 |
|
 |
OVERVIEW | ART | CONSTRUCTION | FOUNDRY |
|
|
|
|
||||||||||
 |
||||||||||
|
For nearly 40 years, the extended community of the Tibetan Nyingma Meditation Centers (TNMC) has been working tirelessly to preserve sacred texts. Since the early 1980’s these texts have been returned to Bodh Gaya, India. It was here in Bodh Gaya that Prince Siddhartha who became known as Shakyamuni Buddha, sat under the Bodhi tree and realized enlightenment. This site is now the location of the annual World Peace Ceremony sponsored by TNMC. In addition to the sacred texts, the extended community is also able to make art offerings to the assembly. Art is a crucial element of the traditional approach to Tibetan Buddhism. Traditional practitioners use such things as statues and thangkas, or sacred paintings, for visualization practices. It is said that as long as at least one stupa is in existence, there is the potential for enlightenment. At Odiyan the emphasis is to preserve and duplicate the traditional shapes and forms of the Tibetan culture.
Odiyan is modeled after Samye monastery, the first monastery in Tibet. The art at Odiyan includes both the architecture and the replicated sacred forms from traditional Tibetan iconography. In early 2000, Tibetan and Bhutanese artists began sculpting the statues that adorn both the interior and exterior of Cintamani Temple. The statues range from life-sized to over 35 ft. tall and represent Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, and enlightened masters who have passed on the teachings of the Buddha in a living lineage down to modern times. The sculptors followed ancient forms representing each figure with iconographical authenticity.
Almost 300 life-sized statues have been cast and assembled by the Odiyan foundry, over 100 life-sized statues of lineage masters have been placed on shelves or mounted in small bays inside the Cintamani Temple. All of the bronze artwork originally planned for Cintamani Temple has been cast. Fill out the Volunteer Inquiry Form for more information. Or download a Volunteer Application.
|
|
||||||||
