Tibetan calligraphy course in America

The Dzogchen community in North East America are very pleased to announce that Tashi Mannox, the esteemed master of Tibetan calligraphy, will be in residence at Tsegyalgar East on 4-6th April 2014 at the invitation of Shang Shung Institute USA and Khandroling Paper Cooperative to teach an introduction to Tibetan Calligraphy.

WHEN: April 4.5.6, 2014 (Daily schedule TBA)

WHERE : Shang Shung LIbrary, 18 Schoolhouse Rd. Conway, Massachusetts, USA.  

COST: $225  (includes most materials)  

To register and pay online, visit the link here: 

shangshung.org

Or contact by email here

According to Tashi, his calligraphy course will be intensive, to teach the correct proportions and how to form the Uchen letters of the Tibetan alphabet, which alone can take two days. 

He writes:

I am very interactive with the students and depending on how many people attending (20 persons to a class is manageable) I like to go around the class to give each individual some personal attention in holding the pen and forming the letters, often writing on their paper to demonstrate each letter. So this will be a course for beginners as well as those who are already practiced in Tibetan.

The course starts with a short historic explanation of the Tibetan written language and its spiritual and sacred significance, which I tend to refer to throughout the course. I normally finish the course with teaching the correct way to write the Mani mantra and other key syllables essential for visualisation practices. People love this and go home with their own created art. 

So the course is teaching a solid foundation in correct proportion and beautifully formed letters, as starting with a firm foundation is essential to creating beautiful calligraphy with the integrity of the tradition it belongs.

To view a film about Tashi, click here or visit his exquisite website.

Tashi will also be giving a presentation at the Rubin Museum in NYC on April 2, 2014 at 7:30 PM as part of the upcoming exhibition on Tibetan Medicine.

Tashi has given many successful workshops in Europe. We are very honored to have him visit us here in the USA. Please pass the word around. 

ACCOMMODATIONS

Participants from out of town may register to stay in the Tsegyagar East Dormitory onsite. Contact the geko@tsegyalgar.org to make a reservation. 

If you require a more upscale accommodation Lauri and Bret are offering rooms in their B & B located in Shelburne Falls about 20 minutes away from Conway.You can call 413-824-0502 for further information.Or you can visit the Tsegyalgar East accommodation page

The passing of great masters....

Deep gratitude

Three great masters pose for a photo in an Oxford back garden (probably at their residence St Margaret's road) sometime between 1965-67, perhaps dressed for an occasion. Choje Akong Tulku Rinpoche on the left still a monk, yet, perhaps in jest, wearing the dress of a Chinese official of old times. At center is Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche in best monks robes, beside him on the right is Sherab Palden Beru handsomely clad in a traditional Tibetan Chuba of burnt orange damask silk.

Recently scanned from a slide, this photo has remained unpublished for nearly 50 years. With the tragic passing of Kyabje Akong Rinpoche on the 16th October 2013 and on 29th November 2012, the passing of Sherab Palden Beru, along with the earlier passing of Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche in 1987. 

Such a historic photographic documentation is all the more poignant, knowing the great lives of these three masters that have influenced and benefited countless beings. Their great legacy lives on in their work, by their example and with their reincarnations.

Swift return prayer of Choje Akong Tulku was composed by
the 17th Karmapa Orgyen Trinley Dorje.

Through the blessing power of an ocean of the Three Jewels and the Three Roots, and the Blessing of the interdependence of pure faith and pure Samaya of Lama and follower. 

May the shining daylight of this magnificent guide and protector of the teachings and of beings rise as a new incarnation to shine once again, thus bringing benefit to those to be trained. 

It is due to the wisdom and artistry of these Bodhi masters that played an invaluable role for Tashi from boyhood. Akong Rinpoche became a spiritual father throughout, teaching values of excellence in creativity, be it sewing fine brocades to writing Tibetan manuscripts, but most importantly, by example in great patience and lovingkindness. 

Tashi is also indebted to one of the greatest master of Tibetan Art of this time Sherab Palden Beru, who Tashi worked closely as an apprentice during the timely building of the Samye Ling Temple in Scotland. 

Akong Rinpoche and Tashi as a monk and attendant
during one of many tours around Europe during the 90's.

Akong Rinpoche viewing art prints of Tashi that were presented to him in
April 2013, Tashi's last meeting with Akong Rinpoche.

Sherab Palden explaining temple decoration to Tashi as a young monk.

Set in stone.

Stone Mantras

The idiom "set in stone" is generally a metaphor for something 'firmly established', be it a set of rules or a schedule difficult to change. Yet for an artist it may have a more literal meaning as to have their creations carved in stone. This is evident with the highly skilled stonemasons of the bygone middle-age Europe, who erected lofty Cathedrals of stone that seem to defy the law of gravity. 

While on the other side of two continents high up on the Tibetan plateau; sacred mantras were carved in stone as a different form of devotional practice. 

Yet despite social change and religious degeneration, the robust nature of stone has stood the test of time, proving itself as a medium to be one of the best in longevity.  

Earlier this year of 2013, Tashi was contacted by a Frenchman Yann Devorsine, also a fellow Tibetan Buddhist and a stonemason. 

Yann had spent some years living the Kingdom of Bhutan, where he had been given the opportunity to practice his skill carving mantras and prayers in the local landscape. A suitable place for such rock carvings, as the tradition of carving mantras on stone has been a historical practice reaching across the broad length of the Himalayas as far as Mustang and North into Tibet and Mongolia.

Yann asked Tashi for the use of one of his calligraphy designs on a particular boulder in Bhutan, which opened up a partnership in carving devotional mantras and prayers on stone in Europe. 

Tashi's Mani mantra mandala on a boulder is Bhutan.

More recently Yann carved Tashi's calligraphy for a friend in Algarve, Portugal. The natural landscape  of the landowner provided handsome boulders in which several different mantras and seed syllables could be deeply incised or to stand proud, both catching the light to dramatic effects in contrast; revealing the beauty of these sacred characters firmly set in stone for many generations to come. 

The wild hills of Algarve

"om mani padme hum hri"

The hum syllable

Beyond hum the syllable dhi

The seed syllable dhi of Manjushri 

The syllable om

Yann Devorsine

See more of Yann's work on his personal website here.

Learn to write beautiful Tibetan

Tibetan Calligraphy workshop in Brussels 

15th - 16th February 2014

Drawing upon the traditional construction guidelines of the classical Uchen script, Tashi Mannox leads an intensive course in how to correctly form the letters of the Tibetan alphabet, vowels signs and subjoined letters.

This is a workshop suitable for beginners who wish to learn a firm foundation in writing Tibetan, as well as for those more advanced who wish to further their skills in Tibetan calligraphy. 

Tashi will also give a public talk on the role of Calligraphy and art within Dharma on Friday 14th Feb 2014, as advertised on the venue website. 

For further information and bookings for the weekend workshop, please follow the link here:

Samye Dzong Belgium website.

The weekend workshop will be taught in English with translators in french if needed. If attending the workshop it is advised to bring along your own writing implements and materials, here is a check list for you:

- A3 or A4 size pad of paper, preferably watercolour paper.

- pencils, pencil sharpener and eraser.

- a straight rule.

- different size italic pens*

*Suggested pens can be a range of different size italic felt tip calligraphy pens, or more professional Pilot Parallel Pens in a range of different nib sizes, available on the internet with ink cartridges.

If you find the above website difficult to navigate in French, you can directly email Argiro, the event organiser who can provide payment details to book your place. 

Tashi's own.....

A Gallery solely dedicated to fine Tibetan scriptural art is perhaps the first of its kind in the western world? But is defiantly a first for internationally celebrated contemporary Tibetan calligraphy artist Tashi Mannox. 

This September launched the “Tashi Gallery” pleasantly situated in the heart of the famous town of books Hay-on-Wye. This is a very popular destination for it's surrounding beauty in Brecon Beacon National Park and hosts the yearly internationally acclaimed Hay Book Festival. 

The picturesque Welsh border town nestles below the Black Mountains on the banks of the majestic River Wye, is a lively cosmopolitan town that boasts a wealth of arts and literature. Only such a town can comfortably accommodate a Gallery of Dharma art of Eastern origin.

Tashi Gallery exclusively offers original art masterpieces as well as excellent quality limited edition prints of Tashi Mannox's complete works. Also for Eastern Calligraphy enthusiasts, there is an opportunity to select the finest quality Japanese seal inks, Tashi Mannox has collaborated with the oldest Japanese traditional seal ink makers to create four different color shades of vermilion pigments representing 'The Four Season'.  This is also the first time such quality inks are made available in the West.

Tashi's hand fashioned 'chops'
Japanese 'summer' colour natural vermillion seal ink

"As the art of beautiful hand writing finds a new place within the modern world, it is heartwarming to see that such writing traditions are not only being practiced but also upheld with excellence and dignity. Such organizations as the Contemporary Calligraphy Museum in Moscow, the Contemporary Calligraphy Museum in Sharjah and now the Tashi Gallery all contribute to deliver ancient wisdoms for the modern mind”

Tashi Gallery # 2 The Pavement, Hay-on-Wye, on the Welsh border of Herefordshire, HR3 5BU, UK.

Gallery open from 11 am - 5 pm Saturdays only during January and February 2014. or by appointment please contact Tashi on 01497831167 - 07855 387067

Public transport: Trains to Hereford Station, near the station approach take the 39 bus toward Brecon, alight in Hay-on-Wye, click here for bus time table. 
The Tashi Gallery is found at the heart of Hay-on-Wye just up from the clock-tower.

, 

A Journal of gilding gold on Lapis

Mani mantra on lapis-like background ⓒ Tashi Mannox 2013

Who doesn't like richness of gold on deep lapis blue colour? a combination made in heaven, historically used for the most divine of Christian icons, Pharaoh's precious ornamentations and sacred Mantras on lapis lazuli tablets. 

This is a short photographic story of the creation of the sacred Mani mantra oṃ maṇipadme hūṃ according to the proportionate construction of the Uchen script style. 

Available on-line as hand gilded limited edition giclée prints.

This art piece has also been put together with a song by Imee Ooi who sings the Mani mantra beautifully.

Talking of Art........

In association with The Awakened Heart community in Birmingham.

A two part video of this talk can be seen on U-tube