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 day, that this year will be on May 23rd, Buddhists around the world engage in many prayers and practices, make extensive offerings to teachers and holy objects, and perform charitable activities.
This occasion is an excellent opportunity for beneficial thoughts, speech, and actions, and to dedicate ourselves to practice and study.
> Recommended practices that can be done on this day
You can also check your local Buddhist center for celebrations to join.
Flower offerings made by the students during one of Carmen's thangka retreats in The Netherlands
Merit-multiplying day
On this auspicious merit-multiplying day, the karmic results of everything we do on this day are multiplied by 100 million, according to Lama Zopa Rinpoche, as cited in the vinaya text Treasure of Quotations and Logic.
It is encouraged to make special offerings on your altar today: fruit, sweets, or flowers, which will create an abundance of positive energy.
Coming to the US soon 🇺🇸
Register now for the classes below
I'm currently making all preparations for my upcoming classes in the East Coast.
This year's focus will be on female Buddhas and their (active) compassion: the special, fabulous Guan Yin and the the most famous female deity Green Tara. Also Green Tara's mandala can be your choice of subject in the retreat.
Those who are new to Thangka drawing and painting are welcome for the Introduction evening at Tibet House and learn to draw a Buddha Face.
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.
During this weekend workshop you will learn to draw (and perhaps later paint) this beautiful figure according to the tradition of thangka (Tibetan scroll paintings).
Guan Yin can be found in the various Buddhist traditions of China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam. She is a form of Avalokitesvara (Tib. Chenrezig) the male bodhisattva of compassion.
The story of how Guan Yin transformed from a male into a female form over the centuries is a very interesting one, and of course you will learn all about this.
For the drawing part you can choose between two different forms of Guan Yin -standing and sitting. Of course you can also just focus on drawing her face.
Note: for this course it's recommended to join the Introduction to Thangka Art evening the day before, so you 'll learn the basics.
If you can't make it the evening on June 21st, you can also do this online course beforehand, that will teach you the same.
Join us for the annual Arts Week at the wonderful Omega Institute!
Learn to draw and/or paint a Buddha or Mandala, and enjoy lectures on Tibetan Art during this meditative retreat with like-minded people, at the beautiful Omega Institute in Rhinebeck NY.
Carmen's personal approach and guidance makes this retreat suitable for students of all levels.
The subject this week is Green Tara and her mandala. You can choose which one you want to work on this week.
Beginners may also choose for Buddha Shakyamuni or Medicine Buddha as their subject this week (as these are better suitable for beginners) but please contact Carmen beforehand if you would like that so she can prepare this for you.
There will be time to make lovely walks, visit the sweet village of Rhinebeck and join the extra eveing programs that Omega offers.
Omega offers amazing meals and you can choose from different places to stay on campus (or off campus).
This summer I'll be teaching the wonderful Thangka Summer Retreat in The Netherlands again, and the subsequent courses in The Netherlands and Venice (Italy) will be (like in NYC) focused on Guan Yin.
During this in-depth Thangka Summer Retreat at Maitreya Institute Buddhist center (Veluwe) you will learn to draw or paint a Buddha or Mandala according to the Tibetan tradition.
Suitable for all levels including beginners without drawing experience.
