The Unmasking of the Universal Mandala

Well, Sean Quinn has been at it again taking those gorgeous photos  on Khandroling.  Earlier today, the masking tape and plastic covering the Universal Mandala floor was removed. Here is the result for those of you not on Facebook to see Sean's recent photographic record.  For the team of volunteers, donors and long time project managers--Tsegyalgar East offers our infinite gratitude for all your hard work. 

[Photos by Sean Quinn)

The Red Thigles

[Photo credit:  Lauri Marder]

The Blooming of Khandroling

Top: Last blooming poppy on lower Khandroling
Bottom: Bees around the Vajra Hall cosmos

Both photos from the Facebook group:  Khandroling: Land of the Dakinis 

Photos by Laila Reiss

The Khandroling Development Team Seeks New Team Members

During his recent visit to Tsegyalgar,  Chogyal Namkhai Norbu asked that we build a new Gonpa on Lower Khandroling and he subsequently identified the proper location for the structure. In light of this,  the Tsegylagar East  Gakyil is looking to expand the Khandroling Development Team to include planning for the Gonpa as well as the infrastructure of Lower and Upper Khandroling. 


Yuchen Namkhai and Joe Zurylo have agreed to serve as Co-Chairs of the Team. The Tsegyalgar East Gakyil is seeking additional members of the Tsegyalgar community to collaborate with Yuchen and Joe on the Planning Team. We need as much participation as possible to bring Rinpoche's vision into reality. If you want to participate in this exciting process please notify Yuchen at: y.namkhai@gmail.com and Joe at: jzurylo@yahoo.com and the Gakyil at: gakyil@tsegyalgar.org.

Sincerely,
The Tsegyalgar East Gakyil

An Interview with Jim Smith on the Design and Making of the Longsal Spire at Khandroling

It all starts here with a drawing executed to scale. Jacqueline Gens interviews Jim Smith following the Longsal Spire installation atop the Vajra Hall on Khandroling.

[all photos courtesy Paula Barry]

Why was the Longsal Symbol chosen for the Vajra Hall spire or what does it mean in our lineage? (for those who do not know)

J Smith - In our lineage the Longsal symbol  represents the Termas of Chögyal Namkhai Norbu. Some years ago, he said that maybe we should place the Longsal symbol at the top of the Vajra Hall. He asked that we have a Longsal made of iron and gold. That was many years ago before we started building.
 

 Can you explain the design challenges of creating a n iron and gold spire of the Longsal symbol and how you arrived at the present design?

J Smith - Well, years went by after our initial conversations with Rinpoche and the  actual construction of the Vajra Hall project.  When we began to consider the over all design for the spire, the Vajra Hall team sent Rinpoche blueprints of the building with various sizes of the Longsal so that he could see the actual scale. We asked him to choose  among the various options between four to ten feet. He chose the eight-foot version. I then made a wax model to show him. Once we came up with a scaled drawing of the Longsal that Rinpoche had chosen, we then put it on the computer and made a  two dimensional drawing exactly to scale, in order to create a plywood template. We made three copies of this wooden template--one copy for the welder to work from, the other copy for myself [Jim Smith] to create the foam dimensional aspect. The third copy went to make the letters or wings of the symbol.

[Jim then explains what these are]

The interior circles represent thigles while the two wings indicate a letter of the dakinis. At that point we began to see the symbol in a circular thigle,  similar to what is on top of a stupa. Once the metal manufacturer received his wooden template, he made the skeleton armature from stainless steel with an interior steel designed for high stress to withstand the environmental impact over time. Simultaneously, I produced the foam model of the upper thigle and inner Longsal while John Foster made a wooden mock- up of the two letters/wings. 

What was the actual production process?

J Smith - To produce the final piece we investigated fabricators and had the idea to go with fiberglass which is very strong with some flexibility that could easiiy encompass these forms. We ended up finding a company in Cleveland, Ohio. Originally, I thought, we were going to supply them with just a drawing but then I agreed to supply the foam and wooden forms to make moulds from. So we sent all the templates to Cleveland—the three different pieces consisting of metal frame, foam core, and wooden letters. There were some issues at first but in the end everything was resolved very nicely --- they filet (ed)  the foam off the plywood and then they sandwiched it to the metal framework and then applied the fiberglass skin over it. They then sanded the surface smooth which was afterwards gold-leafed in 24 carat gold sheets of 4 x 6 inches applied to the fiberglass in a traditional manner and then coated.  Finally,  the company shipped the finished spire back to us,. Once Rinpoche was in residence at Tsegyalgar East, we found an auspicious date to hoist the Longsal spire  to the top of the Vajra Hall with a crane.  

What was your experience like working on this project?

J-Smith - I went through a gamut of emotions primarily pure joy to have the skills in order to participate. It was sort of like really beautiful to be in the time and place to make an offering—with the intention to adhere to proportional consideration and for the spire to last as long as possible. Everyone  did an incredible job with heartfelt dedication—even the welder. Everywhere it’s been seen it has initiated something in people. When it was installed, many people were crying. 

Thank You,

Jacqueline Gens

Tsegyalgar East, June 2013

The following video of the installation of the Longsal spire was taken by Naomi Zeitz

Khandroling Farm Coop Update

Check out Yuchen Namkhai's latest Khandroling Coop update including her piece on the merits of Barley planted as part of the overall Khandroling Farm Coop efforts this Spring.

You can go directly to the Khandroling Coop website at www.khandrolingcoop.com anytime to find out more about joining and their weekly activities.

Chögyal Namkhai Norbu Has Arrived at Tsegyalgar East!

Chögyal Namkhai Norbu arrived yesterday afternoon at his home on lower Khandroling. Members of the community greeted him with the Most Elegant Circle dance that they learned earlier in the day while awaiting his arrival.

Seated on his porch, Rinpoche seemed to enjoy what is increasingly becoming an important aspect of our community culture--the songs and dances of Tibet!

The current schedule leading up to the Retreat which begins on Friday June 7, 2013 is the following:

Tuesday, June 4th

Yantra Yoga 10am in the Schoolhouse

Vajra Dance at 3:30pm in the Schoolhouse

Tibetan Singing & Dancing at 5pm in the Schoolhouse

Wednesday, June 5th

Vajra Dance at 3:30pm in the Schoolhouse

Tibetan Singing & Dancing at 5pm in the Farmhouse

Thursday, June 6th

Yantra Yoga 10am in the Schoolhouse

Vajra Dance at 3:30pm in the Schoolhouse

Tibetan Singing & Dancing at 5pm in the Farmhouse

Friday, June 7th

Registration for the retreat 10am-noon,  1:30-3:30pm

Assemble in Gompa 4:15pm

Teaching with Chogyal Namkhai Norbu 5-7pm

Throughout the week we invite the Community to assist with karma yoga and help prepare for the retreats.  Please be in contact with our Geko, Dave Hayes, at 413-230-8305 to find out how to help.

[photos by Paula Barry]

Khandroling Development Plans for Spring 2013

During 2012, several individuals met on a regular basis  to discuss the potential for developing an agricultural cooperative on lower Khandroling, formerly a small working farm typical of the region. This spring the "Coop" team plans on initiating the following pilot projects to inaugurate the project:

• Putting in 2 beehives for honey production

• 2 small test plots: 

Flax to be used for fibers in the paper making project

Barley to be used in conjunction with the honey to make Chudlen

• Planting fruit trees ( 30 to 50 depending on cost) up on the high part of the west side field

• The coop had the soil tested at the southern field; we will buy and plow in the necessary organic materials to make it suitable for planting vegetables

• Another mushroom plot, using the logs from the new road

 Photo credit Jacqueline Gens, Nary inoculating logs on upper Khandroling with mushroom spores


Members of the team currently include, Yuchen Namkhai, Paula Barry, Joe Zurylo, Nary Mitchill, Sebastian Ratti, Jacqueline Gens, and Leela Hewitt-Whitcomb. Earlier a working draft of a proposal was created in collaboration with Yuchen Namkhai that will evolve as pilot projects manifest in 2013. In the meantime, individual members of the team are actively researching local permaculture and landscape design resources in the area as well as enrolling in classes on beekeeping. 

 

Recent News from Khandroling Paper Cooperative

A couple of weeks ago Naomi Zeitz and I attended a three hour workshop on pulp painting at Dieu Donne paper mill in NYC as part of our Khandroling Paper Cooperative venture. We are always seeking to improve our craft.  Here are a few examples of our work from the workshop which was mailed to us after drying.

11 X 14 pulp painting on Abaca using a classic mould, pressed in a hydraulic press, then restraint dried. Naomi Zeitz

Although you can't see it here, the abaca is tissue thin and very translucent. This work is destined for our upcoming show

 11 x 14 cotton papers with stenciled pulp painting using a classic mould, pressed in a hydraulic press, then restraint dried. Naomi Zeitz


We made a stencil of a Tibetan cloud which
worked well here. Naomi Zeitz. Cloud stencil by Jacqueline Gens

Here is my experiment joining two pieces 11 x 14 cotton paper to make a long scroll. I then experimented with a brush to paint calligraphic gestures with the pigmented pulp. When the paper tore with the use of a brush, I simply patched crudely with cotton pulp pulled out of the vat that  pressed out evenly. Jacqueline Gens

During the workshop we viewed Dieu Donne's archive of works on paper. We love pulp painting and hope to continue with our experiments using handmade stencils and pigmented pulps to add to newly made wet pieces of paper. Naomi is especially gifted at coloring her pulps. Here  she is taking notes from our instructor at Dieu Donne.

One of the main projects we are currently developing is to make paper for handmade boxes to hold crystal wands.  Each box will be made with paper infused with sacred substances we have collected. Thanks to a generous donor we have many fine crystals to use for this project.

Here are some of our expermimental prototypes made by Margherita during our Janaury workshop.
















For further information about Khandroling Paper Cooperative updates, workshops and our Spring schedule, visit http://www.khandrolingpapers.blogspot.com