PERFORMANCE BY SEVEN TIBETAN BUDDHIST MONKS AT BARD COLLEGE ON MARCH 10

ANNANDALE-ON-HUDSON, N.Y.—Seven Tibetan Buddhist monks from the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in south India will give a sacred cham performance at Bard College’s Olin Hall on Wednesday, March 10, at 7:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public; however, a donation of $5 (to go toward running the monastery in exile) is requested. The monks will also take part in a free panel discussion, "Tibet: The Issues," prior to the performance at 5:00 p.m. in Manor Lounge.

The cham performance features sacred masked dances, music, and healing chants by monks attired in richly ornamented, multicolored costumes. With accompanying narration as well as a monastic debate demonstration, this event will provide a fascinating glimpse into Tibetan culture and heritage. In the panel discussion the monks will discuss the Panchen Lama (considered the second most important religious leader after the Dalai Lama), and Bard faculty members will speak about the history of Tibet, China relations, and free-Tibet activism in the west.

The Tashi Lhunpo monks are on a world tour to raise awareness of the plight of the Panchen Lama, display the rich heritage of the Tibetan religion, and help raise funds to run their monastery in exile in India. their CD, Tashi Lhunpo Monastery: Sacred Instrumental Music (with all proceeds to support their monastery) will be released on March 10 and is available from their website, www.tashilhunpo.org, or amazon.com.

"This performance marks the 45th anniversary of the Tibetan National Uprising Day," says Tenzin Lama, a second-year student at Bard who is also the founder of the Students for a Free Tibet (SFT) chapter at the college. She says SFT, a chapter-based network of young people and activists around the world, works in solidarity with the Tibetan people in their struggle for freedom and independence. Through education, grassroots organizing, and nonviolent action, SFT campaigns for Tibetans’ fundamental right to political freedom, according to Lama, who founded the chapter at Bard in October 2003.

The event is sponsored by Students for a Free Tibet and supported by the Asian Studies Program, the College chaplaincy, the Religion Program, Trustee Leader Scholar Program, Office of Student Activities, International Student Organization, and the Office of Residential Life at Bard College.

For further information, call 845-758-6822 or e-mail tl659@bard.edu.

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About Tashi Lhunpo Monastery
The Tashi Lhunpo Monastery was founded in Shigatse, Tibet, in 1447 by the first Dalai Lama, and is the seat of the Panchen Lama. It is one of four great monasteries of the Gelugpa tradition and has produced thousands of renowned scholars in the fields of Mahayana and Tantric philosophy of Tibetan Buddhism. Following their exile to India, 19 monks reestablished the monastery in Bylakuppe, south India, in 1972. The monastery now houses more than 250 monks from Tibet and other Himalayan regions who study and perform religious practices, as well as help the local Indian population. To learn more about these monks and their monastery, visit www.tashilhunpo.org.

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(02.27.04)

This event was last updated on 03-11-2004

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