By invitation of Chokyi Senge, the 12th Trungpa Rinpoche, conservator Ann Shaftel traveled to Surmang Monastery in May 2025 to work on the preservation of Surmang Monastery treasures. Located in remote Qinghai province of China, Surmang is the hereditary seat of the Trungpa Tulku lineage in the region of Kham.
As a conservator, Ms. Shaftel has been researching and working in conservation of monastery treasures since 1970, when she met the 16th Karmapa, 8th Khamtrul Rinpoche, and Gelek Rinpoche in India. In 1972, she met the 11th Trungpa Rinpoche, and he asked her to enact extensive conservation treatment on his own paintings, now widely available as prints and digital reproductions.
Although Ms. Shaftel has worked by invitation for monasteries and their communities in Nepal, India, China and Bhutan for 55 years, and for museums, universities and government institutions worldwide, it was a goal to visit Surmang monastery one day.
In 2024, Ms. Shaftel and the non-profit Treasure Caretaker Training were invited to teach conservation techniques of documentation and risk assessment, safer storage, and theft prevention in Yushu City of Qinghai province. She led 3 days of workshops for representatives of Tana, Zurmang, and Thrangu monasteries, as well as local community members. This was the first such experience for all of the participants. The event was hosted by the Gesar Palace Hotel and sponsored by Greg and Sarah Rubin. Ms. Shaftel was assisted by Pema Khandro, an English/Tibetan interpreter from the nearby nomadic Chumalep region.
Chokyi Senge Rinpoche joined her for lunch, and during that meeting invited her to work closely with him on the preservation of Surmang monastery treasures. The Pema Chodron Foundation funded the May 2025 work in Surmang monastery. Every day, Ms. Shaftel worked closely with Surmang monks, and every day Trungpa Rinpoche watched over the documentation work. Long discussions with Rinpoche on thangka condition reports and stabilization treatment options were facilitated by telephone translations by Pema Khandro and Phuntsok Namgyal Sumpa.
TCT Treasure Caretaker Training international team members will be returning to Surmang Monastery for Phase Two of “Conservation of Surmang Monastery Treasures.” According to lengthy discussions and detailed documentation of the Surmang treasures on-site, Trungpa Rinpoche will decide which monastery treasures are to receive the first stabilization treatment in Phase Two, followed by more conservation work in Phase Three.
Both Chokyi Senge Rinpoche and Conservator Ann Shaftel agree that there will be no “cleaning” or repainting of the blessed, historic thangka treasures in Surmang Monastery. The structure of the thangkas will be stabilized only to enable them to be handled and hung safely in the traditional manner. Essential repairs to the textile mounting include mending of tears in the fabric, and strengthening the traditional cords. Even though thangka textile mountings might have been changed in the past, we plan to maintain the current traditional thangka form, and take care of historic thangka textiles as well as the paintings.
For centuries, in traditional monasteries and communities, thangkas were not “cleaned” or repainted. A thangka painter was called in to copy the iconography to create a new thangka for use as a guide to visualization. Historically, the original thangka painting was not “restored” to make it appear new. These days, the over-“restoration” of thangkas is unfortunately prevalent; but extensive cleaning and repainting can alter the appearance, balance and meaning of a centuries-old thangka painting. With the blessings of Trungpa Rinpoche, the condition of the thangka paintings will be stabilized only.
Therefore, for the Surmang thangkas, any aesthetic “improvements” will be done in the digital realm: especially “cleaning” to make the thangka painting appear as someone might imagine that it appeared when first painted. The original blessed historic thangka in its physical form will be stabilized: its iconography revealed, darkness reversed, and losses compensated in the digital realm. The resulting digital image can be copied by a thangka painter, printed out to be included in the full thangka form with textile mounting, and can be shared in the digital form, as many people practice today with their texts on their phone, tablet or computer.
This is an ongoing and sustainable project to ensure that Surmang monastery treasures continue on for future generations.
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