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From Elements Inside, Outside Emerge A Temple

Ancient Tibetan tradition informs new construction in Pagosa Springs, Colorado

story and photos by Anna Lauer Roy

Earth, wind, fire, water, sky. South, north, west, east, and the middle way. Just as the elements compose the environment surrounding us, so too are our own bodies made up of this stuff, according to Lama Gyurme Rabgyes, a Tibetan master painter and former Buddhist monk who is now living and painting with his family in Pagosa Springs, Colo., at the Tara Mandala Buddhist Retreat Center. "All the elements are outside of us, and they are inside of us too," the Lama said.

Turn south, the direction of Earth, according to the beliefs of the Tibetan master, to increase energy, wisdom, wealth; northerliness is where wind, activity and action reign; look to the fire in the west to find your own power more fully; flow east toward peace, like water; look up at the sky and feel centered right where you stand. Look in these directions, walk toward them, further instruct the beliefs, to create something from the energy that comes from these places, even if it is only breath.

The four directions and the middle way, and their corresponding qualities are aspects of what is known in Tibet as the "five Buddha families," explained the Lama. These "families" inspire the Lama as he turns the colors, elements and offerings from the natural world into the art he is painting at the new temple at Tara Mandala. Watching him work, his dark artist's eyes reveal their focus on the alignment of art, nature and the human spirit; his hands show this to be true with each stroke of his brush. "When you look at art, it can change your energy," he said.

In addition to the elements, the directions and spiritual energy conjured in Lama Gyurme's artistry, thousands of years of tradition guide the artwork in the temple, as any viewer can clearly see in the motifs that Bhutanese master carvers Wangchuk Kinley, Lham Dorjie and Lhaba Tsiring are etching into the very walls and doors of the sanctuary. All three studied carving and other fine arts at a traditional School of Thirteen Arts in Bhutan. They explained that they were taught first to paint the symbols of the 12 astrological animals, and then to paint the deities. Then, to carve masks, thrones and shrines.

In Tibet, while working on a special carving intended as a gift from the Bhutanese government to the United States government, a representative from Tara Mandala met the carvers and asked them to come carve for the temple at Tara Mandala.

Accepting the invitation, Lama Gyurme and the other Tibetan carvers came focused on painting and carving the new Buddhist temple into a work worthy of the stirring San Juan Mountain landscape that surrounds the temple building site. And too, they came, Lama Gyurme said, "to paint and carve beautiful things, to put good energy into the temple, because it is for everyone. If I have happiness in myself, that makes a prayer for the happiness of all beings in my paintings. I hope visitors will look at our art and feel happy."

The design for the temple came in a dream to Tara Mandala founder, Lama Tsultrim. "It is a three-dimensional mandala with three eight-sided levels, each smaller than the last," he described. "The first level, representing the Nirmanakaya (Enlightened Body), is used for large teachings and ceremonies. It has doors in the four directions and will contain life-size statues of the 21 Taras, female Buddhas of compassion. The second level, representing the Sambhogakaya (Enlightened Speech), holds the library, which will store many books, including some of ancient Buddhist texts that were endangered during Chinese invasions of Tibet. The third level, representing the Dharmakaya (Enlightened Mind), is a small, round and luminous space used for smaller gatherings." The Tara Temple was named "Secret Treasury Temple" by the honored A.dzom Rinpoche, because he said Tara Mandala is a "tersa," a land of hidden treasures.

Auspiciously, when the people at Tara Mandala were choosing a site for the construction of the temple, a reincarnate lama named Tulku Sang ngag, known for his gift for geomancy, was visiting the center at the time and he helped decide on the location. Executive director Cady Holtkamp recounted the event: "We were all standing around on a site down near the parking lot that we thought we should maybe build the temple on, for easy access. But then, suddenly, Tulku Sang ngag started running, so of course we all ran after him. He ran straight up here to the sight we had originally wanted to build on, and he shouted, ?This is the spot. It's absolutely perfect.'"

Perfect because the vistas in every direction revealed signs corresponding with animals and colors associated with north, south, east and west, not only from the afore mentioned perspective of the "five Buddha families" but also from the perspective of Tibetan astrological symbology. Tulku Sang ngag had emphatically chosen the sight for the temple because he recognized its accordance with the land and what the stars tell us about the Earth. As if soil and sky together were saying: this is it, this is the place to turn up dirt, lay down foundation and build up something magnificent. And this will always be a good place to start out from before venturing away into the world - this temple is sitting just exactly where it was meant to ? both protected and liberated by the land surrounding it.

And the artists have brought with them their cultural legacy of creating work that pays homage to the land around it. They see the temple as a blank canvas, a compass showing the way and a gift of giving and receiving.

"Whenever we make art in a temple," said Lama Gyurme, "we always do karma yoga, and then we work very hard on our art. We believe in the power of the temple . . . Whenever I am painting, I chant prayers. They are offerings to the painting, like jewels; they are prayers to the Buddha of compassion."

Lama Gyurme and the artists believe that offerings are the source from which and into which all things must flow. "In Tibet," Lama Gyurme explained, "whenever we first build a building we always do a ground ceremony. We ask permission to build from the local protector, who is like Mother Earth in Western thinking. And then we bury a big vase containing lots of gifts to the earth. If you start building, and destroy land without asking for permission first, you will always have trouble in that building. It will never be a good place. But if you do it with love, everything will always go well."

Buddhists, of course, are not the only thinkers who believe in asking permission to build on and take from the land. As Lama Tsultrim pointed out, the 700 acres upon which Tara Mandala sits is neighbor to tribal land of the Utes, a people that also take their bearings from the connection they have with place. "From the beginning, we have had a relationship with the Utes," said Lama Tsultrim. "We've had ceremonies on the land with them relating to the spirits of water and earth."

When Lama Tsultrim envisioned the retreat center on this site more than 15 years ago, she imagined "a partnership with earth, animals, family, and respect for all wisdom traditions, in a region known for its ancient archaeology, unmatched mountains, rivers, canyon lands, and rich cultural history." Near the center point of the entire expanse of Tara Mandala's property is a rounded peak they call Ekajati, who in Tibetan culture is the goddess and protectress of teachings, and who symbolizes the oneness of all things.

Since the founding of Tara Mandala, according to Lama Tsultrim, the people there "have lived lightly on this land, getting to know its ways, the air currents, the animal migration corridors, and the positions of the sun and moon during various seasons of the year. As part of our retreats and work, we have worked to restore the land - bringing a message to young and old about ecology and living in harmony with the earth." At Tara Mandala, "we talk about the 500-year plan rather than the five-year plan," she said.

Lama Gyurme also plans in terms of hundreds of years. After studying to become a master painter, he was asked to help restore many of the temple tangas (the sacred wall paintings) and other temple art in Tibet that had been destroyed during Chinese invasions. "It is good to restore art," he said. "It is helping my culture to survive. I want to take care of the art and the land in Tibet, and here, and wherever I go. And I really want to have an exchange of cultures."

In pursuit of this, Lama Gyurme established the Gelma Lisho Art School, a fine arts academy dedicated to preserving the ancient art and culture of Tibet. Sponsors of the school enable impoverished Tibetans the opportunity to become students, who upon graduation will be ready to work, ensuring a better future for themselves, their families and their communities.

For more information about the Gelma Lisho Art School, you can email Lama Gyurme at lamagyurme@hotmail.com. For more information about events and opportunities at Tara Mandala outside of Pagosa Springs, visit www.taramandala.orgor call (970) 731-3711.