Tibetan monks visit Richmond for cultural exchange

The Tibetan Buddhist Monks of the Drepung Gomang Monastery ceremoniously poured an intricate sand mandala into the James River on Saturday after visiting the Unity of Richmond Church April 25-30.

Geshe Twesang Thinley, one of the visiting monks, said his monastery tours the United States for 10 months at a time for three reasons: to conduct interfaith dialogue between religions to promote world peace, to educate Americans on the Chinese occupation of Tibet and fundraise for Tibetan monasteries.

“Mediation is for the exercise of the mind,” Thinley said.

He said focusing on breathing during meditation helps to heal depression and approach the day with an open and clear mind.

Each day, the monks led a guided meditation at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. The evening featured events such as the Puja Healing Ceremony, during which the monks chant prayers and perform rituals to overcome negativity, as well as the creation of a sand mandala, a Buddhist tool for meditation. Several monks worked over the course of the week to create the mandala, and on April 30 it was swept into the James River to purify the environment.

“(The sand mandala) is really impressive,” said VCU student Jessie Powell. “The monks’ coordination as they work together to create the artwork is remarkable.”

With most of the evening events like the Puja Ceremony for World Peace and Healing there has only been standing room due to the number of people in attendance, said Helen Landry, a local meditation teacher and visit organizer.

“There’s been a huge response,” said Helen Landry, a local meditation teacher and visit organizer.

Since the Chinese of occupation of Tibet beginning in the 1950s, the Chinese government has made an effort to erase Tibetan culture, Landry said. In 1959, the Dalai Lama and a large portion Tibetans crossed the Himalayas and escaped to India, where the Tibetan government was founded in the Dharamsala region in exile. She said monasteries like Drepung Gomang in southern India are now the centers of Tibetan life and culture.

About 2000 monks reside in the Drepung Gomang Monastery in southern India. Monks from Drepung Gomang have visited Richmond several times in the past, though a different group comes each time, according to Landry.

After leaving Richmond, the monks will continue their tour of the United States, spreading awareness and using their collected donations for renovations to the Drepung Gomang Monastery, and providing services for displaced Tibetan people like medical care and education.

Jesse Adcock, Contributing Writer