Projects In Tibet

Giant Tsurphu *Thangka

The Tsurphu Monastery in Tibet dates back to 1187 when the 1st Karmapa Dusum Kyenpa ( Founder of the Karma Kagyu Lineage) identified this auspicious location for his meditation retreat. During the Cultural Revolution, the monastery was left in rubble. Two large ceremonial banners were also destroyed. The arrival in 1992 of the incarnate 17th Karmapa stimulated restoration efforts at the monastery supported by the Western-based Tsurphu Foundation.

The Venerable Drupon Dechen Rinpoche, Abbott of Tsurphu, asked Leslie and Terris Nguyen Temple to recreate the banners. From 1992-94, they worked to produce the a 108' by 70' silk brocade appliqué thangka of the Sakyamuni Buddha, a unique fusion of Tibetan and Western expertise. There were no photographic records of the 400 year old relics. Tibetan tradition and guidance by the abbot were the main source of design information. Initial funds for the project were raised by Leslie and Terris' donation of a small replica of the thangka for the main patron.

The White Conch Factory in Lhasa produces a wide range of Tibetan handicrafts, from temple hangings and opera costumes to huge festival tents. This was the first time the 70 odd workers had been involved in making a monumental religious image. The six principal women sewers spent 9 months carefully cutting and sewing silks together by hand and machine.

The work features nine figures: Sakyamuni Buddha in the center (9m high); Manjusri and Maitreya Bodhisattvas flanking him (7m high); the Primordial Buddha at top center and a fierce wrathful protector at bottom center. At each corner sits a great lama of the lineage - the 1st and 2nd Karmapas are in the upper corners; the 16th Karmapa who passed away in a 1981 and the 3rd Jamgon Kontrul, one of the Karmapa's foremost disciples are featured in the lower corners. Each deity is surrounded by an array of symbolic beings and endangered animals, clouds and rainbows; even tiny birds are hidden in the foliage. The level of detail is striking for such a huge design.

Over 1,500 meters of silks and brocades were used to make the Tsurphu Buddha thangka. Seventy shades of color were chosen and the materials specially dyed for the project. Cutting and construction began in the workshops but as the image became larger and more complex it was moved to a gymnasium where half of the thangka could be viewed and worked on at a time.

It took two years before the final stage of placing the sacred syllables "Om, Ah, Hung" behind the body, speech and mind centers of each deity marked the completion of the project

The ceremonial hanging of this huge Buddha image takes place each year on the 12th day of the Tibetan 4th lunar month which marks the Buddha's birth and enlightenment. Seventy monks carried the rolled up banner through the temple courtyard, across the river and up the hill to the specially prepared site where it is displayed for 4 hours each year. Streams of pilgrims make devotional offerings while receiving the blessing of the Buddha. The new banner was shown in May 1994, reviving an ancient tradition not seen at the Monastery for 36 years. The banner is now shown every year marking the survival of Tibetan Buddhism in Tibet.

The first showing of the huge satin brocade appliqué thangka, 108' by 70' , was held at the seat of the Gyalwa Karmapa's monastery in 1994. The annual summer unfurling, at dawn, of this ten figured peaceful thangka celebrates the Buddha's birth and enlightenment. This week long festival marked the revival of an event which hadn't been seen since the Cultural Revolution 36 years ago.

A letter from the Dalai Lama: here

Replica of the Giant Tsurphu Thangka

To raise funds for the first project, a small replica of the Buddha Thangka (6' X 9') was made in 1994 and presented to the principal donor. Funds for the second project were raised through production of a video presenting their work for His Holiness Karmapa in Tibet.