The Sacred Art of the Land of the
Snow Tour Group will present workshops on a variety of topics related
to traditional Tibetan art.
All workshops will include a short talk/explanation of
the tradition of the various crafts as well as a short demonstration.
The monks will facilitate full "hands on" participation by the public.
They will supply photo step-by-step displays of how to do each craft and,
in addition, clear sample drawings laminated for each workshop.
We foresee groups of 5 to 15--larger than that would be difficult to manage.
The following are the workshops currently planned:
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For children: a simple version of the Losar traditional butter sculptures on wooden plaques. Designs for adults--adapted for various levels of ability--include
Materials Required (unless
indicated, participants bring their own materials)
roll of was paper
scotch tape
form cardboard or thin plywood
for the cutouts
patterns for cutouts (supplied
by tour)
play doh (mixed colors)
carving tools (supplied by tour)
To view a slide show of monks creating a butter sculpture (on Adobe), click here. (takes a few minutes to load)
Butter sculpture is an ancient Tibetan Buddhist art. Although it is not as well known as another Tibetan ritual art, the sand mandala it is still an important aspect of Tibetan Buddhism in its own right. Butter sculptures symbolize impermanence, (a main tenet of Buddhism,) along with more ritualistic components, and are usually destroyed in anywhere from a day to a few years. They are traditionally made with yak butter, but in exiled Tibetan communities, as the weather is usually warmer, it is made with ghee, fat, and wax. Butter sculptures are displayed on altars and shrines in monasteries or family homes. They are traditionally made every Losar, the Tibetan New Year, and for the Butter Sculpture Festival, part of the Great Prayer Festival, or "Monlam Chenmo" that is held soon after Losar. In it, monks made huge, story high butter sculptures displayed outside the Jokhang in Lhasa, the holiest temple in Tibetan Buddhism.
Butter Sculptures at Monlam Festival
Butter sculptures are displayed
in many different ways; typically, they are made on a paddle, as free standing
sculptures, or a decoration on tsampa cones called tormas. They are
usually made in the form of flowers, "metog," or traditional symbols such
as the 8 auspicious signs.
Monk Making a Butter Sculpture |
Butter Sculptures Made by Gomang Monks |
This one-hour workshop is designed with small children in mind. The monks will provide prepared drawings of Tibetan designs, such as the Eight Auspicious Symbols and yaks. All that is required is that the children bring their own crayons.
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This is a two-hour workshop and includes teaching how to create the following designs using the same techniques as monks use in creating a Sacred Sand Mandala:
Materials Required (participants will bring their
own supplies)
small pillows
two thin steel tubes (about 1-foot long and a half inch
in diameter)
thin plywood "slates"
colored sand (available in crafts stores)
To view a slide show of monks creating a mandala (on Adobe), click here. (takes a few minutes to load)
Sand painting is an ancient Tibetan art form. The Sacred Sand Mandala is carefully constructed from dyed sand particles to represent the particular esoteric, textual traditions of Buddhism. It is a transient art form, thought to have originated in India and been transferred in the middle ages to Tibet. The sand mandala is constructed as vehicle to generate compassion, realize the impermanence of reality, and a social/cosmic healing of the environment.
Millions of grains of colored sand are painstakingly laid into place on a flat platform over a period of several days, forming an intricate diagram of the enlightened mind and the ideal world. The most common substance used in the creation of dul-tson-kyil-khor is colored sand, which is ground from stone. Other popular substances are powdered flowers, herbs or grains. In ancient times, powdered precious and semi-precious gems were also used. Thus, lapis lazuli would be used for the blues, rubies for the reds, and so forth. When finished, to symbolize the impermanence of all that exists, the colored sands are swept up and poured into a nearby river or stream where the waters carry the healing energies throughout the world. For detailed information about the construction process of a Sacred Sand mandala, go to mandala.
Gomang Monks Creating the Chenrezig Mandala
Monk Teaching Sand Painting: Lotus Symbol
The prayer stones (called “mani stones”) of Drepung Gomang Monastery. The stones are painted with the prayer “Om mani padme hum," a prayer asking for the qualities of wisdom, compassion, and a good heart. The monks will teach you how to create images on flat stones and decorate them with sacred mantras.