From “An Interview with the Gyalwang Karmapa, November 29th, 2010” posted on the Kagyu Monlam website (www.kagyumonlam.org): Q. What are the designs and themes of the butter sculptures this year? This year they are in connection with the Karmapa 900 commemoration, thus in the… Continue Reading “The 28th Kagyu Monlam Butter Sculptures”
This informal short film (in 4 parts), chronicles the NAKM torma preparation in July 2010. Edited by Peter Elias and Yeshe Wangmo.
While preparations for the first North American Kagyu Monlam were underway, some of the highly-trained torma artist monks and nuns, who had been documented and interviewed by the Torma Film crew in 2008 and 2009, were invited to Karma Triyana Dharmachakra (Woodstock, New York)… Continue Reading “North American Kagyu Monlam Torma Report”
His Holiness Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje, discusses the origins and diversity of torma shapes and colors for the film Torma: The Ancient Art of Tibetan Butter Sculpture. Filmed in Bodhgaya, India, in 2008-09 by cinematographers Ko Jung-Fa and Cynthia Chao.
Monks and nuns worked hard to prepare the materials necessary for making butter sculptures for the International Kagyu Monlam in Bodhgaya, India. This footage was shot in 2008 by Ko Jung-Fa and Cynthia Chao and depicts the fourth stage in the laborious four-part process… Continue Reading “Making Wax Butter in Bodhgaya, Part 4”
Monks and nuns worked hard to prepare the materials necessary for making butter sculptures for the International Kagyu Monlam in Bodhgaya, India. This footage was shot in 2008 by Ko Jung-Fa and depicts the third stage in the laborious four-part process of preparing wax… Continue Reading “Making Wax Butter in Bodhgaya, Part 3”
Monks and nuns worked hard to prepare the materials necessary for making butter sculptures for the International Kagyu Monlam in Bodhgaya, India. This footage was shot in 2008 by Ko Jung-Fa and depicts the first stage in the laborious four-part process of preparing wax… Continue Reading “Making Wax Butter in Bodhgaya, Part 1”
Rare torma photo taken in Lhasa, 1921 by Rabden Lepcha (?) from the collection of Sir Charles Bell. From the Tibet Album on the Pitt Rivers Museum Website–they have a fascinating stock of old photos taken in Tibet by Rabden Lepcha, Sir Charles Bell, Hugh… Continue Reading “Photo of Torma Offerings on the 15th night of Monlam Chenmo, Tibet 1921”