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.
