Study

Thangka students are trained for six years under the guidance of Konchog and some of the graduate monks. The student body is drawn from the young monks of the Shechen Monastery as well as monks, nuns and lay men and women from the local community and from abroad. Enrollment is limited in order to enable training on an individual basis.

Due to the sacred nature of this art form, those who wish to study here must have taken refuge in the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha, and consider themselves to be Buddhist. Regardless of previous experience, anyone studying here must follow the proper sequence of training as defined by this tradition, and according to the teacher’s assessment of an individual’s progress.

At first the students learn the techniques of proportion and drawing and the use of paints and colours. Then they work on projects and learn to execute more detailed iconography. As the students gain experience, they begin to assist in fulfilling thangka commissions. In the final phase of study, the students learn to draw and paint mandalas and write Lantsa script.