A special workshop in Kyoto, Japan

A special workshop in Kyoto, Japan

Creating a Japanese wax painting

Before I traveled to Japan, there was one thing I really wanted to do: to do a special workshop in Kyoto.
As I was searching for an authentic Japanese workshop experience, I stumbled upon the Roketsu studio, an old art studio where long time ago the fabrics for kimonos were printed (see the beautiful old wooden templates on the walls).
The studio is run by a lovely middle-aged man and his old mother. Both do not speak English, but show the process of creating a traditional painting by example.

It’s a Japanese batik style painting created with hot wax.
Here I explain you the process of the artwork that took me 5 hours to make on a cold and rainy day:

On a piece of white cotton you draw/paint an image with hot wax. The wax is much more difficult to paint with than a regular paint. The brushes are pretty big and therefore much more difficult to paint fine lines.

Most parts of the painting have to be painted with wax twice, in order to create really white spots.
On the left picture it shows my artwork on the cotton: a geisha with cherry blossoms in the background and below her a pond with lotuses.

Next, the white cotton is dyed with indigo (the traditional pigment coming from the indigofera tinctoria plant) for about 10 minutes while you slowly stir the fabric.
Because of the wax that has penetrated the cotton thoroughly, those parts do not catch any indigo paint.

After the dyeing process, the cotton needs to dry for a while, and as you can see the light yellow wax is still on the cotton.
The next step is to remove the wax by melting it away in a large pan of boiling water, as you can see on the right.

Very happy with the end result!

Read more about my time in Kyoto

Staying in a Buddhist Temple in Japan

Koya-san (Mount Koya)

The To-ji Temple was and is the headquarters of Shingon Buddhism

On my travels in Asia I’m always drawn to Buddhist temples and, their practitioners and the rituals.
I find it very interesting to see the many similarities in the different Buddhist traditions and countries as well as the many differences.
So when I made my very first trip to Japan earlier this year my main purpose was to not only visit the Buddhist temples but also stay in them and join the ceremonies.

Mount Koya, or ‘Koya-San’ as the Japanese call it, is the holiest place for Japanese Buddhists.
It’s a small mountain village that houses a university dedicated to Buddhist studies as well as 120 temples, some of which offer lodging to pilgrims.

Kukai and Shingon Buddhism

Kukai (Kobo Daishi) introduced the Vajrayana tradition of Buddhism in Japan, named Shingon. In Koya-san’s small museum you can find some superb examples of ancient art that is made within this esoteric tradition.

Shingon-shū is one of the major schools of Buddhism in Japan and one of the few surviving Vajrayana lineages in East Asia.
Originally these esoteric teachings spread from India to China through monks (such as Amoghavajra and Vajrabodhi) who traveled along the Silk Route.
Later, under the auspices of a Buddhist monk named Kūkai, this esoteric form of Buddhism flourished in Japan.

In 817 the great Buddhist monk Kobo Daishi Kukai selected Mount Koya as the training center for Shingon Buddhism.
He set up his headquarters at Koya-san and was soon made abbot of To-ji temple. Kukai spent many years of his life meditating and teaching at Koyasan.
Since then hundreds of works of religious art were collected and preserved at Mount Kôya.

The Japanese Buddhist school of Shingon is something of an anomaly. It is a Mahayana school, but it is also a form of esoteric or tantric Buddhism and the only living Vajrayana school outside of Tibetan Buddhism.

The word Shingon comes from the Chinese word Zhēnyán, meaning ‘True Words’, which in turn is the Chinese translation of the Sanskrit word ‘mantra‘.

Staying in a Japanese Temple

The entrance of the Jimyo-in Temple, my room and the view from my room over the temple gardens with the main pagoda where the Buddhist meditations and ceremonies are held

On Mount Koya I stayed in 2 different temples, the first days in the Jimyo-in Temple, a small temple complex with a handful of monks and one assistant. None of them spoke English, so it was a very authentic temple experience, and at the same time that was a pity as I had so many questions that I wanted to ask.
I was given a beautiful authentic Japanese style room with hot tea waiting for me (which was great as the room was cold, as it was still winter time in Feb), and amazing food that was served (see below) and in the early mornings I joined the Buddhist meditations and rituals with the monks.

The second temple that I stayed in was the Kumagaiji Temple, a larger temple complex, and more familiar with hosting foreign pilgrims.
The assistants spoke very well English so I got to ask all the many questions that I had. Both temples were an amazing experience to stay in.

My room at Kumagaiji, the second Buddhist temple that I stayed in

Fire Puja

The Kumagaiji Temple is known for their fire ceremonies, and I was so fortunate to experience this in the early morning, with the main lama of the temple.

It’s a ritual for purification, and that’s why he asked me think of something that I would want to leave behind and write this on a wooden stick and throw it in the fire, while another monk was pounding a very large drum. See the video here:

Through the centuries many of the Buddhist temples in Koyasan -that are traditionally made from wood and paper- were completely burned to the ground, and now I can totally understand why.

Special Temple Food

My very first experience with buddhist temple food during dinner time, and on the right picture I’m still a bit sleepy when having my breakfast in the early morning after the fire ceremony that I attended

Shingon Buddhism is very well known for the special temple food that they offer, which is all super delicious and completely vegetarian (even vegan), so no animals had to suffer for it whatsoever!

The temple food is brought into your room in the evening and in the early morning, and is placed on beautiful small tables from red laquer. The table that is placed further away from where you sit represents an offering for the (your) ancestors, that you think of when you eat the food on it.

Each meal consists of at least 10 different dishes placed in beautiful small porcelain bowls, each dish is a piece of art in itself. Such joy – not only for the mouth but also for the eye! A pot of healthy green tea is sitting next to it and you can order a small bottle of warm or cold sake (rice wine) to drink with your food.

Some of the dishes that are served are: sesame tofu, sauteed mushrooms and spinach, a mix of fried vegetables, soup, pickeled vegetables, and a bowl of rice as well as soy sauce to eat it all with. As dessert there’s some beautifully sliced fruits.

As you really take the time for a meal that is prepared with such care and time, and as you eat in silence and with chopsticks you become very conscious of each bite that you take. The whole experience is like a very special ritual, that makes you very grateful.

Temple guard, about 3,5 meters tall, carved completely out of wood

Collecting sacred stamps & calligraphy in Japan

Sacred stamps & calligraphy

in Japan

Collecting Goshuin

During my Buddhist pilgrimage in Japan I had to collect my first goshuin!
Goshuin are the sacred stamps and calligraphy from each temple, that are collected in a special booklet, the goshuincho. Each one is a piece of art in itself. Below some pictures of the very first calligraphy that I collected in it, made by the monk in the video, in the holiest Buddhist temple, the main temple in the pilgrim village of Koyasan, on top of a mountain.

Here you see the monk writing the sacred calligraphy of his temple (that you see above) in my goshuin book:

The goshuincho is a ‘harmonica’ booklet. You can’t use just any booklet, it has to be one that is especially for this purpose.
You can buy them in pilgrim shops, and also in Buddhist temples (that’s where I bought mine, in the very same temple as where the monk made the calligraphy)

In this trip to Japan I collected about 15 calligraphies, and I will absolutely bring my stamp book on my next trip to Japan to collect further!

The colors of Kyoto, Japan

Colors and impressions of Kyoto, Japan

Kyoto

Earlier this year I went on my very first trip to Japan, a very interesting country that I have been wanting to explore for a long time.
Kyoto was the capital of Japan for much of the country’s history (794 to 1868).
The photos below give a good impression of my experiences in Kyoto -a much larger city than I expected, and also less nice than I expected- and what it looks like today.
For more images on my travels in Asia visit my Facebook page

Even though I stayed in Gion, the geisha district of Kyoto, real geishas can hardly be found anymore in Kyoto.
Due to the enormous growth of tourism in Japan in the past 5 years, real Geishas and Maikos (geisha in training) and can hardly walk the streets anymore, as they are immediately attacked by the cameras and tourists that are following them around.
The picture above of a Maiko was taken at a museum for Japanese culture where she offers a performance in dance, music and tea ceremony every now and then.
The pictures of the ninja and the lantern were taken in the food district in the heart of Kyoto.

My expectations of Kyoto were quite high, I had always imagined a beautiful small city with lots of authentic streets, temples and buildings and full of blossoming gardens and parks.
But I must say that I was quite disappointed when I finally spend some days in Kyoto, and that my expectations were waaaaaay too high….. The city is super large and very modern, even ugly looking, with hardly any trees or parks.

The temples that Kyoto is so famous for can be found on the outskirts of the city, but take a lot of time to travel to. The weather didn’t help either, as when I was there most of the days were rainy and very cold cold. I think if the weather is nice it might be good to rent a bicycle to see some of the temples.

So I was very pleased to accidentally stumble upon this beautiful little temple in between the ugly concrete buildings somewhere in the center of Kyoto – and as the rain had just stopped for a few minutes I think it made a great picture!

The ‘geishas’ that you do see wandering on the streets and at Kyoto’s temples are tourist -mostly Chinese girls- as there are lots of shops where you can rent a kimono and matching accessories for a ‘one day geisha’ experience. It does make some great pictures!
Kyoto is absolutely packed with large groups of Chinese people, that do not always act very respectfully towards the Japanese and their culture. This is currently a difficult and serious issue for the Japanese people that are known for their hospitality and respect towards others.

First Thangka Course on Bintan Island (Indonesia)

Thangka Course on Bintan Island

The Indonesian island in front of Singapore’s coast

Each year I teach thangka drawing and painting workshops in Singapore.
At The Buddhist Library I offered a weekend on Offering Goddesses, such as the Offering Goddess with Lotus and Mantra and the Offering Dakini of Music.

After my classes in the beginning of January I was first time invited to teach a thangka course on Bintan.

Bintan Island is a small Island in front of the coast of Singapore, that belongs to Indonesia.
The Asian Spiritual Classics (ASC), asked me to offer a thangka course on Buddha Shakyamuni (for beginner thangka students) and White Tara (for more advanced students). I met the students at the boat that was taking us to the island – everyone was so excited to go!

Here’s a photo impression of the thangka course on the Indonesian island.
If you like what you see join us next time!

Bintan island has parts with a beautiful coast line, but as it was quite rainy in the long weekend that we spend on the island we didn’t swim this time but made some nice walks. We stayed in a wonderful resort with comfortable rooms, a rooftop pool and amazing food – which was all included in the price.

More pictures can be found on the Thangka Painting Facebook Page, when you click on the image below it will take you to its photo album:

Have a Buddhaful New Year!

Singapore, Japan & Hong Kong

Have a Buddhaful New Year!

Amsterdam in the snow
This picture is taken on the yearly skate lane that is built in front of the Rijksmuseum.
Young Dutch Children learn to ice skate by using a chair, so they don’t fall.
After the skating hot chocolate, cookies, and green pea soup will be ready to warm up.

Singapore and Bintan Island thangka courses

Offering Goddess of Music (playing the lute) by Carmen Mensink, showing the painting process in steps

While it was snowing in Holland in the past month, I have been preparing the thangka courses that I will offer in Singapore and Bintan Island, early January.

In Singapore the subject of this year’s thangka weekend course will be Offering Goddesses, such as the Offering Goddess with Lotus and Mantra and the Offering Dakini of Music. These annual courses are organized by The Buddhist Library.

Bintan Island is a small Island in front of the coast of Singapore, that belongs to Indonesia. I’m invited by the ASC, the Asian Spiritual Classics, to offer a thangka course on Buddha Shakyamuni and White Tara.

Pictures of both courses will be added on the Thangka Painting Facebook Page

Japan

If possible schedule wise, I combine my thangka classes in Asia with a vacation.
This year I will be traveling to Japan after the classes in Singapore. I’ve been wanting to visit Japan and its culture, art and temples for a long time and this will be my very first visit, so exciting!

> During my stay here (mainly in Kyoto and Tokyo) I will be available for meetings with Buddhist centers, museums and schools/universities, who may be interested in hosting a Tibetan thangka course in the future.

Hong Kong

From Japan, I will board on a ship that will visit more places and islands in Japan, as well Taiwan after that. It will eventually embark in Hong Kong, where I will stay for another week. It must be a very interesting city and I’m looking forward to exploring it.

> During my stay in Hong Kong I will be available for meetings with Buddhist centers, museums and schools/universities, who may be interested in hosting a Tibetan thangka course in the future.

December – May the 8 Auspicious Symbols bring Peace & Harmony in the New Year

The 8 Auspicious Symbols

May they bring Peace & Harmony in 2017

One of the courses that I offered in december had one of my favorite subjects: the 8 Auspicious Tibetan Symbols.

These famous symbols are painted in front of a Tibetan monastery when a high lama comes to visit (see the picture below of the artwork I created for the Dalai Lama) but they are also drawn with colored powder (or wheat flour) or painted on the floors and houses to welcome the New Year.

2016 was a very dark year in very many ways, but I wish that all the symbols that were created in 2016 -such as the wonderful ones of my students as you can see in the pictures below!- may leave a positive imprint onto anyone that sees them and may they create Peace & Harmony for 2017.

OM AH HUM!

Group picture after last weekend’s thangka course on the 8 Auspicious Symbols in Amsterdam, in front of my artwork. Want to see my student’s artwork? Check my FB page: facebook.com/tibetanthangkapainting #boeddhatekenen #tibetanbuddhism #tibetanbuddhistart #thangkapainting #8auspicioussymbols

A photo posted by Carmen Mensink (@carmenmensink) on Dec 14, 2016 at 6:11am PST

January – Snow & Individual Thangka Teachings

Home – Blogs – 2017 – January
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Snow, private thangka teachings & youth courses in the Tropenmuseum

Have a Buddhaful New Year!

My birth place Zwolle in the snow

A photo posted by Carmen Mensink (@carmenmensink) on Jan 8, 2017 at 2:07pm PST

January in The Netherlands started out with snow.

The picture above was taken in the place where I was born, Zwolle.
From this year on I’ll be offering thangka classes in this city, and the first weekend course started in the first weekend of the new year.

The subject was: Buddha Shakyamuni with and without the Torana of the 6 Perfections, which is an elaborate aura around the Buddha, filled with gods and (hybrid) animals that stand for the six qualities that you need to perfect in order to make steps on the spiritual path.

Click here to see the artwork of the Buddha with the Aura of the Six Perfections that my students made that weekend.

Six days of private thangka teachings in Amsterdam

I regularly get contacted by people who prefer to come for private thangka teachings instead of joining group classes.
This month I had several people coming to my art studio in Amsterdam.

Angelika flew in from Munich to work with me for a week. She had already come 2 years before to my extended weekend course in Venice, Italy (a place where I teach every October or November), where she already learned to draw an amazing Manjushri.
Now she wanted to take a next step by learning how to paint a thangka out of her drawing.

Manjushri is the Buddha of Wisdom holding a flaming sword in his right hand, that he wields above his hands. This special sword cuts through our ignorance. In his left hand Manjushri holds the stem of a lotus flower that carries the Wisdom Sutra.

I prepared a specific 6 day program for Angelika to reach her goal, that is to learn all the basics of thangka painting to be able to continue at home.
The program included Manjushri meditations in the morning, slide presentations, preparing a thangka canvas and frame, transferring the drawing onto the thangka, the different thangka painting techniques, shading, outlining and gold preparation. We had a wonderful week together.
The last days her husband came over to Amsterdam as well and they enjoyed their time in this beautiful city and visiting the famous museums (Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum).
In the pictures you can see the complete day-to-day process of making a thangka.

Individual Buddhist art workshop in Amsterdam

Laurence and Bart are a couple from Belgium who planned to spend a romantic weekend in the beautiful city I live in.
They arrived on Thursday evening in one of the hotels close to the thangka art studio, so they could start their weekend with a day workshop on how to draw the face of the Buddha. Bart was a bit hesitant at first as he had no drawing experience whatsoever, but Laurence insisted it was good to do this workshop as a couple as to connect on a different level together.

After welcoming the couple on Friday morning with coffee, tea and Dutch apple cake I started the workshop with a short guided meditation, after which I explained through a slide presentation and talk the meanings and background of Tibetan Buddhist thangkas, before they learned how to draw the Buddha. In between the drawing sessions we had a wonderful lunch break and at the end of the day the couple had created amazing Buddhas, as you can see from the pictures. Especially Bart was surprised!

Such a lovely thing to come to a thangka class as a couple!

Teaching kids to draw a Buddha & guide them through ‘The Buddha’ exhibition

How I love teaching art classes to teens!
I’m regularly asked by the Tropen Museum in Amsterdam to offer tibetan workshops and guided tours, both to adults and teenagers.

This month I worked a morning with a wonderful school group from Holland with 11 and 12 year olds. Wonderful young beings that were eager to learn and had a lot of questions to ask.

Each and every kid made a great Buddha drawing, after which I took them into the galleries to have a look at other Buddhas from different traditions and to tell them about the life of buddha during the guided tour.

The exhibition ‘The Buddha’ closed on Jan. 29, 2017.

November – School classes learn how to draw the Buddha

School classes learn how to draw the Buddha!

The Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam has also asked me to offer workshops and guided tours to school groups that are visiting the museum during the exhibit. The classes are big, 30 to 35 teens per class, and the teens are aged 13 to 17. The schools come from different cities in Holland.

Guided tours
After each workshop, where the teenagers learn to draw a Buddha in the Tibetan tradition and after the workshop I bring them into the galleries and offer a guided tour through the current exhibition ‘The Buddha.’

Offering teachings to classes from my own high school!
It was such an amazing coincidence that in one of the schools that attended my workshop & guided tour was the secondary school that I attended myself, the Carolus Clusius College in Zwolle (Netherlands), of course long before these 15 and 16 year old teens were born.

The exhibition ‘De Boeddha’ runs through Jan, 2017.

October – Buddhism Festival at the Tropenmuseum with guided tours & lectures

The Buddhism Festival Weekend in Tropenmuseum Amsterdam!

In the weekend of Oct 15 & 16, the Tropenmuseum held their wonderful Buddhism Weekend, with lots of different events that were all related to Buddhism and the different schools in Buddhism.

I was asked to offer lectures on Buddhist Art as well as Thangka workshops and leading guided tours through the exhibition The Buddha (in Dutch: De Boeddha as you can on the picture at the bottom of this page) at the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam, The Netherlands.

Guided tours through the Buddha exhibition

This exhibition about Buddha Shakyamuni, the historical Buddha of our time, and by visiting it you will make a journey through the life of the Buddha, learn about his philosophy and how it spreaded out to other Asian countries.

On the left I point out some elements on an old Japanese scroll. The exhibit is divided in parts that show the different Buddhist countries and their artwork.

The right picture shows a Tibetan thangka depicting the Buddha’s birth, with his mother Maya who holds on tight to a tree when giving birth. Before the Buddha became an enlightened being he was a human just as you and I, he was born as a prince called Siddharta Gautama. And this young boy was a special one, as after birth he immediately started walking and everywhere he put down his feet, lotus blossoms appeared.
The name ‘Buddha’ means ‘Awakened One’ and people started calling Siddharta this after he reached the highest state of consciousness.

In the Buddha hall at the end of the exhibit, Buddha statues from all the different buddhist countries are brought together. Here I explain about the differences in iconography and style and how you can recognize Buddha statues from certain countries.

Lectures on Tibetan Buddhist Art

During the weekend I also offered several lectures on buddhist art, such as the 8 Lucky Symbols in Tibet.

In the pictures below you can see some of the paintings of the eight symbols of fortune that I have painted to welcome the Dalai Lama, and I’m explaining the symbolism behind each of the eight auspicious symbols.
The first picture shows the thangka painting for the Dalai Lama that was made in 2009 and the second shows the 9 meter long auspicious symbols painting that was created in 2014.

The set of eight symbols consist of the: Parasol, the Pair of Fishes, the Vase, Lotus Flower, the Conch Shell, the Eternal Knot, the Victory Banner and the Dharma Wheel.

Workshops drawing the 8 Auspicious Symbols

During the weekend I also offered a workshop on the 8 Auspicious Symbols to a group of 30 visitors of the museum.

The wonderful exhibition ‘The Buddha’ can still be visited till Jan 29, 2017!

September – Exhibition The Buddha & helping animals in Nepal

Opening of the exhibition ‘The Buddha’ in Amsterdam

On Sept 23 I attended the opening of the new exhibition at the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam called The Buddha.

It’s a wonderful exhibition about Buddha Shakyamuni, the historical Buddha of our time, and by visiting it you will make a journey through the life of the Buddha, learn about his philosophy and how it spreaded out to other Asian countries.

Buddha Weekend – come join us!
Carmen is asked to offer lectures on Tibetan Buddhist Art, guided tours through the exhibition and thangka workshops on the Buddha Weekend of Oct 15 + 16. You are welcome to join! All lectures, guided tours and workshops are free of charge, you only need to buy an entree ticket to the museum.

The Buddha exhibition will run through Jan 29, 2017.

Here’s a picture of the big light hall of the Tropenmuseum during the opening of the exhibition The Buddha:

Thangka students raising money to help animals in Nepal

Animal Nepal is an innovative NGO based in the Kathmandu Valley and is run by an enthusiastic team of volunteers, who are both local and overseas animal welfare campaigners and educators. Animal Nepal was established in 2004 as a non-profit company and was registered in 2009 as an NGO.

Through practical interventions and awareness-raising, Animal Nepal believes that widespread animal cruelty can be gradually reduced. Hopefully Nepal can become a model country for animal welfare in its region.

For a short time I raised donations for this cause during my thangka classes and my students gathered a total of $112,50. This month I doubled it and transferred $225 to Animal Nepal. It’s a small amount but all bits help! I will continue to raise money for this cause during my classes and will keep on doubling it.

To learn more about Animal Nepal and/or to help this much needed cause, please go to animalnepal.wordpress.com

Thangka classes in new places

This month thangka classes were organized in new places, such as Utrecht and Den Bosch (in the center and in the south of The Netherlands). Below you’ll find some pictures of it. Joyous days!

I also spend 3 days with John, who came all the way from Taiwan to receive individual thangka teachings, who learned to draw the Mandala of the 5 Elements and is currently working further on it back in Taiwan.

When you draw a Buddha you’re drawing a reflection of yourself! #thangkapainting #buddha #buddhistart #utrecht

A photo posted by Carmen Mensink (@carmenmensink) on Sep 13, 2016 at 8:35am PDT

Thangka workshop in Den Bosch pal naast de St. Janskathedraal! #thangkapainting #denbosch

A photo posted by Carmen Mensink (@carmenmensink) on Sep 5, 2016 at 4:22am PDT

Spent 3 wonderful days offering private thangka teachings to John van Goch from Taiwan, who learned how to draw the Mandala of the 5 Elements #thangkapainting #mandala #tibetanmandala #buddhistart #amsterdam

A photo posted by Carmen Mensink (@carmenmensink) on Sep 15, 2016 at 9:50am PDT

August – Dominican Monastery Workshop & a Special Exhibition

Exhibiting the 8 Auspicious Symbols painting

The large painting I made for the Dalai Lama in 2014 is currently exhibited in Spiritual center De Roos in Amsterdam.

Traditionally, a painting with the Eight Auspicious Tibetan Symbols is put in the floor or directly created on the pavement, but in this exhibit we chose to beautifully hang it near the shop of De Roos (where my artwork is sold as well).

At the same center in Amsterdam I will offer a three day thangka course on how to draw the auspicious symbols, on Dec. 9, 10 and 11, 2016.

Standing in front of the large painting I made for the Dalai Lama’s visit to The Netherlands in 2014. The artwork is currently exhibited in spiritual center De Roos in Amsterdam, where I will be teaching Tibetan Art classes this fall. #thangkapainting #8auspicioussymbols #tibetansymbols #dalailama

A photo posted by Carmen Mensink (@carmenmensink) on Aug 28, 2016 at 7:45am PDT

Thangka course on a special location:

Drawing the Buddha in a Dominican Monastery

In the same month I offered the very first thangka painting class in my birthplace Zwolle in the eastern part of Holland.

This day workshop is part of the four Happinez Workshops that I organized after the article and interview about my artwork and passions in Happinez Magazine.

As it was a big group of people I had to find a large workshop space and I found the beautiful Dominican monastery -built in neo gothic style in the center of Zwolle in 1890- to offer my thangka class:

Teaching how to draw the Buddha in a beautiful Dominican monastery – the very first thangka class I offered in my birthplace !#dominicanenklooster #zwolle #drawingbuddha #thangkapainting target=”_blank” rel=”nofollow”

A photo posted by Carmen Mensink (@carmenmensink) on Aug 27, 2016 at 3:15pm PDT

The monastery is still in use: there eight Dominican brothers live here today.
The Dominican community is very open to developments in church and society, and everybody is welcome.

You can pay a short visit to the church, the Garden of Silence and check out the old stained glass and fresco paintings, but you are also welcome to stay for a few days and to meditate, reflect and learn about the life of the Dominicans.

In this meditative environment I offered a meditative drawing class where people learned how to create the Buddha.

Check out all pictures of this day at the Dominican Monastery on the Thangka Painting FaceBook Page:

June – By boat to the Thangka Painting Retreat in Italy

Italy:
Taking the boat to the Thangka Painting Retreat

Painting Buddhas in Northern Italy
My long thangka painting retreat is held each year in Arco, Trento (Northern Italy). Participants come from many different countries and there are many ways of getting there.
You can for example fly to Verona or Milan and travel from there by train and bus.

Lake Garda
This year I flew with some of my Dutch students -Josephine, Marie, Dory and Doretta- from The Netherlands to Verona to go to the Tibetan art retreat.

Next we decided to take the boat over the Garda Lake, as the thangka retreat is close to the top of the lake.

From the bottom to the top of the lake
There is a slow and a fast boat that run a few times a day.

We decided to take the slow boat, that takes four hours all the way from the bottom of the lake at Peschiera di Garda to all the way to the top of the lake at Riva del Garda.

3 Longevity Deities
At Peschiera we met up with Audry from Canada, who would travel with us to the thangka course. She really wanted to learn how to draw and paint White Tara, as she’s one of the 3 Longevity Deities, which was the subject of this years’ long course, where you learned how to draw or paint one or more Long Life Buddhas according to the Tibetan Buddhist Thangka tradition: White Tara, Amitayus and Ushnisha Vijaya (Tib.: Namgyelma):

Colorful villages
The trip over the Garda lake takes four hours and only cost €15,10. As the boat is very slow we immediately get in a state of relaxedness -which is such a lovely break from our busy lives- and during the trip we enjoy the gorgeous scenery.
How I love Italy!

The boat stops at the most beautiful and colorful villages, where people hop on and off. The boat trip is a vacation in itself.

From Riva to the Thangka Painting Retreat
The boat takes us all the way to Riva del Garda (see above) , the pittoresque village on top of the lake. We spent some time there and ate a great pizza before we shared a cheap taxi to our retreat place Kushi Ling, which is only about a 20 minutes drive. It’s up in the mountains, on a beautiful place of land, surrounded by olive trees.

We met up with the other students that arrived at Kushi Ling and what followed was a great 10 days of art, Buddhism, meditation, wonderful people, hikes through the olive fields, amazing Italian food and lots of JOY…

> To view more pictures of this retreat go to the thangka painting facebook page

> To stay informed on future Thangka courses in Italy subscribe to the Italian Newsletter

Do you want to learn how to paint a thangka?

> Come join us in our next Thangka Painting Retreat in Italy!

East Coast & New York City retreats

East Coast & New York City art retreats

Each year I spend several weeks in the US East Coast where I offer many different thangka drawing and painting classes at different venues.
Here’s an overview of the workshops I offered in July 2016:

Omega Institute (Rhinebeck, NY):

Healing Plants in Tibetan Medicine

My 2016 East Coast tour started by offering a 5 day thangka drawing & painting retreat at the renowned Omega Institute, where I taught my students about the Medicine Buddha and how to work with his meditation and mantra, as well as all about the most used healing plants in Tibetan medicine, what illnesses they are used for and how to draw and paint them according to the old Tibetan Buddhist Tradition. A very wonderful week!

Check out all pictures of this retreat on the Thangka Painting FaceBook Page:

During the week I also gave a lecture to all people on the Omega campus, and after that people came closer to view the original thangkas that I had brought with me to show:

omega-institute-lecture-carmen-mensink

Rubin Museum of Art (NYC):

Creating a Tibetan Amulet for protection,
compassion & abundance

Next I offered an evening class at the Rubin Museum of Art (which I consider the best museum on Himalayan Art world wide), where the participants learned everything about Tibetan Buddhist Amulets and learned how to create a protective amulet connected to Chenrezig (Buddha of Compassion) and Vasudhara (female Buddha of Abundance & Prosperity).

The subject of this special amulet class was chosen in connection with the current leading exhibition:

This is the first exhibition connecting well-known deities represented in Nepalese art to rituals and festivals surrounding the rainy season, or monsoon, and highlighting the importance of the seasons to the culture and everyday life of Nepalese people. The exhibition will offer visitors a new understanding of the region and its art, which is already renowned for its high quality and aesthetic appeal.

Tibet House (NYC):

Drawing Chenrezig, the Buddha of Compassion

The East Coast thangka tour ended with a wonderful weekend course at Tibet House, that was organized by the Shantideva Meditation center.

In this weekend students learned how to draw Chenrezig (named Avalokiteshvara in Sanskrit) following the Buddhist tradition, learned all about his symbolism in Tibetan Art, and how to work with his meditations and his famous mantra Om Mani Padme Hum. New people started with drawing the face of the Buddha first.

On Sunday evening, after the course, we went out for dinner & drinks, as it was my last day in New York before I flew back to Amsterdam.
tibet-house-buddha-drawing tibet-house-buddha-painting

tibet-house-carmen-mensink-thangka-workshop

> More pictures of thangka art classes at Tibet House can be found on the Thangka Painting FaceBook Page in the album section

Alix Experience (NYC):

Tibetan Buddhist Symbols

A new invitation for me to teach this year was at the Alix Experience, an international membership of dynamic, engaged women professionals who travel globally for business and leisure.
I offered an evening class on Tibetan Buddhist Symbols (the Eternal Knot, the Lotus Flower and the Eyes of the Buddha), combined with drinks, food & networking. Their office on Broadway has amazing views of the city.

Private Thangka Teachings

On the days in between the group teachings I can be hired to offer private thangka teachings on different subjects.

I’m guiding Deborah Kalantari (and her parrot Fulton!) on painting a beautiful thangka of Avalokiteshvara (Chenrezig in Tibetan)

deborah-kalantari-thangka-painting-with-carmen-mensink painting-chenrezig-with-carmen-mensink

> Click here to learn more about Private Thangka Teachings

And I’m teaching Anjie Cho (and her dogs Javier & Pearl!) how to draw and paint the Mandala of the 5 Buddha Families.

anjie-cho-painting-mandala-with-carmen-mensink mandala-of-5-buddha-families

> To view more pictures of the East Coast thangka classes go to the Thangka Painting Facebook Page

Are you in the US and do you want to learn how to draw and paint Tibetan Buddhas and symbols?

> Sign up for the Newsletter

Bryant Park, one of my favorite spots in the city

A photo posted by Carmen Mensink (@carmenmensink) on Jul 19, 2016 at 8:17pm PDT

June – Article Happinez Magazine, Video & Workshops

Article in Happinez Magazine + Video + Workshops

The Happinez Magazine is one of the best read magazines in Holland that also publishes it in other countries and languages.
The June/July issue features a big article where Carmen speaks about her passions, the Tibetan art she creates and the rituals that are involved. The title is ‘Mirror of the Mind.’

> The article in Happinez Magazine about Carmen Mensink’s artwork can be read here

Happinez Workshops

In addition to the article special workshops are organized in The Netherlands, where participants learn how to draw the Face of the Buddha according to the Tibetan tradition.

The workshops are in Dutch and are held in the cities of Leiden (July 2), Zwolle (Aug 27), Den Bosch (Sept 4) and Utrecht (Sept 11).

There are still places left for the Happinez Workshop in Zwolle. You don’t need any drawing experience and all materials are included, as well as coffee, tea and a vegetarian lunch.

Leiden, July 2, 2016

Zwolle, August 27, 2016

Den Bosch, Sept 4, 2016

Utrecht, Sept 11, 2016

Happinez Video

In addition to the article, Happinez came to Carmen Mensink’s place shot a short video in which Carmen speaks (in Dutch) about her passion for Buddhist art as well as about the process of making a Tibetan thangka:

Do you want to learn how to draw a Buddha Face or to paint a thangka?

> Check out the Upcoming Thangka Classes
&
> Stay informed on future Thangka courses by subscribing to the Newsletter

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A special workshop in Kyoto, Japan

Creating a Japanese wax painting

Staying in a Buddhist Temple in Japan

Koya-san (Mount Koya)

Kukai and Shingon Buddhism

Staying in a Japanese Temple

Fire Puja

Special Temple Food

Sacred stamps & calligraphy

in Japan

Collecting Goshuin

Colors and impressions of Kyoto, Japan

Kyoto

Thangka Course on Bintan Island

The Indonesian island in front of Singapore’s coast

Singapore, Japan & Hong Kong

Have a Buddhaful New Year!

Singapore and Bintan Island thangka courses

Japan

Hong Kong

The 8 Auspicious Symbols

May they bring Peace & Harmony in 2017

Snow, private thangka teachings & youth courses in the Tropenmuseum

Have a Buddhaful New Year!

Six days of private thangka teachings in Amsterdam

Individual Buddhist art workshop in Amsterdam

Teaching kids to draw a Buddha & guide them through ‘The Buddha’ exhibition

School classes learn how to draw the Buddha!

The Buddhism Festival Weekend in Tropenmuseum Amsterdam!

Guided tours through the Buddha exhibition

Lectures on Tibetan Buddhist Art

Workshops drawing the 8 Auspicious Symbols

Opening of the exhibition ‘The Buddha’ in Amsterdam

Thangka students raising money to help animals in Nepal

Thangka classes in new places

Exhibiting the 8 Auspicious Symbols painting

Thangka course on a special location:

Drawing the Buddha in a Dominican Monastery

Check out all pictures of this day at the Dominican Monastery on the Thangka Painting FaceBook Page:

Italy: Taking the boat to the Thangka Painting Retreat

East Coast & New York City art retreats

Omega Institute (Rhinebeck, NY):

Healing Plants in Tibetan Medicine

Rubin Museum of Art (NYC):

Creating a Tibetan Amulet for protection, compassion & abundance

Tibet House (NYC):

Drawing Chenrezig, the Buddha of Compassion

Alix Experience (NYC):

Tibetan Buddhist Symbols

Private Thangka Teachings

Article in Happinez Magazine + Video + Workshops

Happinez Workshops

Leiden, July 2, 2016

Zwolle, August 27, 2016

Den Bosch, Sept 4, 2016

Utrecht, Sept 11, 2016

Happinez Video

Italy:
Taking the boat to the Thangka Painting Retreat

Creating a Tibetan Amulet for protection,
compassion & abundance