Artistic education in Tibetan culture—whether for painting, sculpture, or textile work—was always delivered through long, full-time, residential apprenticeships. These were on-the-job training programs in which students participated in the creation of artworks produced in their master’s atelier. This apprenticeship method of instruction was also common in Europe in past centuries.
That’s how I learned to make pieced silk thangkas. I lived in Dharamsala, India, with the Tibetan exile community for more than eight years. I spent four of those years in apprenticeship to Tibetan appliqué master, T.G. Dorjee Wangdu, and six months before that getting my feet wet with an extraordinary artist named Tenzin Gyaltsen, who was trained by Gyeten Namgyal, the thirteenth Dalai Lama’s personal tailor and silk thangka maker. I am honored to carry on the legacy of all these generous teachers.
Throughout my training, I was the only Westerner among a group of young Tibetan apprentices. As an uncommon student, perhaps it’s only natural that I’ve become an uncommon teacher, developing an uncommon teaching method—utilizing modern communication technologies to transmit ancient tradition.
Most of you won’t travel to India, learn the Tibetan language, and spend years in apprenticeship. Yet, you may be drawn to Buddhist imagery and touched by its practices and philosophy. You have a passionate love for fabric and colors. Perhaps you find yourself wanting to weave your spiritual and creative paths together, through the creation of beautiful objects rich in meaning. Somehow you feel this can be beneficial for you and for others…
In the Stitching Buddhas® Virtual Apprentice Program, we ply a three-strand thread of making, meaning, and membership to support your growth.
MAKING
In Stitching Buddhas Virtual Apprenticeship, we make objects of beauty with our own hands, using tangible materials and embodying our spiritual aspirations with each stitch.
MEANING
The symbolic imagery of our projects communicates a timeless path for awakening our hearts and minds. It inspires others, expresses compassion, and invites inquiry into the nature of reality — and of ourselves.
MEMBERSHIP
The Stitching Buddhas community wraps around the world. Apprenticeship is not just a class—it’s long- term, progressive, on-the-job skill building. You learn as you work, share, and receive feedback. And you become part of the sacred tradition of Tibetan appliqué stretching back more than five hundred years.
As with any thread, rope, or twine, the strands are made stronger in their intertwining. And so are we.
The Stitching Buddhas® Virtual Apprentice Program starts whenever the student is ready.
And make sure your friends know about this unique opportunity.
Kerryn, Victoria, Australia
“Becoming a ‘Stitching Buddha’ does not require that you have past skills in needlework;it does not require lots of time—it allows you to go at your own pace. It is also not limited to Buddhists—it transcends all cultures and religions.
“So much more than stitching it is a meditation practice of its own… it encourages one to reflect on the images and meaning and, not only to be mindful of the process but also to be fully present with oneself.
“While I love quiet moments to learn and to really engage with the process… I also a appreciate the potential for connection. Isn’t that what makes us unique as humans – our connection with each other, our sense of community? The Stitching Buddhas program brings together unique but like-minded people from around the world… a Stitching Buddhas Sangha. It reminds me that I am a part of something bigger.”
