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March 3, 2005
Eight Tibetan Buddhist monks from Gaden Lhopa, part of the Gaden Shartse Monastery in India, will be in Sioux City from Thursday, March 17, through Sunday, March 20. The monks are scheduled for six appearances at various locations during their four-day tour.
The monks will hold an opening ceremony for an exhibit of Tibetan Thangkas, sacred paintings framed in brocade, on Thursday, March 17, at 3 p.m. at Morningside College’s Levitt Art Gallery. The closing ceremony for the exhibit will be held Sunday, March 20, at 4 p.m. The free exhibit will be open to the public from 10 a.m. until 5 p.m. daily. The exhibit is sponsored by Morningside’s Academic and Cultural Arts Series (ACAS).
On Friday, March 18, the monks will perform a Yak Dance and sacred chant on the campus of Western Iowa Tech Community College. The Yak Dance is performed to acknowledge the significance of the yak in Tibetan culture. The performance is scheduled for 12 p.m. in the lecture hall of the Kiser Building, 4647 Stone Avenue. It will be followed by a question and answer session. The event is sponsored in part by the Institute for Lifelong Learning at Western Iowa Tech.
Also on Friday, March 18, the monks will conduct a teaching on Chenrezig mantras at 6:30 p.m. at 2323 Jackson Street, a private residence. Chenrezig are sacred sound prayers and are the main practice of the Dalai Lama.
On Saturday, March 19, the monks will perform a sacred chant and sacred dances on the campus of Morningside College in Klinger Neal Theatre. The performance is scheduled for 2 p.m. A question and answer session will follow the performance. The free event is sponsored by Morningside’s ACAS and is open to the public.
The monks are scheduled for an appearance on Sunday, March 20, at 11 a.m. at First Unitarian Church, 2408 Jackson Street.
The monks will also be available for private healings and house and business blessings. To schedule a private session with the monks, contact Ibu Nooney at (712) 490-6410.
The visiting monks include Chuni Lobsang Jinpa Rinpoche (teacher), Geshe Kalsang Gyatso (chanting master), Ven Lama Phuntsho (translator), Lhopa Lobsang Ngudup, Ven Lobsang Tenzin, Ven Jampa Chhering, Ven Lobsang Tengyal, and Ven Lobsang Wangchup (American manager). Their Sioux City visit is part of an 18-month tour of the United States. The purpose of their tour is to support the needs of more than 1,500 Gaden Shartse Monastery Tibetan monks living in exile in southern India.
For more information, contact the Morningside College office of Public Relations at (712) 274-5320, or the Institute for Lifelong Learning at Western Iowa Tech Community College at (712) 274-8733, ext. 1334.
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