from head to foot. Look again gradually at all the details from the feet to the head. Look at the image as a whole. Sometimes rest without thinking about the image and refresh yourself. Then in this way, look again and again for a whole day. “

Padmasambhava
Dakini Teachings

The buddhist art of Thangkas
in Siddhartha Foundation

Introduction

We are very delighted to present you the Thangkas’s school of Siddhartha Foundation.
We are proud to educate the young lamas of Siddhartha Foundation in the traditional tibetan art of painting. Our young students receive a complete training in the pure and authentic Buddhist sacred painting. The Thangkas painting school was established in 2005 by Khenpo Chimed Rinpoche, founder and director of Siddhartha Foundation.

Aims and objectives

The ultimate objectives of this dharma activity are to develop the pure vision of the deities and to let flourish in our heart the View and the Understanding of the spiritual world. The final goal of this sacred art is to conduct the practioners to Enlightenment.

The other objectives are to preserve, to protect and to promote the Treasures of the tibetan culture.

The teacher

A well gifted and talented teacher – born in the Yolmo holy valley – gives every week 2 hours teaching in the art of thangkas inside the Siddhartha Foundation.

The students

20 young lamas among the 95 of the Siddhartha are educated in the thangkas art of painting.

The inspiration

The thangkas serve as important teaching tools depicting the life of Buddha.
The main sacred figures are the Buddhas and all the deities of the spiritual tibetan tradition such as
Guru Rinpoche, Tchenrezig, Vajrayogini, Tara, Manjushri.

Materials and methods

A thangka (a Tibetan word meaning "silk, satin or cloth painting scroll") is a composite three-dimensional object consisting of a picture panel which is painted or embroidered, a textile mounting; and one or more of the following: a silk cover, leather corners, wooden dowels at the top and bottom and metal or wooden decorative knobs on the bottom dowel.

The 9 steps of thangkas painting :

1. Preparing
2. Sketching (skya ris in Tibetan language)
3. Couring (tson)
4. Detailling (shib cha)
5. Outlining (bcad)
6. Dry shading (skam mdangs)
7. Gold burnishing (gzi)
8. Gold outlining (gser bcad)
9. Opening the Eyes (spyan byad)

Awards ceremony

Every year, during the month of July, takes place the Awards ceremony. A jury of nepalese specialists and of foreign people - who are supporting the Siddhartha Foundation – attribute some awards to the most talented of the young thangkas artists.

Thangkas's winners July 2007 :

- Lhundup Gyatso : 412 marks from 500
- Shenphen Wangchuk : 404/500
- Lhakpa Tsering : 400.5/500
- Kunsang Namgyal : 394.5/500
- Khedup Namgyal : 364.5/500
- Pema Tashi : 295/500

For the benefit of all the Sentient Beings,

The Siddhartha Foundation Team
Grateful to Jacques