The Monks of the Ganden Jangtse Monastery of Tibet
The Tibetan monks of the Ganden Jangtse monastery were in the Roanoke/Blacksburg
area of southwestern Virginia from January 12th through January 17th of 1998.
- - - - - - - - - -
These were the three performance dates:
Wednesday, Jan. 14th
Roanoke Universalist/ Unitarian Church
2015 Grandin Rd.
8 pm
Thursday, Jan. 15th
Virginia Tech Theater Arts Theater in Squire's student
center, College Ave., Blacksburg
8 pm
Friday, Jan. 16th
Blacksburg Universalist/ Unitarian Church
8 pm
This was a rare and unique opportunity to witness
this production of the Tibetan tradition and culture as provided by these spiritual
emissaries from the land "on top of the world"! For those of you who joined us for
this truly moving experience, thank you for your generous support. We look forward
to their next visit and I hope you can join us again.
The monks of the Tibetan monastery Ganden Jangtse offer a full range of the
classical monastic Tibetan arts. The performance includes religious chants, an
animated debate followed by a short Buddhist talk, a humorous folk drama between a
libertine Tibetan peasant and his landlord, deity dances, and a charming yak
herder's folk song. It is truly an enjoyable experience for people of all ages.
This is a non-profit event, staged to raise money for the Ganden Jangtse monastery.
Your attendance to this special event will help the monks maintain their rich
monastic tradition which is greatly imperiled. The Communist Chinese invasion of
Tibet has been one of the worst violations of human rights in modern times - more
than one million Tibetans killed, thousands of monasteries looted and destroyed -
one of the world's great receptacles of spiritual wisdom and training virtually
wiped out. The original Ganden Jangtse monastery was established in 1409 in Lhasa
by the great teacher and scholar Je Tsongkhapa. It was the second largest monastery
in Tibet, at one point housing 7,000 monks. Nothing of that monastery remains.
In 1969, the Indian government donated land to Tibetan refugees for the rebuilding
of monasteries. While some buildings have been built at Ganden Jangtse, the
monastery's population has swelled and a continuous influx of Tibetan refugees
arrives at its doors each year. No one is turned away. Food and medicine are
increasingly difficult for the monastery to provide. At present, there are over
1,200 monks living at the monastery.
Click here to hear the monks chanting.
'Loop' the sound file in your
player to hear them keep going.
While they were here in Floyd County, they gave a Dharma talk at the
Mountain Rose Dance Center on Tuesday evening in the town of Floyd,
describing some of the principle tenets of Tibetan Buddhism. There was also
an opportunity at this time for questions concerning their spiritual practice.
Along with Donna Douglas, who was an invaluable ally in helping me pull all of this
together, I also arranged for them to give individual consultations for those who
were interested in knowing how Tibetan wisdom could help them in their
health-related issues.
For me, one of the most powerful and inspiring experiences of their stay was to be
present for one of their Pujas. The chanting prayers of the Puja were
mesmerizing in their intricacies of subtle sound and vibratory resonance. Early on
Friday afternoon, the Monks performed a 
Fire Puja, placing offerings into the
bonfire while chanting and praying. I watched as the smoke from the fire rose into
the sky and it was as if I could see the vibrations of their prayers emanating out
into the countryside. This was truly a spiritual infusion of a high degree, happening
on many levels.
I had no expectations as to how they would be received when I decided to try to get
them to come to our area and had no idea that such an event would be so well
received by so many. I feel I've been blessed by their presence here and was awed
by their humility, their innocence, their wisdom, and abundant joy.
The tour is part of their ongoing effort to generate funds to
support their monastery and to reconstruct an environment so the teachings of
Buddha may flourish. Please assist their fundraising efforts by providing support
for the Ganden Jangtse tour. In countless ways, the wisdom of Tibet has benefited
people in the world. Please help support the preservation and propagation of this
valuable tradition.
This is a link to their homepage on the web where you can find additional information on
the tour of the Monks of the
Ganden Jangtse Monastery.
And this link is to an organization encompassing many other institutions and organized
groups working for the plight of the Tibetan people, the
World Artists for Tibet. As an artist, perhaps
you might be interested in helping this cause.
Here is a webpage with lots of info on Tibetan culture and politics, along with writings of
the Dalai Lama. Uncover the Magic of Tibet.
If you'd like to know about the latest North American tour of the Gaden Jangtse monastery, visit MONKSTOUR.ORG
email: jaybones@usit.net