Monks make stop on ‘compassion tour’
Staff report
BOARDMAN
The monks of Gaden Shartse Dokhang are on a compassion tour to share their culture, philosophy and arts and to raise funds for the building of dorms and a prayer hall at their monastery in Southern India.
They will perform a Vajravidarana healing ritual at 10 a.m. Aug. 30 at Bella Nitesh Spiritual Arts and Education Center, 837 Boardman-Canfield Road, No. 200.
The event is a donation-based fundraiser for the monks. Suggested donation is $20.
The goal of the tour is to raise $300,000 to build the initial dormitories so that the monks have a place to live.
Currently the dorms are spread throughout the Tibetan settlement in Mundgod.
The ultimate goal is $1 million, which will be used to build additional dorms, a prayer hall, library and a medical clinic.
The tour is a grass-roots effort financed by donations and volunteers.
All funds raised on this tour go to the building of facilities at Gaden Shartse Dokhang.
The tour is sponsored by The Foundation of the Sacred Stream, a school for consciousness studies in Berkeley, Calif. (sacredstream.org).
The liaison for the tour is Dr. Geshe Thupten Jinpa, principal English interpreter for the Dalai Lama, chairman of Mind and Life Institute and former member of Gaden Shartse Dokhang Monastery.
The Tantric ritual of Vajravidarana is a ritual of purification that has three stages: purification and removing of negativities; removing subtle negative imprints; and offering protection.
This healing ritual transforms negativity and negative karma, and offers a clearing of negativity related to sickness, mental disturbances, disease, misfortune and obstacles against congenial life.