Migmar Tsering

This summer we worked on renewing the decorations of the outer ring ceiling inside the Merigar Gönpa. This extension to the building was done 15 years ago but at the time this outer ring only had a coat of color and there wasn’t the possibility to finish the decorations. Then over the years there were also problems because rainwater seeped in from the roof. Since that time the roof has been repaired and this summer we were finally able to go ahead with this work of decoration.

Our first work of restoration was painting the six syllables – A: A HA SHA SA MA – outside the main entrance to the Gönpa, complete with delicate flower designs. Then we went ahead with this outer ring of the ceiling inside the building. Being inside the Gönpa, which is full of images, letters and script, we needed to make the outer ring lighter and more airy.

Removing the old decorations and painting the new

First of all we treated all the wood and gave it a fresh coat of paint and then added the designs. The original decoration of the ceiling of this outer ring simply consisted of golden Longsal letters on a sky blue background. The base color indicated by Rinpoche is sky blue to give the idea of the openness of space. In the new decoration we again depicted the golden Longsal letters on a sky blue background but in two different ways: separated into three parts and as a complete symbol. In the vertical recesses we decided to use the Tibetan letters OM A HUM in three colors and the golden Longsal symbol in alternation. In the roof area we placed the Longsal symbol, divided into three parts, namely the central part and the two lateral parts, in a whitish color, on a sky blue background. Then the external mantra – the Ushnishavijaya Dharani mantra – was refreshed and the flower designs were improved in respect to the former ones. The base color on the transversal beams was painted a beautiful blue with geometric designs interspaced with graceful white flowers.

In the new decorations there is a great harmony of color and an abundance of floral designs that bring tranquility and beauty to the Gönpa.

Some people have asked me if the symbol of the Longsal can be considered as a letter. The symbol of the Longsal is like a key, and to open a terma treasure, one needs a key. In Tibetan this key is called da yig (brda yig), which means a written symbol or grapheme so it is not an actual letter. There are a lot of da yig and they say that some masters can read and pronounce them.

Painting the Longsal symbol

Last year we used some colors on the exterior decorations that were very strong acrylic enamel, and this year we found that the colors we used last year were still as bright as when they were newly painted. Because of their durability we decided to use this type of paint for the internal decorations and expect that the designs should last 20 or 30 years. This year we managed to finish five sides of this octagonal ceiling; there are three left to do.

Migmar and the Mayor of Arcidosso with the young artists at the Gönpa

This year we had 15 or 16 young people to help with the painting, all of them working in karma yoga. Five of them were here from the beginning to the end of the work while others came to work for a week or two, whenever they had time. Many of them were children or grandchildren of practitioners and most were studying the arts at either high school or university. It was also an international team representing the Dzogchen Community from around the world from countries such as Romania, Russia, Costa Rica and different European countries. We were very fortunate because they really worked from the heart. And this is a good hope for the future, for the continuity and the legacy of the Community.

There were also several Chinese and Tibetan students from the academy of artistic studies in Rome and part of the team of the Dynamic Space of the Elements who also came to work. During the holidays, they often spend their time here working on artistic projects for Merigar and the Dzogchen Community. 

During the work we noticed that some of the gold decorations that were done last year on the exterior of the Gönpa have become discoloured. The air around Merigar contains a lot of sulphur and this has darkened some of the gold leaf decorations. Fortunately we have found a golden yellow paint that is used in China for the roofs of the temples which does not darken over time. We used this paint on the upper part of the Great Stupa when we redecorated it this year and will be using it to retouch the decorations in gold outside the Gönpa.

I feel that it is our duty to maintain and care for this Gönpa because in order to maintain the teaching, it is important to maintain the place of the teaching. This year we have worked on these five sections of the ceiling of the outer ring of the Gönpa. Next year we will finish the remaining three and start to restore some of the paintings of the masters within the Gönpa which were done 30 years ago.

As a practitioner and as a student of Rinpoche’s I consider us all responsible for the Community and I ask you all to help us to maintain this Gönpa at Merigar in any way that you can including by donation. We are not asking people to come and actually do the work at the Gönpa because it takes time and knowledge of painting techniques. At the moment, the situation is good as we have people with the time and the skills to go ahead with this work. However, if people can donate to this project it will help us to conclude this work more quickly. Even though their work is in karma yoga, our karma yogis have to have accommodation, transport and three meals a day to survive. Please help us to cover these costs. This is my heartfelt wish. 

https://www.merigar.it/en/members/our-projects/restoration-and-maintenance-of-gonpa-paintings/

Photos by the Dynamic Space of the Elements team