By JAKE REMALY • STAFF WRITER

FLORHAM PARK — A group of Tibetan monks who visited Fairleigh Dickinson University this week as part of a “world peace tour” spent hours each day creating an incredibly intricate design on a table in the library using nothing but grains of sand.

Donald Colindres, a student, watched the piece progress and wondered what would happen to it when it was finished.

When Colindres heard it was going to be swept away at 4 p.m. Friday, he was surprised and called the news upsetting.

“I would just want to hang it up,” he said.

One of the monks, Venerable Jangchub Chophel, said the thousand-year-old art of creating sand mandalas is partly a lesson in impermanence.

The work of art would last only until Friday afternoon, at which point the monks would dissolve it in a ceremony that included a prayer and giving away some of the sand in bags to those who attended the ceremony, Chophel said. They put the remaining sand in rivers or lakes.

“We need to remember today is never coming again,” Chophel said.

The seven monks from the Gaden Shartse Monastery began working on the sand mandala Monday. Using brightly dyed grains of sand with a variety of coarsenesses and colors, and tools to dispense tiny amounts of sand at a time, they carefully formed intricate, radiating designs on a large table. The piece represented the celestial home of the Buddha of Compassion, Chophel said.

Sophomore creative writing major Amanda Alford said the sand mandala’s temporary nature is part of its beauty.

“We’re here in the moment with them,” she said. “The moment’s not always going to be there.”

Library employee Katie Carpenter said she came every day to watch the sand mandala’s progress.

“It’s amazing. Beautiful,” she said.

Brian Mauro, FDU’s dean of students, said said members of the school’s diversity council all agreed they should host the monks. The monks stayed in a dorm, Rutherford Hall, and ate in the cafeteria, and then will continue on their 22-month tour, stopping in small towns, museums and schools. They collect donations to support their monastery.

Employee Darsham Shah said he saw sand mandalas in his native India, but never in the U.S.

“I’m not sure in America people ever see these things,” he said.

The Gaden Shartse Monastery is home to about 1,500 monks and was founded in 1409. It is based at a refugee settlement in India. Monks from the monastery began touring the west at the Dalai Lama’s request in 1989, after the Dalai Lama won the Nobel Peace Prize for seeking nonviolent negotiations with China after China occupied Tibet.

By Alan Abrams, La Prensa Senior Correspondent

Findlay, Sept. 2, 2010: Wearing their distinctive traditional and colorful saffron-and-maroon colored robes and crested Shama hats, seven Tibetan monks are spending two weeks in Northwest Ohio bringing Buddhist blessings to people and the environment.

The seven monks and an interpreter, Passang Tenzin, are traveling as part of the Sacred Earth Healing Arts of Tibet 2010 Tour, which is sponsored by the Gaden Shartse Cultural Foundation of Long Beach, California.

Their current itinerary has included visits to Findlay, Bluffton, and Tiffin where they are making several appearances that are open to the public (see list below). Their visit to Findlay was precipitated by the opening of the Red Tornado Art Gallery featuring an exhibition of photographs taken in Tibet by Carole Eichert of the University of Findlay.

But as the U.S.-American-born monk, Venerable Jangchub Chopel, a former Long Beach high school teacher explained, the Tibetan monks have been coming to Findlay for 20 years. “The very first World Peace Tour, which began in 1989, came to Findlay. And His Holiness the Dalai Lama visited Findlay in 1991. Every tour since has come to Findlay,” said Chopel.

For the gallery’s Grand Opening on September 1, the monks created a magnificent multi-colored sand mandala, the symbolic representation of the deity. After blessing the opening of the gallery for owner Tamera Rooney (she is also the Findlay, Bluffton, and Tiffin Tour Coordinator), the monks began an all-day intense creation of the mandala, a ritual that usually takes four days to complete. But on this day, it would take all morning and into late afternoon to create the mandala. The monks recited a special prayer asking that the mandala be blessed and consecrated before the ceremony of dissolution in which the mandala is ritually dissolved and swept up into a pile.

“Creation of a sand mandala is done to purify and clean an environment and then bring blessings of a particular Buddha to inhabit the space. This is accomplished by cleaning and purifying all the negatives and bringing blessings and the enlightenment here,” explained Chopel. “We are doing this mandala for everyone here in Findlay. It is for all beings to achieve happiness and be free of suffering.  The lessons remind us of the impermanency of life and how short it is. That’s why it is important to use each day for good, and for virtuous activity. Do not let so many days just go by,” he added.

After Dissolution

When the mandala is dissolved it takes on a new form. After the monks blessed the dissolved sand, which they swept into a neat pile, they packaged some of it into little bags of sand for those who were observing the ceremony to take home as a memory of this virtuous activity.

Chopel explained that the sand is used for several special purposes. “It can be spread around one’s property thus blessing the property. It is also used for placing upon the crown of the head of a person who is passing away at the time of death. It will help the person pass on to their next life in a very positive way.

“The rest of the sand is poured into a river or body of water. Thus, the blessing is returned to earth and helps in healing the environment. It is a very precious and rare opportunity  to purify the area. It benefits all the living human beings in the area,” said Chopel. After the ceremony in which the mandala was dissolved with the aid of liquid in a peacock feather topped container, the monks walked in a procession from the gallery at 111 E. Crawford to Main Street where they turned right and walked to the bridge over the Blanchard River. There, while a brisk wind almost blew off their Shama hats, they performed the ritual of returning the remnants of the sand mandala to the environment by pouring it into the river, thus completing the circle. The monks traveled to Bluffton University on September 7 where they again demonstrated sand painting before performing a music presentation at the Bluffton Town Hall.

But there are still several opportunities for the public to see the monks. They return to Tiffin on Wednesday, September 8 for a presentation on Buddhist teachings: Four Noble Truths at Heidelberg University. It is open to the public and will be held from 7-9 pm at the Rickley Chapel in University Hall.

The following day, September 9, the monks will present a mandala demonstration at Heidelberg University in the Campus Center lobby from 10 am until 3 pm.

Between the hours of 2-3 pm, they will also be presenting “Compassion and Caregiving: A conversation with the Monks,” hosted by the Community Hospice Care of Tiffin, at 181 East Perry Street. Admission is free and you can RSVP at 419.447.4040.

Sacred Dance and Chant of Tibet, Sept. 10
The major public event will be held Friday September 10 at the historic Ritz Theater in Tiffin. It will be a full performance of A Journey to the Roof of the World: Sacred Dance and Chants of Tibet. Admission is $15 at the door. The theater is at 30 S. Washington Street.

As Tamera Rooney explains, “Long hidden behind the Himalayan mountain ranges, the ancient Tibetan culture remained virtually untouched by the outside world for thousands of years. “The sacred ritual dances of Tibetan Buddhism are not simply a performance; they are an ancient, spiritual ritual created to transform negativities and obstacles within our world system into positive, harmonious conditions.

“The origins of these dances have their roots steeped in the secret path of tantric Buddhism. At the Gaden Shartse monastery in India, they are part of an elaborate ritual that can last from one day to two weeks.

“The dances require years of intensive training as well as proper initiations to be performed properly. Throughout the dance every movement and ritual implement utilized have a deep and profound inner and outer meaning.

“The whole performance is a powerful, transformative experience operating on two levels. On one level, the dancers are creating conducive conditions for enlightenment, while simultaneously purifying negativities and obstacles preventing it. Essentially, consciousness enters as a demon, is transformed, and exits as a deity,” explains Rooney.

“Ancient Tibetan multiphonic chanting is a rare and unique experience created by monks singing a chord containing two or three tones simultaneously. The special sound they create is not a simply a song, it is a sacred offering – an offering to the Buddhist deities for the benefit of all sentient beings. “The deep, resonate, vibrant chords, representing the essence of the secret tantric teachings of Tibetan Buddhism, fill the room and transform both the environment and the audience with their powerful energy,” she added.

On Saturday, September 11, the monks will be at the Unitarian Universalist Church at 2415B N. Main Street in Findlay for two programs: Personal Empowerment/Healing sessions at 10 am and an Ecumenical Discussion at 7 pm. They will also be at the church the following morning (September 12) for a 10 am discussion followed by a potluck at 11 am. The monks leave Northwest Ohio on September 14, but the Tibetan photo exhibit at the Red Tornado Gallery continues through the month. For more information, contact Rooney at 419.722.7810 or at troonet@redtornadopro.com.

The Sacred Earth and Healing Arts of Tibet Tour has been visiting the United States since 1989 with a two-fold mission:

1. To be of service to the world community by helping to spread peace, harmony, compassion, and tolerance through cultural exchange, interfaith dialog, and Buddhist teachings.

2. To raise funds that will provide for the education, maintenance, housing, and medical needs of the monks at Gaden Shartse Monastery located in the Tibetan Refugee Settlement at Mundgod, India. One thousand monks live there. Funds raised on the 2010 – 2011 tour will be donated directly to the Gaden Shartse Education Project which is responsible for meeting the education needs of all the monastics. This includes supplies, teachers, technology, buildings, maintenance, and outreach. In addition to the United States, the tour has visited numerous countries throughout Europe, South America, and Asia.  The tour visits communities and educational institutions both large and small throughout the country sharing their message of compassion and tolerance through their dynamic programs and warm interactions.  It is usually a very transforming experience for all concerned.Due to the kindness and generosity of the communities visited, the monastery has been able to continue to keep its sacred teachings and traditions alive while living in exile at a refugee settlement in a very poor area of India.

Established in 1409CE in Tibet the original monastery was completely destroyed during the Chinese invasion. beginning in 1950, and had to be re-established in India.  It has taken incredible effort in the face of unthinkable challenges to keep this precious unbroken lineage of teachings alive today,

Gaden Monastery is the original Buddhist monastery of the Gelug tradition of Tibet. The creation of it was prophesized by the Buddha himself 1900 years before its actual founding in 1409 CE. It was a magnificent building complex on a large hillside of Drigri Mountain, which was calm, peaceful and highly suitable place for spiritual development. The monastery is located at approximately 50 kilometers east of Tibet capital city Lhasa and was established in 1409 by Je Tsongkhapa. There were two colleges within Gaden monastery named Shartse and Jangtse. Reputed to have had more then 3,300 monks during early years of its existence, it then grew to 5,000 monks by the time of the Chinese invasion in 1950. Gaden quickly became well-known for its strong educational studies combined with moral discipline.  Monks soon came to study from every part of Tibet.Though monks came from all ages, the youngest monks started at age seven. Regardless of their focus of study, all the monks engaged in Gaden’s rigorous study programs for many years. In addition to vast philosophical study, there was also training in different vocations, religious music, arts, sculpture, and administrative work. In both Gaden Shartse and Gaden Jangtse, Buddhist sutra and tantra are taught and practiced in a combined program. This contrasts with the many other Gelug monasteries in which the study of sutra and tantra are kept separate. Thus the monks who have completed their studies at Gaden have gained knowledge in both the sutra and tantra practices. However, beginning with the Chinese invasion of 1948, a silent holocaust occurred. Despite the fact that it was only three years after the Nazi Holocaust in Europe, the world once again was silent while as many as one million peaceful monks were murdered by the Red Chinese invaders who by 1950 occupied Tibet.In 1959 His Holiness the 14^th Dalai Lama was forced to escape to India for his own safety. India, with deep kindness, offered the Tibetans a safe place to live and keep their traditional culture and religion. More than 200,000 Tibetans have followed His Holiness into exile and are now living in India or Nepal. During this transition, education for the children became a priority of the Tibetan exiled government and schools were quickly established. Elder Tibetans observed that in the majority of these schools, the curriculum was strongly influenced by Indian life and a comprehensive Tibetan education was unintentionally ignored. This problem was compounded by the fact that the Cultural Revolution was simultaneously destroying all centers of Tibetan education inside Tibet. These conditions led some of the refugees to pool their efforts together and, with support and modest contributions from fellow Tibetans, they re-established Gaden Monastery in South India to keep Tibetan education, culture, and pure Buddhist teachings alive.The beginning of Gaden Monastery in India was very difficult due to the dramatic climate differences from Tibet and severe heat. In spite of this, in 1969 Gaden Shartse was formed by 85 refugee monks in a remote village in the state of Karnataka, South India.

The first members of Shartse settled in the refuge colony of Mundgod, one night’s drive from Bangalore. Army tents were provided through donations and the monks put together a bamboo and thatch building to serve as a common hall. In this humble structure they slept, ate, prayed, debated and studied. Many monks died of sickness and exhaustion. With trial and error, they learned to adjust to their new environment and were able to make a modest living by farming on the land provided by the state government of Karnataka.

Over time the population of Shartse increased to more then 1500 monks, including resident scholars, writers, administrators and students from different parts of the world including Tibet, India, Bhutan, Nepal, Mongolia, Taiwan, Europe and the U.S.A. Gradually, educational programs began to demonstrate sustained growth and success and so admission, instruction and accommodations were provided free of cost. Preference was given to children who were either orphans or from very poor families, thus creating the need for fundraising via the Sacred Earth and Healing Arts of Tibet 2010 Tour, ]]> http://www.gadenshartsecf.org/2220/feed/ 0 http://www.gadenshartsecf.org/toledo-blade/ http://www.gadenshartsecf.org/toledo-blade/#comments Wed, 11 Aug 2010 03:20:45 +0000 Chophel http://www.gadenshartsecf.org/?p=2133 Article published August 07, 2010

Buddhist monks’ tour stops in Toledo
By DAVID YONKE
BLADE RELIGION EDITOR
People interested in learning about Tibetan Buddhism can get a firsthand look at the ancient Eastern religion next week through lectures, workshops, and a “Brunch with the Monks” being offered in the Toledo area. Tibetan Buddhist monks from the Gaden Shartse Monastery in southern India are continuing their U.S. tour that started in 1989, seeking to “spread peace, compassion, and tolerance through cultural exchange, interfaith dialogue, and Buddhist teachings.” The Toledo area visit of the Sacred Earth and Healing Arts Tour will include a four-session workshop on Chenrezig Meditation, an interfaith gathering on “World Peace and the Unity of All Religions,” one monk’s personal account of his spiritual journey, an informal brunch, and demonstrations of music and arts. The monks, who last visited Toledo in 2008, also will perform personal healings and house and business blessings. The Gaden Shartse Monastery was founded in Lhasa, Tibet, in the early 1400s but was destroyed in the 1950s when China took over Tibet. Many Tibetans fled to India, where the Gaden Shartse monks built a monastery in 1969. In addition to promoting peace and tolerance, the monks hope to raise funds for the monastery’s educational expenses. Although some events have suggested donations, the monks said that no one will be turned away for inability to pay.

Here are some of the monks’ upcoming events in the Toledo area:

•Chenrezig Empowerment, 7 p.m. Tuesday, Toledo Zen Center, 6537 Angola Rd., Holland. $15 donation. •”World Peace and the Unity of All Religions,” multifaith event with music, dance, poetry, and scripture readings, 7 p.m. Thursday, Monroe Street United Methodist Church, 3613 Monroe St. Dessert buffet follows. •”Fun Friday with the Monks,” 6-9 p.m., Integration Yoga Studio, 4633 West Bancroft St. •”Brunch with the Monks,” 10 a.m. to noon Aug. 14, The Happy Badger, 331 North Main St., Bowling Green. Food may be purchased a la carte; no reservations necessary. •Journey to the Top of the World, a performing arts show highlighting Tibetan music, dance, and chanting, 7 p.m. Aug. 14, Maumee Valley Country Day School’s Millennium Theatre, 1715 South Reynolds Rd. Suggested donation $15. •”The Inside Job: Journey of a Tibetan Buddhist Monk,” free public talk, by Jangchub Chophel on his journey to becoming a monk, 10 a.m. Aug. 15, First Unitarian Church, 3205 Glendale Ave. To schedule a personal, house, or business blessing, contact Paula Massey at 419-360-4750. More information is available online at gadenshartsecf.org. – David Yonke

The yak-herder and the yak give a dance performance as part of the presentation given by the Gaden Shartse Cultural Foundation to the teens at the Division of Youth Services Tuesday morning. The monks will visit a variety of locations in the Grand Valley this week.

When Jangchub Chophel was growing up in California, his family did not have blue toilet water or take trips to the park on a Sunday afternoon.

He often wondered how a person acquired such luxuries, never knowing that love was within his heart and that blue toilet cleaner was sold in the grocery store.

“I just never knew that I could have a regular life,” Chophel, a Buddhist monk from the Gaden Shartse Cultural Foundation told teens at the Department of Youth Services Tuesday morning.

He told the audience that all they had to do to change their own lives was to ask themselves “Why am I here? What is the purpose of this place on my life? Where do I want to go?”

Chophel said they should think hard and realize that no matter what brought them into the facility, it was within their power to create a different and regular life for themselves.

“Your dream and your life is all right here. The only thing that separates the person you are from the person you want to be is the actions that you take to get there,” he told the teens.

Chophel, a light-hearted and funny man, was not the kind of person many of the teens thought a monk would be.

“We’re no different than anybody else,” he said, “we are working hard to change attitudes, compassion, caring and we think about the meaning of life.”

The audience was in awe of the lifestyle choices the monks had made, asking questions about diet, celebacy, and for their thoughts on God and creation.

Chophel did his best to give straight forward answers. The purpose of a monk’s life, he explained, was to “benefit all human beings.”

The youth presented the monks with handmade pens, something each teen within the facility learns to make as part of their rehabilitation program. The monks gave the facility officials white scarves, or khatag, as a symbol of friendship. The facility also made a donation to the monastery.

The monks will be at a variety of locations this week including the Riverside Multicultural Community Center, the Western Colorado Center for the Arts, and a visiting session with the community at the downtown Farmers Market.

A complete list of events and tours is available at http://www.gadenshartsecf.org.

The monks will also create a Manjushri Sand Mandala at the Center for the Arts. It will be released into the Colorado River at Eagle Rim Park on Saturday.

The yak-herder and the yak give a dance performance as part of the presentation given by the Gaden Shartse Cultural Foundation to the teens at the Division of Youth Services Tuesday morning. The monks will visit a variety of locations in the Grand Valley this week.

When Jangchub Chophel was growing up in California, his family did not have blue toilet water or take trips to the park on a Sunday afternoon.

He often wondered how a person acquired such luxuries, never knowing that love was within his heart and that blue toilet cleaner was sold in the grocery store.

“I just never knew that I could have a regular life,” Chophel, a Buddhist monk from the Gaden Shartse Cultural Foundation told teens at the Department of Youth Services Tuesday morning.

He told the audience that all they had to do to change their own lives was to ask themselves “Why am I here? What is the purpose of this place on my life? Where do I want to go?”

Chophel said they should think hard and realize that no matter what brought them into the facility, it was within their power to create a different and regular life for themselves.

“Your dream and your life is all right here. The only thing that separates the person you are from the person you want to be is the actions that you take to get there,” he told the teens.

Chophel, a light-hearted and funny man, was not the kind of person many of the teens thought a monk would be.

“We’re no different than anybody else,” he said, “we are working hard to change attitudes, compassion, caring and we think about the meaning of life.”

The audience was in awe of the lifestyle choices the monks had made, asking questions about diet, celebacy, and for their thoughts on God and creation.

Chophel did his best to give straight forward answers. The purpose of a monk’s life, he explained, was to “benefit all human beings.”

The youth presented the monks with handmade pens, something each teen within the facility learns to make as part of their rehabilitation program. The monks gave the facility officials white scarves, or khatag, as a symbol of friendship. The facility also made a donation to the monastery.

The monks will be at a variety of locations this week including the Riverside Multicultural Community Center, the Western Colorado Center for the Arts, and a visiting session with the community at the downtown Farmers Market.

A complete list of events and tours is available at http://www.gadenshartsecf.org

The monks will also create a Manjushri Sand Mandala at the Center for the Arts. It will be released into the Colorado River at Eagle Rim Park on Saturday.

Geshe Norbu distributes sand from the mandala.

NEARLY ONE THOUSAND guests came to meet Tibetan Buddhist monks visiting from the Gaden Shartse Monastery in India during Tibetan Buddhist Art and Culture Week, March 6-8, 2008 at the University of California, Irvine. The event featured lectures on Tibetan Buddhism and a children’s butter sculptures workshop, but the main draw was the creation and dissolution of a ceremonial Sand Mandala, formed to bring divine blessing and convey compassion to the crowds. The three-day event, supported by various groups including the ICWT, attracted different audiences each day from students and faculty to school-age children and community members.

Special thanks to Bibi and Duyet Do for their contributions to this story.
[Rest of this story, including a photo slideshow of the event, continues below. Adobe Flash Player required for slideshow. Click here for the download.]

The Sand Mandala is an intricate diagram composed of various bright colors of sand. The monks, working alone or small groups, rub one metal funnel lined with ridges against another to direct the sand out of the funnel’s point, thereby filling the lines of a design already sketched on a flat surface. The mandala represents the palace of the deity; in this case, the Buddha of Compassion, who according to Tibetan Buddhist philosophy, will come to the residence and bring blessings to those who view the mandala. Afterward, the mandala is wiped away, destroyed to signify the temporary nature of life. “We believe that everything that comes to this world is impermanent. No one can escape birth and death, happiness and unhappiness cannot stay. The principle of the impermanence phenomena raises awareness for us to contemplate on the things that happen to us and will help us go through life easier,” explains Bibi Do, lead organizer and academic personnel analyst in the Department of History. Do worked to bring the monks to UCI after she visited the monastery in India in March 2006.

In addition to bringing awareness of Tibetan Buddhist philosophy to the UCI community, the monks came with hopes of raising funds for their new hospital which serves both Tibetan refugee and neighboring Indian village populations. Although its construction is complete, the hospital remains empty save a few beds and patients due to a lack of sufficient equipment, supplies, and adequate staff. The hospital does not receive financial assistance from the Indian government so the goal is to raise $200,000 USD. “There is no other hospital available for such a very large area,” states Do, “I told the students helping at the event that with only $20 each month, they could support one person in India for one year. All they need to do is just save from not going to one dinner.”

THE LIFE CYCLE OF A SAND MANDALA
Historically, the “sand” used for the mandala was formed from precious gems crushed into fine grains. Thus, mandalas were only created during special occasions. Bibi Do, the eloquent and soft-spoken organizer of the Tibetan Buddhist Art and Culture Week, relates that the process of the sand mandala “is like preparing your home for visitors. You have to cook and clean, then tidy up after the guests leaves.” The mandala acts as a palace in graphic form, compelling the deity to visit; in this case, the Buddha of Compassion, Avalokiteshvara (pronounced ah-vah-lo-key-tesh-vah-rah), the emanation of whom the Dalai Lama is believed to be. “We chose Avalokiteshvara because compassion is key to everything.” According to Do, worshippers who train themselves to meditate for many years can see the mandala in three-dimensional form.

Opening and closing ceremonies mark the sand mandala process. “When we finish [the mandala], the deity will come and if we are sincere, we can purify a lot of negativity just by looking at the mandala. We accumulate negativity day-by-day and it builds up, so with mediation and prayer, the effect of unfortunate things that happen to us will be less. It’s karma,” says Do.

After the sand is wiped away, the monks give departing guests a bag of sand, which is a blessing from Buddha. The monks then instruct guests to keep the sand in a nice place in their homes, or take the sand to the ocean or lake and disperse it to bless the environment.

Links – http://www.humanities.uci.edu/icwt/fromheretothere/tibetanmonksvisit.html

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His name is Jangchub Chophel. That’s not the name he was born with, but it is, in a sense the name he was “reborn” with. A little more than three years ago, this self-described “save-the-world kind of school teacher” accepted the name given to him upon his ordination into the Tibetan Buddhist order of Gaden Shartse in India. We don’t know what his former name was, and it doesn’t matter. 

“You can call me Chophel. It’s a little easier to pronounce,” he offered.

Chophel is a member of the group of 10 Tibetan Buddhist monks currently visiting El Dorado County. He was at the Cozmic Cafe in Placerville Wednesday morning with several of his brethren, while several others were giving a presentation at Ponderosa High School.

The Cozmic Cafe has hosted the monks’ tour for the past five years, although this is the first El Dorado County visit by the current group. They had planned to be here through Jan. 18, but a medical emergency caused them to cut their visit short and they will be here only through Jan. 14 instead. The financial aspect of the tour this year is to raise money for the order’s hospital that provides care not only to monks, nuns and Tibetan exiles, but also to others in the Refugee Zone in Southern India. 

“We are very appreciative to be able to come to this area, and we have endless gratitude for all the support for our little hospital in the refugee camp,” Chophel said. His role as “one of the two white guys” in the group is liaison. He said that because he “has a driver’s license and can speak English,” he has become one of the organizers of the current tour.

The other “white guy” has been tour director for 19 years. He is called Venerable Lobsang Wangchuk. And according to a short biography, “He has been a long-time student of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama whom he has served in many capacities including driver, body guard, cook and assistant to his Holiness.”

The appellation of Venerable denotes a high level of spiritual and academic attainment within the order, and it also serves to honor the teachers who have guided and instructed the monk.

Chophel had numerous manifestations and existences before his ordination.

“I was once homeless, living by the Colorado River and hitchhiking to work in a lumberyard. And we had a new baby on the way. That was when I was about 20,” he said. Along his journey, he would eventually become a counselor for children and then a high school history teacher. “I taught my last three years in robes,” he said.

“Twenty-five years ago, I read my first book on Buddhism. It helped me become a better Christian,” he quipped. “Later, I started to meditate and (studied other philosophies) and some of those philosophies drew me to Buddhism.”

The monks do not preach, but they do practice.

“We’re concerned with equanimity, the interdependence with each other and promoting compassion and tolerance.” Anger and aggression are indications that an individual “is suffering,” he said and clarified one notion of “interdependence.”

“Suppose I have a piece of toast for breakfast. I am connected to the person who grew the grain and the one who baked the bread and the clerk in the store where I got it. Then suppose I get angry because another driver cuts me off on the road. For all I know, that might have been the person who delivered the bread to the store.”

Too often, it is labels that prevent peace and harmony and compassion, he said, adding, “This has been such a divisive year (particularly the campaign and election). Yet there are enough people on both sides who want to do good.”

Chophel explained that there are numerous variations of Buddhism. There is of course Tibetan but also versions as practiced in Vietnam, other Southeast Asian countries, China and Japan. While Tibetan monks always wear maroon colored robes except when they get very formal and wear gold robes, monks from Southeast Asia typically wear gold, and Chinese monks usually wear brown or gray robes.

Typically a monk has two sets of robes, one to wear and one to wash, and if he had more than two, it would be expected that he give them to someone else who needs robes.

And while conventional wisdom might suggest that Buddhist monks wouldn’t dream of eating meat, he said he is the only vegetarian in his tour group.

“The monks in Vietnam for example who sit beside the road with a bowl are expected to eat whatever anyone puts in the bowl,” he said. “And the Tibetans who grew up at altitudes of 16,000 feet or more need meat to survive in that climate – especially yak meat and yak butter.” He added, however, that there is an awareness of a spiritual connection between eater and eaten.

There’s some good natured joshing and teasing among them, he said, because he is the strongest man in the group, and when something heavy needs to be lifted he ascribes his strength to his diet.

“Also, I used to do a lot of weight lifting while all they ever did was study and pray,” he joked.

Chophel also dispelled a common stereotype westerners may have of Buddhist monks as austere. While some branches of the philosophy such as Zen may be, he said, “These guys are loud, and they like to laugh and joke a lot.”

Some of the monks enter the monastery at the early age of 12 or even 10 but are not ordained until they are 18 or older. Chophel laughed and said, “They have to ask their parents’ permission to become a monk. I had to ask my daughter’s permission.”

And if a man decides later that monastic life is not the right choice for him, he can withdraw by a simple, ritualized process of telling another Buddhist that he is “giving up his robes.”

Karma, often referenced but just as often poorly understood in the West, is the central tenet in Buddhism, he explained.

“Our next life is the result of our present life. We create causes and results with Karmic instincts.”

He also explained however that experiencing a particular pain or sorrow today may be a result of “non-virtuous actions” from a prior existence, not necessarily the last most recent one.

The Gaden Shartse monks are constructing the “Medicine Buddha Sand Mandala” upstairs at the Cozmic Cafe every day until Jan. 14. That day, it will be “dissolved,” some of the sand distributed to visitors and the remainder will be ritually cast into the American River in Coloma at a later date.

For information about the monks, Buddhism and the events for the next few days, call (530) 748-9365) or go to the Cozmic Cafe for a schedule and more printed information. For a complete revised schedule of the Gaden Shartse Monastery tour, see www.gadenshartsetour.org.

E-mail Chris Daley at cdaley@mtdemocrat.net or call (530) 344-5063. 

By Matt Snyder 
Herald Staff Writer 

The Buddhists of the Gaden Shartse monastery in India opened their talk Wednesday at Westminster College by chanting a prayer, which began as a low rumble of words, five monks harmonizing together.

They shifted halfway through to higher notes that resonated through the Lakeview Witherspoon Room in the student center.

A crowd of about 50 showed up to hear from and ask questions of the Tibetan monks, who stopped in New Wilmington as part of an 18-month tour, said professor of religion Dr. Bryan Rennie. They originally come from a county-sized tract of land donated by the Indian government after the Tibetans fled from persecution by the Chinese government.

In India, the lay-person basis of their community was missing, so the monks organize tours through the United States and Europe to raise money and awareness, he said.

The chant was lead by Geshe Kalsang Gyatso, a member of the monastery specially trained so that he can chant at times for 18 hours straight. Most monks on the trip were chosen for a specialty, said Geshe Chophel. Lama Tenzin, for instance, was chosen because he could translate for the monks.

Chophel – the only American in the bunch – joked, “I was chosen because I speak English and I have a driver’s license.”

Learning through experience

Wednesday’s program was the monks’ second of two talks on campus; they also performed a healing ceremony on Tuesday.

Rennie said the healing ceremony was a sort of spiritual cleansing ritual. The Buddhists asked participants to visualize in their minds a being pouring rainbow colored light over them, carrying good karma into them and pushing bad karma out their feet like tar.

The ceremony is not meant so much to cure a disease like cancer, Rennie said, but instead helps people feel better and leads them to better health.

About 75 people were present for that demonstration Tuesday night, he said. Many of those present were visitors from the area, but by Wednesday students began showing up too.

The goal in bringing the Buddhists to campus, Rennie said, is to get his students to see faiths in practice that they might not otherwise come in contact with.

“It’s very easy to deride another religion and treat it as ridiculous until you meet someone who really believes it,” he said. “And then you realize that humanity is a great equalizer.”

“Rather than just being content with books, we try and make sure that our students get to experience to some extent alternative religions,” he said. Seeing religion as it operates in someone’s life is sometimes called “experiential learning.”

Several weeks ago students took a trip to a Hindu temple, Rennie said. “I have a Jewish rabbi coming to campus in a couple of weeks time, and a member of the local Muslim community as well.”

Experiential learning is not uncommon for college courses, Rennie said. The Buddhists also visited in 2005 and 2003, and while response has been overall positive, there have been one or two unsigned “poison pen letters” over exposing students to other religions.

Among the biggest differences between Buddhism and other religions, Rennie said, is that Buddhism is not centered on God or gods. It’s a more mystical, philosophical faith.

Life story of a monk

Asked if speaking to an audience that’s probably majority Christian presents any challenges, Chophel said he just tries to speak more to unity.

“From our point of view, all religions are good,” he said. He said the Dalai Lama might tell people, “Don’t become a Buddhist. If you’re a Christian, become a good Christian. If you’re Muslim, become a good Muslim.”

Chophel started reading about Buddhism 18 years ago when he said he was not a good person. He lost his daughter when her mother took her away, and he didn’t see her again until she was 9 years old.

He came from a rough background where his brothers would stand him up against a wall and throw knives at him, sometimes while shooting up on heroin. But he also saw some of his brothers who’d been in prison were turning their lives around. He wanted to also.

Chophel said he focused on changing his karma and it changed his life. Since then, he’s reunited with his daughter and they are on good terms.

He also spent some time as a counselor with children and teaching social studies with inner-city kids in Los Angelos. When he turned 43, he decided to move to India and become a monk. If people want to change their life, Chophel said, they need to change their karma – real

ize that in all interactions, it’s part them and part the other person. “It’s not all one person.”

Teachings of Buddhism

The crowd listened to Chophel talk about Buddhist teachings, summarizing some of their beliefs. At the root of it, said Chophel, Buddhism is about the wheel of Dharma.

“We’re all stuck here in this realm,” he said. “This realm is not where you want to be.” That’s because of suffering, or “unfavorable circumstances,” so that even when well off, people are still faced with prospects like aging, sickness and death, he said.

Buddhism also teaches that humans don’t have to be subject to that wheel, and that there is a link in the chain they can break, Chophel said.

Suffering is caused by ignorance, which leads to anger and attachment, he said, and ignorance is the breakable link.

Chophel said people often don’t see the interdependence of things. For example, there are people you may not like. But there are probably other people who do like that person.

If someone walks into the room and yells, he said, it’s often because they are frustrated or suffering. The normal human response is to yell back, but the Buddhist response is to see the person is suffering and, from that, form compassion. Chophel called such actions “skillfulness over ignorance.”

Chophel said people create their own karma, planting seeds that lead to favorable or unfavorable circumstances.

The principle is talked about in many philosophies and religions, he said, and can be somewhat summed up as “you reap what you sow.”

Likewise, he said when bad things happen – like if someone’s car gets smashed – that person “burns off” some of their karma. Seeing that, he said, helps people to deal with situations better. They stop blaming other people, and with no one to blame, they cease being a victim.

“We can change our karma,” Chopel said. That happens by creating good seeds instead, which can leave a person surrounded by more loving, kind and compassionate folks.