Making Process Of Tibetan Thangka

A completed thangka, however beautiful or impressive, never tells the full story of the complex process artists undergo to create such a divine image. We have compiled this list of Twelve steps involved in producing a traditional Tibetan sacred painting to help you appreciate your new thangka. Although certain elements of thangka painting have changed since artists began painting in exile, much of Tibet's traditional styles and techniques have been painstakingly retained. We hope the following will both interest and enlighten you as to this sacred ancient art.

The master, endowed with the clear mind of enlightenment, is able to "bring alive" the image on the thangka by infusing it with energy and beseeching the deity to open its eyes and look upon all sentient beings. The thangka, having now been properly consecrated, is a receptacle of wisdom. It is ready to be hung and venerated as a genuine living embodiment of enlightened mind.

It is important to note that this final step is only necessary if the thangka artist himself is not acknowledged as a realized being. Over the centuries, many important Buddhist masters have intentionally taken rebirth as thangka painters, and if such an artist creates a thangka, the very mind of the artist naturally consecrates the image being painted. In such cases, there is no need to seek the services of a lama for an additional consecration.