Tibetan Buddhist Arts
Madison, WI
Vocabulary
Appliqué: (sounds like, ap-li-KAY) Decoration made by sewing cut fabric
pieces onto another piece of cloth.
Buddhist: (sounds like, BOOD-dist) a member of Buddhism, a religion that
started in India and is based on compassion.
Cultural demonstration: showing a cultural tradition to other people.
Impermanence: (sounds like, im-PER-ma-nentz) Not lasting forever.
Lama: A Buddhist monk.
Lhasa: (sounds like, LA-sa) Capital of Tibet.
Mandala: Mandalas are circular patterns that Tibetan Buddhists use for
meditation and spiritual development.
Meticulous: Precise, paying close attention to detail.
Monastery: A place where monks live.
Preserve: To keep safe; to maintain.
Ritual arts: Art forms that are used in religious ceremonies or
devotions.
Sanskrit: the language of Hinduism, the religion
from which Buddhism developed.
Square: A measurement that means something is as long as it is wide.
Textile: Any woven material.
Text: Words that are written or printed, like in a book.
Tibet: A country in South Asia, now a part of China.
Ven.: Abbreviation for Venerable.
Venerable: A title of respect for a monk that means he is worthy of being
honored.
Visualize: to make a mental picture or image of
something.
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Journal Questions
 What
do you like doing that is so important you have memorized how to do it?
What
kind of art do you make?
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Resources For Teachers
 Venerable
Ngawang is an active member of the Wisconsin
Tibet Association; at the time of this writing, he is the current Vice
President. This page describes the goals of the Association, and gives a history
of how Tibetans came to Wisconsin.
To find
a Buddhist center near your community, visit the page Dharma
Centers and Organizations in Wisconsin. While most of those listed follow
Tibetan Buddhism, you’ll also find Vietnamese, Chinese and Korean Buddhist
centers.
The
Mandala Project reviews different ways in which teachers worldwide have used
the concept of mandalas to teach art, math, history, culture, and science.
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Resources For Students
Want to
see photos of Tibet? Then visit eTravelPhotos/Tibet.
Double-click on a photo to make it larger.
The
Tibetan
Language Audio Guide will let you learn some Tibetan words and hear what
they sound like.
Do you
know why the Dalai Lama received the 1989 Nobel Peace Prize? Read the Norwegian
Nobel Committee’s citation. You can find out what hopes the Dalai Lama has
for Tibet by reading his acceptance
speech.
Every
summer, Tibetans in Chicago, Minneapolis and Madison compete in a soccer
tournament. In 2002, the Madison Yakboys won the tournament. Here are photos
from their victory
party. (You’ll see Ven. Ngawang in some of the photos too!)
  Listen
to Ven. Ngawang talk about the essence of Buddhism in his native language,
Tibetan. A translator repeats his words in English. You can read the English
translation by clicking here.
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Credits
Text written by Jamie Yuenger and Anne Pryor, edited by Anne Pryor.
Map of Tibet used with kind permission of Claude André of the Tibetan
Map Institute.
Sources consulted include a tape recorded interview with Venerable Ngawang
Chojor by Anne Pryor (8/22/97) and accompanying documentation, resumé provided by
Venerable Ngawang Chojor, and description of the Chenrezig sand mandala,
provided by Mahayan Dharma Center (1997), with all sources housed at the
Wisconsin Arts Board; and these websites: United
Nations, The Mandala
Project, and Tibetan
Festivals.
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