Special Thangka stamp

[kris]

Special Thangka stamps are being issued in Lhasa on 19 May 2014:



I personally like these stamps with Buddha images and wish to get a set if possible. It is really rare that we get stamps these days as people only send emails (I personally have not sent much postal mail for the past few years).

http://eng.tibet.cn/2010jj/xw/201405/t20140513_1995111.html

[grandmapele]

This is great news! China is giving much leeway for the Tibetans to have thangka stamps. They really are courting the Tibetans by preserving the religion and culture. We seem to be coming to an interesting time in the Tibet/China saga.

Personally, I wouldn't having a collection of stamps like that. They are just plain gorgeous. But, on the other hand, wouldn't that be disrespect and desecration to have the stamps/Buddha images stamped by the postmark?

[Solomon Lang]

They are so, so  beautiful.

[diablo1974]

Very beautiful stamps. Thangkas can be a representational icon towards Tibet culture. Whenever we see thangkas, we think about Tibet. Having more people to see images of Buddhas is better than to worry about disrespect and desecration to have the stamps/Buddha images stamped by the postmark.

[Galen]

Oh wow!! I love them!!! The Chinese Government does value it's history and culture to produce such beautiful images of Buddhas on stamp. Now stamp collectors will have a field time collecting them.

[Klein]

This is great news! China is giving much leeway for the Tibetans to have thangka stamps. They really are courting the Tibetans by preserving the religion and culture. We seem to be coming to an interesting time in the Tibet/China saga.

Personally, I wouldn't having a collection of stamps like that. They are just plain gorgeous. But, on the other hand, wouldn't that be disrespect and desecration to have the stamps/Buddha images stamped by the postmark?

Dear grandmapele,

Technically, it would be disrespectful. However. during this age of degeneration, it is better to have more people see Enlightened images so that seeds of enlightenment are planted in their mindstream. Most people are not going to practise the dharma. So we can forget about the protocols of showing respect to Buddha images.

I rejoice that the Chinese government is promoting Buddhism. It is the first step for the Government to openly accept Buddhism and sends out the message to the Chinese that it's ok to practise Buddhism. Buddhism has been a major part of Chinese culture and psyche for more than a thousand years. It's time to revive it to bring back some humanity and kindness to society instead of their focus of just making money with or without ethics and morals.

[angelica]

The thangka stamps are really beautiful. It is really good news that China is issuing it, it means that China is accepting Buddhism and promoting it. May these stamps travel far and travel into the life of many people. May it plant the dharma seeds in whoever that see it.

[Aurore]

Chinese culture is one of the world's oldest cultures. A nation rich in cultural resources, China has an ocean of non-material cultural heritage including folk art, martial arts, cuisine, religion, music, literature, opera and dance. But many of these precious traditions are under the threat of extinction with the modernization of the country. I see this act as a preservation method and reminder to the people of the main religion held in China for many years. It will be exciting to see what else China will do in preserving their core religion in the many years to come.

[rossoneri]

Wow...these stamps really shows that the Chinese really concern about preserving the rich heritage and history amongst the Tibetan and it is also shows that they actually accept and encourage the people not to forget their roots, culture, heritage and religion. Especially now, during this degenerate times more and more people is getting distracted from the importance of religion practice whereby we should have in our modern society which can easily influence us into something which can be not so beneficial in our life.

Good move, hopefully we will witness more and more modern approach media related to Buddhism which will highlight to the mass crowd by saying religion is not only for the past and elder, need not to be boring.

[buddhalovely]

Wow these look so authentic and artistic. The colors are so appealing! It's so adorable how the thangka  images are down-sized to miniature stamps! It definitely shows culture and the essence of buddhism.

[Freyr Aesiragnorak]

I agree with Klein, technically it goes against the refuge commitment of seeing all buddha images as the Buddha themselves. But as stated it is better that people see the holy images portraying the bodies of the Buddha to plant great seeds and karmic imprints in their mindstreams, as they usually would not otherwise be inclined. I myself have have given away a lot of ornamental statues of the buddhas, which i know for a fact would not be placed on an altar, but to people who i know would treat them respectfully, as a way to help plant these karmic seeds in the minds of those I love and care about.

[fruven]

Lovely stamps. It would be great if I can get hold of it. Yes it is disrespectful for the Buddha images to be stamped and also placed at low places, or covered by other things. It is a very bad idea and shows the lack of knowledge of how to handle Buddha images. On the other Buddha stamp images with the power of imprint will reach many people which may not have the chance to see it by other means.

[RedLantern]

The stamps are simply gorgeous! Will be a great addition to my stamp collection.This special thangka stamps can carry forward Tibetan unique culture and inherit or transmit the intangible cultural heritage.

[Big Uncle]

The Han Chinese appreciate the spiritual aspect of Tibetan civilization and they are slowly and surely incorporating it into the general Chinese spiritual identity. I believe this and many other signs is good indication that the Chinese are identifying with the Tibetan Buddhist traditions as something that is of their own. This would mean that in the future, the Chinese would import this as part of their cultural and spiritual identity to the world. If Dorje Shugden could be position as part of this spiritual import, Dorje Shugden's unprecedented growth could bring Buddhism into a new renaissance of Buddhism. Just imagine...

[bambi]

Nice!! Although I do find it disrespectful coz people tend to throw away the stamps after removing whatever is inside the envelope. Maybe they should use it as stamp collection instead.
Yes, I do believe its good that China did a good job in introducing them to the world but maybe in a better way.
It would be very nice to have DS stamps...  but of coz for collection purposes...