A presentation on the Tibetan Buddhist path to enlightenment, through the lens of an artist's eye and experience.
KONCHOG LHADREPA has been the Principal of the Tsering Art School since its foundation in 1996. He is an authentic holder of the Karma Gadri lineage of painting, which originated in Eastern Tibet and is famous for the beauty of its spacious landscapes. He became a disciple of Dilgo Khyentse Rinpoche at the age of 10 and, from the age of 16 to 22, served as his personal attendant. Over the years, Konchog painted many works for Rinpoche and his associated centers throughout the Indian subcontinent and Europe. His remarkable abilities, training, and knowledge of the sacred arts alone make him an exceptional artist. CHARLOTTE DAVIS completed a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Australian National University, before traveling to Nepal in 1998 to study traditional Tibetan art at the Tsering Art School under Konchog's guidance. She was among the first group of graduates to complete their studies at Tsering Art School in 2003. She worked in the school administration alongside Konchog from 1998 to 2004 and today continues to work for the art school and monastery, while maintaining her practice as a thangka painter.
“The Art of Awakening is the one book that every student of Tibetan
art, aspiring tangka painter, and Vajrayana practitioner really
should have. Vast in its scope and authenticity, this definitive
work by master artist Konchog Lhadrepa and his student Charlotte
Davis is a phenomenal repository of knowledge on all aspects of
Tibetan art and its practice. This is the book I always hoped to
write but never did, and instead can learn so much from it. For
this is a masterwork of the purest Dharma, which I pray will be
translated into many different languages.”—Robert Beer, author and
illustrator of The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs
“The Art of Awakening is a comprehensive guide for those wishing to
learn about the rich tradition of Tibetan tangka painting. In
particular, this book is an essential resource for those wishing to
know the inside meanings involved in the creation of a tangka
painting, and the key elements of dharma practice that are
essential for the aspiring tangka painter. In this day and age when
the growing commercialization of perfunctory tangka paintings is
ever increasing, Konchog Lhadrepa and Charlotte Davis’ contribution
to the preservation of an authentic tradition of sacred art is
admirable.”
—Pema Namdol Thaye, master artist and author of Tibetan Thanka
Painting: Portrayal of Mysticism
“Sacred art is an element of the spiritual path. For the artist,
every day of his or her work should help him or her to progress a
few steps further on such a path. For the other practitioners who
see their art and benefit from it, sacred art is a support for
meditation, a blessing and a visual representation that ‘liberates
by seeing’ just as sacred music liberates through hearing, the
blessing of a spiritual master liberates through touch, imbibing
sacred substances liberates by taste, and meditation liberates by
thought. ‘Liberate’ here means to liberate from the bondage of the
five mental poisons, which destroy inner peace—hatred,
covetousness, ignorance, pride, and jealousy.”
—Matthieu Ricard, author of Happiness
“Preserving the sacred arts is part of the preservation of the
dharma.”—Shechen Rabjam Rinpoche, author of The Great Medicine That
Conquers Clinging to the Notion of Reality
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