Master Nepalese Artist on Display at Tibet House

[New York City, April 10, 2002] Ripa Ladrang Foundation announced today that it will sponsor a Gallery Showing of Thangka paintings created by the award-winning Nepalese artist Cho Tshering, to be held at Tibet House, 22 W 15, New York City. Thangkas will also be available for purchase at the June 1 event, with proceeds to benefit the Rigon Tashi Choeling monastery currently under construction in Pharping, Nepal. The project is one of the only new monastery construction projects in the world today, and will become the new seat of H.E. Namkha Drimed Rinpoche, Terton, a Tibetan master of the Ripa lineage. Rinpoche was exiled from Tibet after the Chinese invasion of 1959.

Tibet House, where the fundraising show will occur, has been very active in supporting numerous Tibetan-related causes, and has quickly become an international showcase of the best of both modern and ancient Tibetan culture and arts since the opening of its expanded space in 1999.

Iris Anderson, board member of the Ripa Ladrang Foundation, states, "Cho Tshering is H.E. Namkha Drimed Rinpoche’s personal Thangka painter. All of the Thangkas on display are the direct result of Rinpoche’s guidance. The Thangkas contain the blessings of the master and his profound influence on the artist."

The Thangkas depict a wide variety of deities and historic Tibetan figures, including Buddha, White and Green Taras, Yeshe Tsogyal, Padmasambhava, and Gesar. They are immaculately painted and skillfully crafted using the highest quality materials.

The Rigon Tashi Choeling monastery sits in a beautiful setting in Pharping, Nepal, near many holy sites important to Tibetan tradition. The monastery is cradled within eight hills that represent the eight auspicious signs of Tibetan culture. Caves where Padmasambhava himself meditated are within a stone’s throw. The monastery project is also proving profoundly beneficial to the Pharping economy, helping to both foster and maintain the indigenous crafts of the region and thus helping ensure their survival.