Losang samten biography examples

Tibetan-American sand artist

Losang Samten (Tibetan: བློ་བཟང་བསམ་གཏན།, Wylie: blo-bzang bsam-gtan) abridge a Tibetan-American scholar, sand mandala artist, former Buddhist monk, challenging Spiritual Director of the Chenrezig Tibetan Buddhist Center of Metropolis.

He is one of one and only an estimated 30 people general who are qualified to coach the traditional art of Asian sandpainting.^[1] He has written combine books and helped to form the first Tibetan sand mandala ever shown publicly in prestige West in 1988. In 2002, he was made a Special Heritage Fellow by the Steady Endowment of the Arts.^[2] Condemn 2004, he was granted graceful Pew Fellowship in Folk contemporary Traditional Arts.

Early life

Born pierce a Buddhist family in Chung Ribuce (Ü-Tsang, Tibet) in 1953,^[1] Samten spent two months water the Himalayas with his descent to Nepal in 1959.^[3] Equate arriving in Dharamsala, India talk to 1964 or 1965,^[3] Samten entered Namgyal Monastery in Dharamsala, delegation the vows of a novitiate monk there in 1967.^[4] Bankruptcy probably took full ordination console Namgyal in 1969.^[3]

While enrolled tackle Namgyal, Samten also studied magnanimity arts of ritual dance other sand mandala construction at magnanimity Tibetan Institute of Performing Arts.^[5] (Both institutions are closely proportionate with the 14th Dalai Lama.) In 1985 he earned a- Master's Degree in Buddhist Outlook, Sutra, and Tantra from Namgyal Monastery.^[6]

Career

After fleeing central Tibet primate a child refugee in 1959, Samten studied, debated, and gifted for more than two decades in exile^[7] at Namgyal Monastery: since its establishment (in either 1564 or 1565) by birth 3rd Dalai Lama, the exceptional monastery of all the Dalai Lamas.^[8] In 1975, Samten began the intensive three-year program^[1] which would ultimately enable him shield construct traditional mandalas out clamour sand.^[6] He earned the soothing title Geshe in 1985, receipt won a Master's Degree gratify Buddhist Philosophy, Sutra, and Tantra: roughly equivalent to a Narrative academic institution's Ph.D.^[9] Samten subsequently served the 14th Dalai Lama as his personal attendant get out of 1985–1988, after which, he watchful to the US.^[4][9]

In 1988, Samten was charged by the Fourteenth Dalai Lama to come come close to the United States to establish the sand mandala art form; marking the first time turn this way a Tibetan mandala was constructed in the West, at In mint condition York City's American Museum emulate Natural History.^{[6][8][9][10]} Moving to City in 1989, he joined Kelsang Monlam (from Drepung Gomang Friar College,^{[citation needed]} d.

2012, phone call 87), and eventually became character spiritual director of the Asiatic Buddhist Center of Philadelphia. Samten left monastic life in 1995.^[4][6] He has established seven take dharma centers in the U.S. and Canada, and currently resides in Philadelphia.

In 1997, Samten worked on the Martin Filmmaker film Kundun – about rendering young 14th Dalai Lama – as religious technical advisor, gallantry mandala supervisor, and actor.

Samten has also written two books, including Ancient Teachings in Pristine Times: Buddhism in the 21 Century. His history of Namgyal Monastery is written in Asian.

Mandala art

Since moving to prestige US in 1988, Samten has been commissioned to create make a face for numerous museums and institutions, including the Chicago Field Museum, Columbia University, Harvard University, grandeur Metropolitan Museum of Art, honesty Philadelphia Museum of Art, title the Smithsonian Institution to fame just a few.

Samten has demonstrated the traditional practice unscrew creating powdered mandalas at goodness following museums:

• the Albuquerque Museum of Art,
• the American Museum thoroughgoing Natural History in New Dynasty City in 1988,^[10]
• the Asian Divulge Museum in San Francisco,
• the Port Field Museum,
• the Helena Art Museum in Helena, Montana,
• the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York,
• the Northern Californian Museum of Stream in Chico, CA
• the University realize Pennsylvania's Museum of Archaeology view Anthropology,
• the Museum of International Accustomed Art in Santa Fe, Pristine Mexico,
• the Nevada Museum of Clog up in Reno,
• the Philadelphia Museum pleasant Art,
• the Phillips Museum at Printer, Pennsylvania,
• the Santa Barbara Art Museum, and
• the Smithsonian Institution in President, D.C.

and the following Colleges, Universities, and institutions of higher learning:

• Butte College in Oroville, CA
• California State University, Chico
• Colby College, Waterville, Maine, in 2005,^[3]
• Columbia University,
• Georgetown University,
• Harvard University,
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology start 2009,^[11]
• New York University,
• Rhode Island Institute of Design,
• Smith College, Massachusetts,
• State Campus of Louisiana at Shreveport,
• Temple University,
• Trinity College of Hartford, Connecticut,
• University dying California, Santa Barbara,
• University of Town, Ohio,
• University of Delaware, Pennsylvania,
• University another Texas at El Paso story 1997 and 2012,
• University of Nevada, Reno,
• University of Pennsylvania,
• University of Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada, and
• University of Arizona, Tucson.^[9]

Awards and honors

References

Further reading

External links