 Pema
Wangyal
Pema
Wangyal, whose first name means "lotus" in the
Tibetan language, lives in a quite neighborhood
of Staten Island, minutes and it seems
light-years, away from the madding crowd and
jagged skyline of Manhattan. It seems remote,
but how distant the lofty Himalayas must seem,
"the rooftop of the world" he left behind some
15 years ago.
Pema sits in a small, sunny room that is its
studio, putting the intricate, finishing touches
on one of the many deities that crowd a thangka
painting commissioned by an American Buddhist
woman. Is is believed that the greater the
artist's talent, the better the thangka serves
as an inspirational aid to meditation for those
who gaze upon it. There is no room for artistic
license, Pema has followed centuries-old
directions specifying the proportions, colors
and measurements used to depict Buddha,
historical figures and famous lama. If he
strayed too far from revered tradition, a deity
would not enter the painting and there would be
little merit gained by Pema or the Buddhist
patron. Pema does, however leeway in details and
decorative motifs and these, together with
Pema's distinctive skill, identify his work from
another's.
Pema's scroll-like thangkas are held to be the most
beautiful in America; he has just returned from
California and is soon leaving for Toronto,
accommodating an ever-growing request for his
artistic talents. The mystical faith of Buddhism
is one of the least understood in America, but
an increasing number of monasteries and Buddhist
centers are being built, sending for Pema to
come and fill their walls with colorful
compositions of divinities and pictorial scenes
in styles that have survived the vicissitudes of
life.
His first job in America was at New York City's
American Museum of Natural History, where he
helped organize their Tibetan works of art; he
has since completed a number of Tibet-related
projects at the Asian Art Museum in San
Francisco, and is currently on the staff of the
Tibetan Museum in Staten Island. The isolation,
geographic hardship, and grandeur of the
Himalayas have given the Tibetan culture,
religion and art a magnificence and mystery of
its own, one that the peripatetic Pema has
brought with him to the West. " I am at home
wherever I go; home is wherever I am."
The infinite serenity and purity in the Buddha's face
that Pema paints is reflected in his own.
Formerly, artist of religious objects were
usually monks; today it is sufficient that they
be of high moral character. "If true religion is
inside you, you don't need to become a monk, "
Pema clarifies. He exudes the "good human
quality" the holy Dalai Lama speaks of as so
essential, but he's rarely serious for long. His
infectious sense of humor and child-like
gleefulness are strong elements in the Tibetan
character. This especially evident as Pema
recounts his memorable introduction to the
American shopping mall where he experienced his
first hot dog and soft custard: he strongly
disliked both.
From generation after generation of yogis and renowned
thangka painters, the gifted Pema was the first
to leave his home town of Dolpo. In Nepal he met
a kindly American professor who encouraged him
to share his gift of art on a grander scale and
preserve a cultural heritage that is fast
disappearing within Tibet itself. |
Education - Religious
1957 - 1964:
Tradition Tibetan Buddhist education at Rebu
Monastery, Tarap, Dolpo, in the Nyingma
(Sanskrit: Vajrayana) tradition. Nyingma follows
the earliest Buddhist teachings established in
Tibet. These teachings were introduced by Padma
Sambhava from India during the eight century.
The particular aspect of Nyingma studied was
Jatsun Nyingpo (Sanskrit: Vijaydara, or 'Rainbow
Body'). Five years and three months were spend
in mediative retreat.
1964:
Meditation of pleasant warmth of mystic heat;
meditation on gaining of insight into true
nature of things; meditation on the tranquility
of mind.
Instructions and transmissions were all given by
my father Lama Gadup, and Lama Kaybs of Gat-Kar,
on of Dolpo's highest Lamas. |
education - Secular and
artistic
1959 - 1961:
Initional instructions in religion, philosophy,
art, astrology, sculpture and history of Tibet,
Nepal and the Himalayas.
1962:
Ritual music and dance.
1970 - 1971:
Study and apprenticeship in Dharamsala, India
with:
- Jampa Tsetan, artist of the Dalai Lama, with emphasis
on the Central Tibetan style of painting.
- Jamyang from Kham, with emphasis on the
comparative styles of Tibetan painting.
- Sam Ten Gyd Mad Monastery College, with
emphasis on Mandala Properties.
1971 - 1972
Study and apprenticeship in Rumtek, Sikkim, with
Tra-Shee Gyalpo, noted Tibetan artist of the
Gar-Tee style, and pricipal painter for the
Karmapa sect. Emphasis on the Eastern Tibetan
(Chinese influenced) style of painting. |
experience
1965
Painted several
murals in three monasteries in the Dolpo area.
1966 - 1967
First visited
Kathmandu; commissioned to paint thangkas for
the Chine Lama, curator of the Bouddhanath
Temple, a Sakya monastery in Nepal.
1968 - 1969
Commissioned to paint
a thirty foot high mural in the Sri Karmaraj
Mahavehir Swyambunath monastery in Kathmandu.
1969 - 1970
Restored small murals
and sculptures in the Nyingma monastery in
Kathmandu.
1972
Commissioned to paint
Thangkas for the Mongoloian Lama, Guru Deva.
1973 - 1976
American Museum of
Natural History, New York. Worked to identify
and describe Tibetan images.
1976
Painted murals on the
ceilings and walls of a new monastery in the
Mongolian community of Free Wood Acres, Howell,
New Jersey.
1978
Taught thangka
painting for the Nyingma Institute of Berkeley,
California for six months.
1979
Taught thangka painting for the Californian
Institute of Integral Studies, San Francisco,
California.
1981
Repaired thangkas and translated Tibetan
inscriptions on thangkas for the Asian Art
Museum of San Francisco for approximately 2
months.
1980 - 1983
Painted interior
decorations for the Yeshe Nyingpo Centers in
Ashland, Oregon, Berkeley and Los Angeles,
California for approximately 5 months.
1983
Painted murals in
Bouddhanath in Kathmandu, Nepal.
1985
Painted mural inside
the Stupa in Santa Fe, New Mexico.
1986
Designs and paintings
for the Snow Leopard exhibition section, Bronx
Zoo, New York City.
1987
Painted mural for the
Tibetan Cultural Center in Bloomington Idiana,
commisioned by the Dalai Lama's older brother
Lobsang Samten.
1986 - present
Restoration of
antique thangkas and statues at the Jacques
Marchais Center of Tibetan Art, Staten Island.
During my residence in the U.S.A. (1973 to
present) I have painted numerous thangkas
commissioned by private individuals. |
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