During their weeklong residency at UNC Asheville through October 24, monks from the Drepung Loseling monastery branch in Atlanta, Ga., will offer public lectures on Tibetan culture and religion and perform sacred music and dance.
They also will create a sand mandala painting and train students to work with members of the campus and the public to create a community sand mandala painting designed by UNC Asheville students. In the Buddhist religion, the Tibetan mandala is a tool for gaining wisdom and compassion that serves to guide individuals along the path to enlightenment.
Their tour, which is endorsed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, aims to promote world peace and healing by sharing Tibet’s rich and authentic sacred performing and visual arts with modern audiences across the globe.
Below is a list of lectures and events the Monks from the Drepung Loseling monastery will be hosting during the week of October 20. All events are free and open to the public, unless otherwise noted.
Monday, Oct. 20
11:25 a.m.-12:30 p.m., “Death and Dying: The Tibetan Tradition,” Lecture, Lipinsky Auditorium
1-6 p.m., Mandala Sand Painting Open Ceremony and Live Exhibition, Highsmith Union
2-5 p.m., Community Mandala Sand Painting, Highsmith Union
Tuesday, Oct. 21
10 a.m.-6 p.m., Mandala Sand Painting Exhibition, Highsmith Union
noon-5 p.m., Community Mandala Sand Painting, Highsmith Union
7-8:30 p.m., “Meditation: a Tool for Conscious Living,” Lecture, Humanities Lecture Hall
Wednesday, Oct. 22
10 a.m.-3 p.m., Mandala Sand Painting Exhibition, Highsmith Union
noon-5 p.m., Community Mandala Sand Painting, Highsmith Union
7 p.m., “Sacred Music, Sacred Dance,” Performance, Lipinsky Auditorium (ticketed)
Thursday, Oct. 23
10 a.m.-6 p.m., Mandala Sand Painting Exhibition, Highsmith Union
noon-5 p.m., Community Mandala Sand Painting, Highsmith Union
7-8:30 p.m., “Symbolism of the Sand Mandala,” Lecture, Humanities Lecture Hall
Friday, Oct. 24
10 a.m.-noon, Mandala Sand Painting Exhibition and Community Mandala Sand Painting, Highsmith Union
1 p.m., Mandala Sand Painting Live Exhibition, Closing Ceremony, Highsmith Union Lower Level with procession to Reed Creek (Please wear appropriate shoes for hiking. Accessibility shuttles and seating available for this event.)
The performance and residency are sponsored by UNC Asheville’s Cultural Events and Special Academic Programs and the UNC Asheville Humanities Program, and is funded in part by a grant from South Arts in partnership with the National Endowment for the Arts and the North Carolina Arts Council. For more information, visit the Cultural Events and Special Academic Programs website or call 828.251.6674.
(Copy written by by Lillian Mercho ’18.)