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Wishing you a Buddhaful 2025! 🥂 Time to make your creative plans for this year 🎉

Stay warm and cosy with your loved ones

2025 Thangka Retreat in Tuscany€108 Discount for the First Ten Registrants! A short video made at the 2024 Italy Thangka Retreat. Check out the beautiful work space. 🇮🇹 Read this description in Italian or another language This retreat is taught in English, translation in Italian or other language provided on request €108 Discount for the First Ten Registrants Thangka Painting Retreat Tuscany (near Florence) May 10-17, 2025In this wonderful 8-day Thangka Retreat in Italy you will learn to draw…

– This is a still from the new video, scroll down to view it – Standing Guan Yin Seated Guan Yin Standing Guan Yin 🇺🇸 NOTE: this retreat in The Netherlands is taught in Dutch, translation is provided on request (in any other language) Read this description in English 🇳🇱Guan YinCursus op de Veluwe27-30 okt, 2024 Tijdens deze vierdaagse cursus leer je deze prachtige figuur te tekenen (en wellicht te kleuren of later te schilderen).Je ontvangt je de grids van twee verschillende vormen van Guan…

Dear Reader,In this newsletter: The Rubin Museum of Art in NYC has closed its doors. I was teaching there for many years. See my text and images about it and learn about their next chapter Join me in Venice, Italy next month! There are still a few spaces left You can also still sign up for the Guan Yin thangka course in The Netherlands Don’t forget: there are a few days left to use your 20% Early Bird Discount on online courses Love, Carmen 🇺🇸NOTE: this day in The Netherlands is suitable for…

Dear Reader, How was your Summer?I hope you’ve enjoyed it as much as I have (we celebrated Tara’s sixth birthday!) see the pics in this newsletter. Herewith I present you the course program for this Fall/Winter so far, with a 20% discount on upcoming online classes for Early Birds. Additional classes may be added later. New in this newsletter is that the descriptions of some courses offered in The Netherlands will be written in Dutch and some of those in Italy wil be in Italian, as that’s…

Dear Reader, At home, on my altar with female Buddhas, I’ve had two statues of Guan Yin for many many years. A standing Guan Yin (here behind the daffodils) and a seated one, known for its ‘royal ease posture.’ These two forms are among the ones most depicted out of the 33 manifestations of Guan Yin that are mentioned in the Lotus Sutra (chapter 25). When Mahayana Buddhism spread from India to China in the 1st century CE, also its deities traveled along. Avalokiteshvara, the Indian…

Dear Reader, How are you?Hope you are enjoying your Summer! I just came back from hot New York City where I offered my annual thangka classes, there and in upstate NY -> Check the pictures in this email! The rest of the year I’ll be teaching in The Netherlands and Italy:From August 3-10 I’ll be teaching the Thangka Summer Retreat in The Netherlands again -> there are a few spaces left! In Amsterdam I’ll be offering a day class for new people on the Art of Thangka, and the four-day courses in…

Thangka Classes in NYC starting from next week 🇺🇸 You can still register! 🇺🇸 Introduction to Thangka Art Tibet House, NYC June 21, 2024 A beautiful evening with Carmen Mensink, where after her lecture on the art of thangka you’ll get to experience it hands-on by learning how to draw the Face of the Buddha according to the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. This evening is suitable for everyone, including beginners with no drawing experience whatsoever; Carmen will guide you individually. The use of…

Click here for Google Translate and use the orange button May 23, 2024Celebrating Saka Dawa 🙏🏼 Multiply your merit! The Buddha (Buddha Shakyamuni), thangka painted by Carmen Mensink in 2016 What is Saka Dawa?Saka Dawa is one of the four great holy days of the Tibetan calendar. It it commemorates and celebrates Shakyamuni Buddha’s three major life events: his birth, enlightenment, and parinirvana (when a buddha passes away and leaves his or her earthly body). How do you celebrate it?On this…

Click here for Google Translate and use the orange button In this newsletter an overview of the upcoming classes Online, in the US and in Europe. And check out the pics and videos of the recent thangka art retreat near Florence, Italy ❤️ Enjoy! Carmen Online > Last week to register 🏠 Medicine Buddha Online Thangka Art CourseMay 11-July 14, 2024 The Medicine Buddha (Tib.: Sangye Menla) is the embodiment of all the Buddhas’ Healing qualities, associated with healing both physical and mental…

Click here for Google Translate and use the orange button Upcoming Online Classes: 🏠 Buddha Face Online Thangka Art Course April 26-May 5During this in-depth thangka course, you will learn how to draw the face of the Buddha according to the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. You don’t need to have any drawing experience. INFO & REGISTRATION 🏠 Medicine Buddha Online Thangka Art CourseMay 11-July 14, 2024 The Medicine Buddha (Tib.: Sangye Menla) is the embodiment of all the Buddhas’ Healing qualities,…

Click here for Google Translate and use the orange button Which of these retreats would you like to join? 🇮🇹 Thangka Art Retreat Florence, Italy April 12-19, 2024 In this wonderful 8-day thangka drawing & painting retreat in Italy you will learn to draw (and color or paint) a Buddha or mandala according to the Tibetan Buddhist thangka tradition. It’s also possible to work on Amoghapasha this week (a subject that I’m offering this month in a course that is full with a waiting list). There’s…

Click here for Google Translate and use the orange button Dear Reader, Hope you enjoyed the Tibetan New Year celebrations online or with your sangha! In this email I’m letting you know who won the competitions that were in the Happy Losar 2024 Gift Pack. As a lover of Italy I’m also sharing with you my favorite places in Tuscany, that you could combine with the Thangka Art Retreat that I’ll be offering there in April. Ciao ciao for now,Carmen A few spaces left for the Thangka Art Retreat in…