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Monks Promote Global Healing Through Sacred Tibetan Arts

Ancient Tibet collided with contemporary CSU, Chico for three days in August, creating an oasis of serenity and tradition in the start-of-term hubbub. In their Mystical Arts of Tibet residency Aug. 27 - 29, the monks of the internationally acclaimed Drepung Loseling Monastery perplexed, awed, and inspired the campus community with their traditional sacred arts.

Fascinated students watched the monks construct an exquisitely detailed five-foot-square mandala in the Bell Memorial Union lobby over the course of the three days. The monks painstakingly applied colored sands to form the mandala, a representation of the Buddhist universe. Creating the sand painting is thought to effect purification and healing. Contemplating the mandala helps to uncover the "seed of enlightenment" that exists in each person's mind.

Realizing that the mandala's fate was to be ceremonially swept up and dispersed into Big Chico Creek as a symbol of the impermanence of life was too much for some of the student observers.

"It's crazy," exclaimed Brandon Brown, a communication design freshman. "I don't know why they'd ruin it. Why don't they put it under glass or something?" Kevin Parsons, a biology freshman, declared it "a complete waste of three days."

Kellee Perez, a liberal studies senior, disagreed. "I think it's beautiful and it makes perfect sense. It looks very serene and gives you a sense of focus." She appreciated the idea that the waters of Big Chico Creek would carry a blessing for planetary healing to the ocean and throughout the world.

The Friday evening performance of Sacred Music - Sacred Dance for World Healing featured 11 pieces traditionally performed at Tibetan spiritual festivals to bring about healing on personal, social, and environmental levels.

The monks demonstrated their unique multiphonic singing, known in the West as "overtone singing" or "singing in chords." By controlling the muscles of the vocal chamber, each chantmaster intones three notes at the same time, creating a complete chord. Performing or hearing the multiphonic singing is considered a transformative experience.

The haunting chants were accompanied by such traditional Tibetan instruments as the telescoping 10-foot bass dungchen trumpet, the shorter high-pitched gyaling horn, and several varieties of bells, cymbals, and drums. Wearing colorful brocaded costumes and beribboned masks, the monks danced pieces ranging from the mystical Dance of the Celestial Travelers to the joyful Snow Lion Dance.

Following the performance, the monks led the audience to the BMU for the mandala dispersal ceremony, then to the Bidwell Bowl Amphitheatre to cast the sand into the creek.

The monks' residency was part of a nationwide tour to raise awareness and support for the refugee community in India. The monks have created mandalas in more than 50 U.S. museums and venues. They have performed at Carnegie Hall, in two Hollywood movies, and on stage with such diverse artists as Paul Simon, Philip Glass, and the Beastie Boys.

Drepung Monastery was established in Tibet in 1416. After the 1959 Chinese Communist invasion of Tibet, some 250 Loseling monks escaped to India, where they rebuilt their monastery and work to preserve the endangered Tibetan culture. More information can be found at www.mysticalartsoftibet.org.

Francine Gair