Fine Heart

A short while ago, I posted about my artist friend Soyolmaa’s first solo exhibition. I found myself really moved by the shift her work took once she deeply embraced the life of a Buddhist practitioner. Her art seemed to make a quantum leap in two directions at once: the traditional rendering of Buddhist deities used as aids for meditation, called thangkas in Tibetan, and the more personal, visionary expression of female tantric spirituality. And now we've found a way to make her work available in the West, and benefit Mongolian Buddhism to boot! Read on...

I had been a fan of the former – Soyolmaa’s thangka painting – since I first saw a small image she had made of the female deity Vajrayogini, on which they had placed a picture of my teacher. Based on the talent we saw there, Palzang and I commissioned her to create a thangka of Guru Rinpoche in spiritual union with his Indian consort Lhacham Mandarava. We were stunned by the result, as was Jetsunma, to whom we offered it. At her request, this thangka now hangs right behind her teaching throne in our Maryland temple.

It’s not just that Soyolmaa’s thangkas are technically excellent. They are, but there’s something more. Somehow you can feel her genuine affection for her subjects, especially the female deities such as Tara. It’s as though she were painting portraits of her intimate friends.

And even more than this, she does not paint these thangkas for any personal financial gain. Soyolmaa is the younger sister of Khajidmaa, an extraordinary yogini who is spearheading the reconstruction of a
women’s meditation retreat center first founded by none other than Danzan Ravjaa himself. Established outside of Ulaanbaatar (called Urga at the time), Baldan Khajid Ling – the Glorious Hermitage of the Flying Yoginis – stood for a hundred years as the sacred ground where women exclusively cultivated profound levels of wisdom, compassion, and spiritual power.

As with nearly every other Buddhist institution across Mongolia, Baldan Khajid Ling was demolished during the Stalinist religious purges of the late 1930’s. Brave and determined individuals, however, secretly kept the hermitage’s main practice lineages alive, especially those of chöd – the 11c. Tibetan female mystic Machik Labdron’s radical method for cutting through ego-clinging – and meditation upon Vajrayogini.

With all this in mind, I had a bright idea. I suggested to Soyolmaa that we could offer Western Buddhists and art enthusiasts the opportunity to commission custom thangkas from her, and share the proceeds to benefit both of our projects. To my delight, she enthusiastically agreed.

And so I’m very happy to announce the launch of a new segment of the MBRP website which promotes Soyolmaa’s artwork and provides the means for anyone – perhaps you? – to obtain a one-of-a-kind Mongolian thangka. With no end to her talents, Soyolmaa also hand-frames each painting in silk brocade so its ready to hang, and ships it right to your door. And best of all, the commission fee, which I think we’ve made very reasonable, directly benefits two efforts to revitalize Mongolian Buddhist traditions.

So do take a moment to visit the new site and take a look around. If you’re inspired to commission a thangka for yourself or a loved one, contact me first and we can get the process started. As the contented owner of one of Soyolmaa’s works myself (Danzan Ravjaa, pictured here – click to enlarge), I can assure you you’ll be glad you did.

Comments

[geva]

These are very beautiful. Thanks for the pictures! I promise to commission one when I have the means.