Unfortunately these days it is difficult to find a living master who is a holder of the entirety of this knowledge. One of the last great ones was Tanglha Tsewang. His disciples received as much as they could practice given the difficult circumstances of their exile. Very few were able to develop an art which was of the same quality. Sometimes Tanglha Tsewang would spend over three years on one thangka. None of his disciples had the leisure to develop his concern for perfection to this same extent.

Today it is important to learn from our lineage's rich past. We must make an effort to reproducethe same methods that the Karmapas have given to us.

In doing this we should not consider the Dharma and its graphic expression as something exotic coming from a foreign culture but as a discovery of a deeply human nature and the natural expression of the mind.

Even though we live in the West the emotions of desire, jealousy, anger etc. have the same nature whatever part of the planet one comes from. The only differences are people's languages and conditioning. Our integration of the Dharma should lead naturally to an expression of the Dharma. In order to do this we should gather around the Karmapa using our skills and abilities and learn to see each other's differences as a precious richness rather than as a contradiction.

By generating sincere devotion, following the instructions we are given and keeping the motivation of the enlightened mind it is possible to recreate in this day and age the same working conditions of the 'Karmapa's encampment.' We have an incredible richness in the pure nectar of Dharma given to us by the perfect master, Gendun Rinpoche.

He set up what we now call the 'Dhagpo Kagyu Mandala.' This mandala is a coherent network of centres where all the different approaches are linked together by a common source of authentic Dharma.