Updates - Tibetan Peace Garden
Since the opening in 1999, the Tibetan Peace Garden was tended by two very hard working Park Rangers: Mark Thompson and Candy Edwards. In June 2011, they were both posted to Nunhead Cemetery. Tibet Foundation would like to thank Mark Thompson & Candy Edwards for their hard work and unswerving dedication to the Tibetan Peace Garden and we wish them good health and success in their new work.
We now have a new team of Park Rangers. They are Johan De Brouwer, Robyn Stone and Dominic Andrews. Tibet Foundation would like to welcome the new Rangers and wish them a long and happy association with the Garden. We look forward to working closely with them.
The Mary Harmsworth Park, in which The Tibetan Peace Garden is only one part, will be entering the Green Flag Garden Award Scheme in 2012 and I’m sure they will achieve the award. As I often have to visit the Garden I am always struck by the standard of the work there not just in the Tibetan Peace Garden but also throughout the park. If you have yet to visit the Tibetan Peace Garden I would recommend doing so and also to wander around the park itself, as it is full of variety with different backgrounds and histories.
The coming year, 2012 will be an exciting time for London, as in June we celebrate HRH Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee and of course the Olympic Games will follow. This is also the month when His Holiness the Dalai Lama who has opened and blessed the Garden some 14 year ago will visit and give Buddhist teachings and public talks in Manchester and London. As of yet there are no definite plans afoot in the Park to celebrate Jubilee or the Olympics or His Holiness’s visit, but Tibet Foundation will be holding a special Annual Tibetan Picnic in the Garden at some time during the summer.
Please contact me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) nearer to the time for further information.
The Tibetan Peace Garden has now become a fully established landmark in London and a special place of Spirituality for many thousands of visitors since it opened in 1999. It is often assumed that the project is now finished and there is nothing much for the Foundation to do with it.
Although Southwark Council is responsible for looking after the Garden, it is the Tibet Foundation who continues to be responsible for the cost (approximately £2,000 annually) of maintaining the site.
We are lucky to have many members and supporters who generously donate to many aspects of our work but very often the Tibetan Peace Garden gets overlooked. Therefore I would like to appeal to you to think of the Tibetan Peace Garden in your Charity giving or legacies and to be a regular contributor towards maintenance of this great Buddhist landmark for Peace and Non-violence in the centre of London.
Gary Hawkins
Mongolian Buddhist Art
Publication on Mongolian Buddhist Art launched
Tibet Foundation has been involved with reviving the rich Buddhist cultural and artistic heritage in Mongolia for many years. One of the major long-term projects has been to support the publication of a catalogue of the major works of art in the museums of Mongolia. The project was instigated by the late D. Khishigbayar, Director of the Centre of Cultural Heritage and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science in Ulaanbaatar.
The first of these publications is a boxed two-part volume covering around 450 thangkas, appliqués and embroideries from the five major museums in Mongolia. Selected and photographed by the Centre for Cultural Heritage in conjunction with the curators of the participating museums, these pieces were chosen for their religious and historical importance, their aesthetic and technical quality, their uniquely Mongolian characteristics and their rarity.
Many years of painstaking research was carried out by the art consultant and researcher, Zara Fleming in the UK and J. Lhagvademchig Shastri, a Buddhist scholar in Mongolia. Each item has been examined in detail and as a result a description of each work in English as well as in Mongolian, accompanied by a full page colour plate is presented. Staff at the Centre for Cultural Heritage and others in Mongolia contributed to the content and design of the publication. The project was managed by Shaida Dorabjee in the UK on behalf of the Foundation.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Shaida for her skilful management of the project and all those who have contributed towards the successful completion of this project, with special thanks to Sue Byrne, the former programme manager, Agzul Sosor, Mongolian project manager and Dr Phuntsok Tsering, the Foundation representative in Mongolia for their contribution and support.
This current volume is divided into eight chapters, encompassing the visual realms of the Buddhas and his disciples, mahasiddhas, Indian, Tibetan, and Mongolian scholars, previous reincarnations, yidams, dakinis, protectors and sacred architecture. Although constrained by the rules of Buddhist iconography and strongly influenced by Tibetan art, the Mongolians have succeeded in creating many works that are uniquely Mongolian, a highly expressive and vibrant tradition that can be seen in this volume. Dating from the late 17th to the 20th century, these examples offer rich new material for present and future studies of Buddhist art and its heritage in Mongolia.
Tibet Foundation in collaboration with Serindia Publications is delighted to announce the launch of this publication, which will play a key role in ensuring that knowledge of the rich Mongolian cultural heritage is recorded and shared throughout the world.
Phuntsog Wangyal
Mongolian Buddhist Art
Thangkas, Appliqués and Embroideries
2-Volume Hard Cover; Slipcase
1,016 pages, 441 colour plates
Price: £295
Now available in Europe from Distributer: Kodansha Europe Ltd, 40 Stockwell Street, Greenwich, London SE10 8EY,
Tel. +44(0) 20 8293 0111
Happy New Year
Happy New Year from Bodhgaya to our members and supporters. You can follow the Kalachakra teachings through live webcast at Dalai Lama Website at 13:00 hrs IST (Indian Standard Time) between Jan 4th - 10th.
Images from Bodhgaya
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