For Zhang Jiayu, a junior in the art department of the Chinese University of Hong Kong, thangka painting is quite time-consuming. “Before when I did my own painting, all the materials were ready-made, but for thangka painting, we need to make the materials ourselves. This is quite new to me, and I enjoy the process.”

 

“I never expected that they would paint so well for their first time,” Master Nyangben said, seeing how the Hong Kong students asked for advice seriously in the painting room. He gives them thumbs up for their hard work. Although their internship is very short, they have learned nine basic skills of thangka painting, including wearing out the cloth and applying color. 

 

“Painting thangka is an internal Buddhist practice. The process involves a lot of self-discipline; we paint from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m., sitting for more than 10 hours. Painting takes a particularly long time, and the process is also one of communicating with one’s innermost being,” Chen Huanting, a graduate student, shared with reporters.