All wood carving students begin by working on the designs of the Tashi Takgye, or Eight Auspicious Symbols to a more detailed carving pieces. The Eight Auspicious symbols are group of lucky Buddhist symbols that appear on many Buddhist objects and paintings. Each symbol represents an aspect of Buddhist teaching and when they appear together, their powers are multiplied.
Wood Carving
- Parasol: royalty and spiritual power.
- Golden Fish: good fortune, fertility and salvation
- Treasure vase: spiritual and material abundance
- Lotus: mental and spiritual purity
- Conch shell: the fame of Buddha’s teaching
- Endless knot: infinite wisdom of the Buddha.
- Victory banner: victory of the Buddha’s teaching and wisdom over ignorance
- Wheel: the teaching of the Buddha.
For the woodcarving workshop, you can also take a day’s workshop to a few weeks workshop. You will find the detailed information in our curriculum below, although the actual time it takes to complete each task will depend on the student. It is not necessary to have any prior experience.