At Cold Mountain Studio: Learning as Presence


Nestled in the quiet hill town of Dharamshala, The Cold Mountain Studio stands on the soil of Byool Farm, where the rhythm of seasons guide our work. Our studio here is built by hand from earth-bags—rising from the land itself—reminding us each day of our deep relationship with nature, impermanence, and return.

Our guiding verse rests on an old mountain hermit’s words, reshaped to echo our present:

I reached Cold Mountain and all cares stopped.

No idle thoughts remained in my head.

Nothing to do, I make mud into pots,

And trust the current like an unmoored boat.

This verse, adapted from the Tang‑dynasty poet Hanshan, is more than a slogan—it is our way of seeing. In Han‑Shan’s “Cold Mountain,” the mountain, the self, and the act of making are one. His journey was not an escape from the world, but a return to the truth of being. That insight forms the spirit of our studio.

The Way of Zen Learning

At the heart of our practice lies the Zen approach to learning—direct, intuitive, and rooted in the present moment. Here, knowledge is not delivered through instruction alone but awakened through experience. Students discover through doing, notice through silence, and refine through repetition. In this process, clay becomes both teacher and text.​

We view art as a form of meditation. Each act of throwing, trimming, glazing, and firing becomes a conversation between self and material. Perfection is never the goal; presence is. Just as in Zen painting, art emerges when the mind is clear, and the form reveals truth beyond technique.​

Experiential Learning: Mud, Fire, and Flow

To learn here is to experience directly—to touch earth, water, fire, and air, and to learn how they dance together. Whether students stay for a week or many months, they participate in rhythms guided by both craft and landscape. The monsoon’s stillness, the mountain light, the hum of the kiln at night—all act as silent collaborators in the creative process.

We welcome potters, designers, builders, and wanderers from across the world who come to explore not just how to make, but how to be while making.

Wabi‑Sabi: Beauty in Becoming

Our aesthetic draws deeply from wabi‑sabi, the Japanese philosophy born from Zen thought. Wabi‑sabi teaches that beauty lives in imperfection, impermanence, and the marks left by time. A glaze that runs too thin, a tea-bowl slightly off‑center—these are not mistakes; they are traces of the moment. They remind us that all things, like all people, are in constant becoming.​

Within this imperfect harmony, students learn that clay remembers touch. Every mark, intentional or not, has value. Every crack tells a story of transformation.

Nature as Master

Our studio doesn’t separate art from environment. The forest, mist, and soil of Dharamshala are as much mentors as any human teacher. From the terraced fields to the mountain winds, nature informs our design, palette, and way of life. The earth-bag homes of Byool Farm, shaped by hand, reflect our belief that the built environment should return to the land with ease and grace.

Building a Community of Makers

Through this blog, we open space for sharing knowledge and dialogue. We will explore ceramics, glaze chemistry, mental well‑being, earth building, design, and aesthetics—threads that weave together craft and consciousness. Our aim is to nurture a community where artists, seekers, and learners can meet in curiosity, generosity, and mutual growth.

When you reach Cold Mountain, may your cares stop for a while.

May clay teach you silence.

May you, too, trust the current like an unmoored boat.

A short film on The Cold Mountain Studio , Made by our dear friend Kalden