Tibetan monks come to Washington & Jefferson
A finished sand mandala
Brushing away the sand mandala
Tibetan monks work on a sand mandala, a process that can take more than 100 hours to complete. Gaden Shartse monks will visit Washington & Jefferson College next week.
The Washington & Jefferson College Art Series begins Monday with the arrival of the Gaden Shartse Monastery of Tibet’s “Sacred Arts of Tibet” Tour.
Various events will be held at Olin Fine Arts Center next week, including public lectures and a musical performance.
A highlight of the monastery’s visit will be the ongoing construction of a sand mandala in the Olin lobby. The monks will create this art over 75 to 125 hours by applying colored sand to a large surface through a method of tapping a sand-filled metal cone.
Sand mandalas typically represent the architectural layout of the palace of a specific deity.
This is the third time W&J has hosted the Gaden Shartse Monastery of Tibet. The organization was previously in residence at W&J in 2008 and in 2011.
The Gaden Monastery was created in 1409 C.E. and is the original Buddhist monastery of the Gelug tradition of Tibet. Its creation is said to have been prophesied by Buddha himself, and one of the monks visiting W&J is Geshe Lobsang Khamchuk Rinpoche, who was recognized as the reincarnated high lama Gedun Jinpa by His Holiness the Dalai Lama in 1990.
The monastery will host two lectures, The Four Noble Truths, The Teaching of Buddha and World Peace and the Unity of all Religions, from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday respectively. The monks will perform Tara Puja and Tea Offering Rituals at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. This ritual invokes Tara Puja, the female emanation of the Buddha of Compassion, to help relieve the suffering of all sentient beings with lots of chanting and musical instruments.
The monks will eat their meals at the Commons, W&J’s dining hall, and will visit classrooms.
Olin House Manager Arlene Shaw said she hopes the monks will be able to give new experiences to the entire community as well.
More information about the Gaden Shartse Monastery of Tibet is available online at www.sacredartsoftibettour.org/. Information about the monastery’s visit to W&J is available on the W&J Arts Series web page: www.washjeff.edu/wj-arts-series.