Seven Tibetan monks from the Gaden Jangtse Monastery
in India will be at Union College from Oct. 18 to 23 for a
program of music, art, dance, philosophy and religion that will feature
the four-day construction of a colorful “Sand Mandala
of Compassion” in the Nott Memorial.
Other events during the monks' visit, all free and open
to the public, will include:
– Tibetan Multi-Tonal Chanting Performance
– Thursday, Oct. 18, 8:30 p.m., Memorial Chapel;
– Tibetan Philosophical Debate _ Friday, Oct. 19,
3:30 p.m., Humanities 117;
– Talk by Abbott Khen Rinpoche Tenzin Jamphel on
his Experiences as a Political Prisoner in Tibet _ Monday, Oct. 22,
7 p.m., Reamer Auditorium.
Monks will be working on the mandala on Saturday, Oct.
20, noon to 5 p.m.; Sunday, noon to 10 p.m.; Monday, 9 a.m. to
10 p.m.; and Tuesday, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. The dismantling of
the mandala will take place on Tuesday, Oct. 23, at 3:30 p.m. in
a ceremony that will conclude with the releasing of the sand into
the Mohawk River. (The audience is encouraged to accompany
the monks.)
The construction of the colorful and intricate
mandala will be broadcast live by Webcam on the College's Web
site: http://monkcam.union.edu.
The original Gaden Jangtse Monastery was established
in 1409 in Tibet, at one point being the country's second
largest monastery with 7,000 monks. Little of the original
monastery remains after the 1959 Communist invasion of Tibet;
the monastery was re-established in South India, and now
serves about 3,000 monks.
The monks have been traveling to bring the
spiritual and cultural life of Tibet to North American audiences. The
monks have been chosen based on their talents in the ritual arts.