Tibetan monks visit Columbia

The monks are holding a four-day Mystical Arts of Tibet event.

By Rachel Allred

Published Oct. 27, 2009

Tibetan monks began their four-day Mystical Arts of Tibet event with chanting, dancing and a mandala creation during and after their opening ceremony Monday at Ellis Library.

The monks practice the Buddhist religion, which encourages peace.

"What is being taught is the view of interdependence and the behavior of non-violence," Mystical Arts of Tibet spokesman Thupten Tendhar said. "There comes the karma theory. If you do good, good comes to you."

Tendhar said MU is one of the stops the monks are making on their North American tour. The monks are from the Drepung Loseling Monastery, which was relocated to southern India after China invaded Tibet in 1950.

Tendhar said the monks have three main reasons for the Mystical Arts of Tibet program.

"The first one is to share ancient Tibetan culture and traditions to the people worldwide," Tendhar said. "The second purpose is to raise more awareness of the plight of Tibet and Tibetan culture as we fear extinction. The third purpose is to raise funds for the necessities for the monks and nuns who escape from Tibet and continue studying to preserve the spiritual and traditional arts."

Since the 1980s, groups of monks have been sent around the world to present the Mystical Arts of Tibet. The group that visited MU has been traveling since February 2008 and plans to return to the monastery in December. Tendhar said they have visited most of the states in the U.S. and parts of Mexico and Canada.

Soon after the opening ceremony ended, the monks started creating a mandala. Tendhar said mandalas are important art forms of Tibetan culture.

"Mandalas are part of retreat and meditation," Tendhar said. "It's believed to bring lots of positive energies, healings and blessings."

The three forms of mandalas are sand painting, woodcarving and canvas painting. The monks began a sand painting mandala called "Avalokiteshvara," which Tendhar said is meant to bring peace and compassion.

"We hope this mandala will bring healing, harmony and great compassion to the people here," Tendhar said in his opening remarks.

The sand mandalas take a total of about 24 hours to complete, Tendhar said.

Before work on a mandala can begin, four steps have to be taken. Tendhar said the four steps are to examine the site for the mandala, get permission from the visible and invisible inhabitants of the area, perform chants and meditations to dispel any hindrances and bless the site through chants and meditations.

Sophomore Nick Patton attended the ceremony and said he was impressed by the monks' presence and energy.

"I feel like I've been able to contribute my own energy with the mandala," Patton said. "By being able to contribute my energy I gain something as well."

During the opening ceremony, six monks sang traditional chants and played instruments to prepare for the mandala. One of the monks performed the Black Hat dance, which is usually performed New Year's Eve in Tibetan communities, Tendhar said.

"The Black Hat dance is considered powerful for purification, for clearing out any obstacles or hindrances of spiritual practice and the creation of a mandala," Tendhar said.

Erica West, a religious studies graduate student whose emphasis is Tibetan Buddhism, said seeing the monks benefited her studies.

"Being able to see the Black Hat dance was incredible because I've read about it in books," West said. "Having it performed in front of me was good for my research."