Tibetan Monks Return to SU

SALISBURY, MD---The monks of Tibet’s famed Drepung Loseling Monastery return to Salisbury University this spring to spread their message of peace and understanding.

The monks are in residence Tuesday-Saturday, April 23-27, constructing an elaborate sand mandala which they believe brings purification and healing. The visit, their seventh to SU, comes with the blessings of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

During their busy days at the University, the monks will construct an Amitayus mandala, celebrating the Buddha of boundless life for longevity and environmental healing during Earth Week.

Completed in the Great Hall of Holloway Hall, the painstaking ritual involves millions of grains of colored sand laid out in a complex pattern. The public is invited to view the entire process and participate in part of its ceremonies. Events include:

•    Opening ceremony – Tuesday, April 23, noon

•    Drawing of the lines – Tuesday, April 23, 12:30-5 p.m.

•    Mandala construction – Tuesday, April 23, noon-7 p.m.; Wednesday-Friday, April 24-26, 10 a.m.-7 p.m.; Saturday, April 27, 10 a.m.-noon

•    Mandala consecration and closing ceremony – Saturday, April 27, 2 p.m.

•    Dispersal ceremony – Saturday, April 27, 3:30 p.m., City Park, Salisbury

During their residency, the monks also present a series of public lectures 7 p.m. select evenings in Holloway Hall. They include:

•    Tuesday, April 23, Great Hall – “The Meaning of the Mandala”

•    Wednesday, April 24, Auditorium – “Monastic Life”

•    Friday, April 26, Great Hall – “Meditation for Focus and Stress Relief”

A live stream of the mandala construction also is available.

As part of its International Dinner Series, in connection with the monks’ residency, University Dining Services presents “A Taste of Tibet” 4:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, April 25, in the Commons. The menu includes pork loin stir fry, vegetable dumplings (pot stickers), jasha (butter chicken), barley pilaf, curry root vegetables, rice noodles, flat breads, rice pudding and khapsey (fried cookies). Cost is $14.20, $8.55 for children ages 5 and under.

Other activities include a community mandala construction, coloring sheets and puzzles, available in the Holloway Hall Social Room, adjacent to the Great Hall, during the monks’ mandala construction.

Sponsored by the Cultural Affairs, admission to all other events is free and the public is invited. For more information call 410-543-6271 or visit the SU website.