Four armed Avalokiteshvara

Your Instructor

My name is Tharphen Lingtsang, and I am the son of the late Karma Gardri Master Gega Lama. I was born in Darjeeling, in the misty hills of northeast India, where Tibetan and Indian cultures converge. Growing up in this unique environment, I received both a traditional Tibetan-Indian upbringing and a Western education at an English Jesuit school. A combination that would later prove invaluable in bridging Eastern sacred arts with modern teaching methods. At eighteen, having just graduated, I began my formal training with my father. I felt a deep calling to help preserve the sacred tradition of Karma Gardri painting, a lineage that stretches back centuries and embodies profound spiritual wisdom through visual form. Over the years that followed, I received the complete transmission from my father, absorbing not only the technical mastery of brush and pigment, but the spiritual essence that transforms paint and canvas into vehicles of contemplation and devotion. For many years, we worked side by side in our school and studio in Kathmandu, Nepal. Together, we taught countless aspiring students, faithfully maintaining the traditional method of apprenticeship—where knowledge flows directly from master to student through patient observation, careful practice, and dedicated presence. This ancient pedagogical approach ensures that what is transmitted goes far beyond mere technique. After my father’s unexpected passing in 1996, I moved to the Netherlands, carrying forward his legacy and continuing to pursue my passion for painting thangkas. Within a few years, I began offering regular courses in Buddhist centers across Europe, a work I continue to this day with undiminished enthusiasm. Now, through online courses, I hope to extend this transmission even further, sharing my love and passion for this sacred art form with aspiring thangka painters throughout the world. In our digital age, the boundaries that once limited such teachings have dissolved, allowing anyone with sincere interest and dedication to connect with this living tradition—wherever they may be.