Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s Wish: A large, 9,5m (31ft) Amoghapasha painting on a high cliff in Nepal The following story and pictures come from the FPMT website and I wanted to share it with you as it’s such a special project and great accomplishment, and was recently finished.
Twenty-five years ago, Lama Zopa Rinpoche began expressing the wish for a large painting of Chenrezig (the Bodhisattva of Compassion) to be painted on a 100-foot high cliff named Drak Karma above Lawudo in Nepal, approximately 4,200 meters above sea level (over 13,000 feet) so everyone in proximity could see it.
In the last few years Rinpoche specifically said for the painting to be of Amoghapasha – an emanation of Chenrezig.
With huge rejoicing, we share that this 31-foot high by 21-foot wide (9.5 meters high by 6.4 meters wide) painting is now complete! It has been painted directly on the cliff face overseeing the whole area.
Funds for this project were raised by the Thamichowa community; Anila Ngawang Samten (Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s sister) provided all the necessary materials and tools needed for painting; and Ven. Nyima Tashi, Ven. Thubten Tendar, and Pasang Dekyi helped to actualize this incredible project.
As one can imagine, this was an incredible feat, an unbelievable task to complete. The whole project started a couple of months ago and it took ten days to get the scaffolding up to the site where the conditions were freezing and windy making the scaffolding and painting quite dangerous.
The actual painting took seven days by Nepali artists, finished the day before Lhabab Duchen, and consecrated on the day of this merit-multiplying occasion.
Video Watch the 6min video by Ven. Tenzin Michael of the incredible Amoghapasha painted on a more than 30 meters (over 100 feet) high cliff named Drak Karma above Lawudo in Nepal, where the painters had a hard time painting it in the cold and wind at such high altitude:
The many benefits of Amoghapasha
Lama Zopa Rinpoche: “Just by seeing this holy body one time, you collect inconceivable merit. If you continually see this holy body, there is no question of turning back from enlightenment. You achieve the peerless happiness of buddhahood with the cessation of all obscurations and the completion of all realizations.”
Rinpoche encouraged students to have an image of Amoghapasha printed and displayed publicly due to the benefit.
Thangka Course on Amoghapasha As the connection with Amoghapasha becomes even stronger when you draw/paint an image of him yourself, I decided that this could be the only subject for my next Thangka Course at Maitreya Instituut, the FPMT Center in The Netherlands.
By drawing Amoghapasha (or Avalokiteshvara / Chenrezig) in this course in March we will also honor Lama Zopa Rinpoche, who by then has passed away for almost a year.
NETHERLANDS | Amoghapasha, Buddha of Compassion Lama Zopa Rinpoche’s wish fulfilled March 21-24, 2024
Course is offered in Dutch, translations can be provided on request. A 4-day thangka course in The Netherlands where you’ll learn to draw a special subject: Amoghapasha, a manifestation of Avalokiteshvara (Tib. Chenrezig), the Buddha of Compassion. Suitable for everybody from beginners to advanced. All lodging and meals included.
Read More or Register at Maitreya Instituut
Check out the pics! My recent course was all about Offerings and Offering Goddesses in the Tibetan Buddhist Tradition. Students drew these beautiful goddesses in their different positions -flying, dancing and sitting amidst the clouds in the sky- and learned how to work with them in during the meditations and
In addition amazing mandala flower offerings were made -thank you Susie for making this possible!- for the altars in the gompa (meditation hall).
Check out all the pics and artworks that were made here or by clicking on the images below.
Any questions? Just contact me by replying to this email.