From March 28th to April 1st, Stockton hosted a group of Tibetan Monks from the Drepung Gomang Monastery. Over the course of the week, they worked on a large, hand-made mandala as part of their Sacred Art Tour, and gave demonstrations on Tibetan music, culture, and food. They also sold clothing, jewelry, and more in the C/D Atrium, and took donations to support their monastery.
I was incredibly surprised to find out about the monks. I was sitting outside Au Bon Pain when I heard a thunder of drums – I wasn’t sure what to think. Of course, I went to go see what was happening and was amazed to see that there were about ten monks chanting in ceremonial dress. It was incredible to watch, as was the creation of the mandala. I really wanted to attend many of the demonstrations, such as the cooking class, but wasn’t able to due to classes.
The small shop the monks set up had some really incredible things. Besides clothes and jewelry there were also hand-made notebooks, prayer flags, bells, scarves, and more. I bought a few things as gifts, and a prayer flag with a Dalai Lama quote to hang in my dorm room. I also enjoyed looking at the binder on the donation table. Inside were pictures of all the young boys training to be monks, as well as fun little facts about them. I really loved the whole experience, and it was nice to go about my day and randomly run into the monks – heading towards the bathroom, eating at n wing, and so on. It made my week, and I hope that I get to witness more Tibetan culture in the future.