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Tibetan Monks. Photo by Julian Restrepo for the City of Coral Springs.

By: Sharon Aron Baron

The Coral Springs Museum of Art has scheduled events with the Tibetan Buddhist monks and the public when The Sacred Art Tour returns for a five day event of culture, teachings and artistic expression.

Eight monks from the Drepung Gomang Monastery, students of H.H. Dalai Lama, will visit the Coral Springs Museum of Art Tuesday Jan. 17 – Sunday Jan. 22, 2017 to spread the monks’ message of peace, loving kindness, wisdom, and compassion while sharing their traditional Tibetan arts and culture. Funds raised from this event support their Monastery in southern India.

The Drepung Gomang monks travel worldwide to share their art and culture through the Sacred Art Tour. This tour promotes Tibetan culture and supports their monastery in India and funds raised through this tour supplement housing, meals, and educational materials for anyone wishing to study at this monastic center of higher learning including orphans and refugees fleeing occupied Tibet.

Residents can experience ancient Tibetan cultural rituals of dance, sacred chants and prayer as well as the renowned sand mandala construction and deconstruction ceremony.

Here is a listing of all the events and times so you can share in the experience.

Events

Opening Ceremony Experience a symbolic walk through our peace garden and into the Museum’s main gallery led by the monks of the Drepung Gomang Monastery. The monks will perform a blessing of the space with chanting and traditional instruments. Once completed, they will begin marking and measuring the mandala. Tuesday, January 17th, 10am

Mandala Construction: The monks will create a sand mandala for the Buddha of compassion: Chenrezig. The purpose of the construction of this mandala is to encourage every one of us to generate a compassionate heart for the benefit of all sentient beings. Daily, 10 a.m. – closing

Meditation and Dharma Hour: Spend time alongside the monks and the mandala in silent meditation, then soak in the wisdom of a dharma talk where you will learn about the universal truth that all monks live by. Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Saturday & Sunday -12 noon, Friday at 4:30 p.m.

Mani Stone Workshop: Under the guidance of the monks, you will paint your own prayer stone: known as a mani doh, or mani stone. These prayer stones are a physical representation of positive conditions such as long life, health and success. Tuesday, January 17, 4 p.m. & Friday, January 20, 2 p.m.

Pet Blessing: Bring your furry, feathered and four legged family members to a sacred blessing by a monk. Blessing will take place in the Performing Arts atrium. Cost is $10.00 per pet, human family members are free. This blessing does not include admittance to the Sacred Art Tour. Saturday, January 21, 11.am.

Butter Sculpture: Traditionally, Tibetan monks created elaborate sculptures of plants and animals inspired by stories of Buddha using butter from yak milk. Under the instruction of the monks, you will learn how to create beautiful, colorful flowers using non-toxic Play-Doh … much cleaner and easier to work with than yak butter. Wednesday, January 18, 4 p.m. & Saturday, January 21, 2 p.m.

Cultural Pageant Spectacular: Experience fascinating ancient Tibetan cultural traditions such as monastic debate, chants, Tibetan musical instruments and rituals of dance including the snow lion dance, yak dance and good luck dance. Sunday, January 22, 1 p.m.

Dissolution Ceremony: An unforgettable experience! After spending countless hours laying millions of grains of sand into an intricate mandala, the monks will destroy it, sweeping the grains together in a sacred ceremony. After the dissolution, the blessed sand will be distributed among the attendees. The remaining sand will be poured into the water behind the Museum so the blessings will be carried with the flowing water. Sunday, January 22, 3 p.m.

Lunch and Dinner: Don’t miss this once in a lifetime cultural culinary experience! Observe the preparation of an authentic, traditional Tibetan meal and share it with the monks of the Drepung Gomang Monestary. Momos (dumplings) are a treat you won’t soon forget! Lunch – Friday, January 20, 12 noon. Dinner – Thursday, January 19, 7 p.m. & Saturday, January 21, 7 p.m.

Schedule

Tuesday, January 17

10:00 a.m. Opening Ceremony

10:30 a.m. Mapping of Mandala

12:00 p.m. Meditation and Dharma Hour

4:00 p.m. Mani Stone Workshop

5:30 p.m. Evening Chanting

Wednesday, January 18

10:00 a.m. Morning Chanting & Mandala

12:00 p.m. Meditation and Dharma Hour

4:00 p.m. Tibetan Butter Sculpture Workshop

5:30 p.m. Evening Chanting

Thursday, January 19

10:00 a.m. Morning Chanting & Mandala

12:00 p.m. Meditation and Dharma Hour

5:30 p.m. Evening Chanting

7:00 p.m. Authentic Tibetan Cooking and Dinner

Friday, January 20
10:00 a.m. Morning Chanting & Mandala

12:00 p.m. Tibetan Lunch prepared with the Monks

2:00 p.m. Mani Stone Workshop

4:30 p.m. Meditation and Dharma Hour
5:30 p.m. Evening Chanting

Saturday, January 21
10:00 a.m. Morning Chanting & Mandala

11:00 a.m. Pet Blessing

12:00 p.m. Meditation and Dharma Hour

2:00 p.m. Butter Sculpture Workshop

5:30 p.m. Evening Chanting

7:00 p.m. Farewell Dinner prepared by with Monks

Sunday, January 22

10:00 a.m. Morning Chanting & Mandala

11:00 a.m. Mani Stone Workshop

12:00 p.m. Meditation and Dharma Hour

1:00 p.m. Snow Lion Tibetan Cultural Pageant Spectacular

3:00 p.m. Dissolution Ceremony

Hours

Daily 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

General Admission
Adults 18 + $ 10
Children 5-17 $6
Children under 5 Free
Member Admission
Adults 18 + $ 5
Children 5-17 $ 1
Children under 5 Free

Workshops
General – $ 15/pp
Member – $ 10/pp
Children – $ 5/pp includes admission (limited to 20 guests pre-registration required)

Pet Blessing $10/per pet

Culinary experiences must be purchased in advance.
Lunch $25/pp
Dinner $50/pp

The Coral Springs Museum of Art is located at 2855 Coral Springs Drive, Suite A Coral Springs, FL 33065 954-340-5000.

Author Profile

Sharon Aron Baron

Editor of Talk Media and writer for Coral Springs Talk. CST was created in 2012 to provide News, Views, and Entertainment for the residents of Coral Springs and the rest of South Florida.