Source: Wicked Local Marion
If you are an early riser, you may get a glimpse of something you don’t often see in this quaint seaside village. Twelve monks from Drepung Loseling Monastery of India will be in the area for four days beginning June 4 for “The Mystical Arts of Tibet,” which is the cultural finale to the Zeiterion Performing Arts Center 2008-2009 season.
The Buddhist monks will stay with Michael and Margie Baldwin of Marion, and Peter and Sally Hunsdorfer, also of Marion. Eight monks will stay with the Baldwins, who have hosted Buddhist monks before; four will stay with the Hunsdorfers, who also host a Serpa man.
“There’s a lot of mediation that goes on,” Margie Baldwin, whose husband is a Buddhist, said of her soon-to-be guests. “(Buddhists) all have their own practice, which are usually different types of meditations and visualizations.
“When we’ve had lamas stay before, I’ve noticed they don’t waste any food, and they love being near to the ocean. It’s very different from their home because they are mountain people.”
Prior to the monks arriving, “Community Wish Flags” are being distributed in Wareham, Dartmouth, Westport, Marion and Mattapoisett. The flags, which are blank cuts of fabric, allow people to express their wishes for their community and the world. The flags will be collected each day and displayed in New Bedford, mostly along Purchase Street, near The Z.
In the Tri-towns, flags can be picked up at Uncle Jon’s Coffee on Front Street, and at How on Earth store and café on Route 6 in Mattapoisett. Flags are also available at Gallery X, ArtWorks!, Green Bean, and the Zeiterion Box Office.
Zeiterion Executive Director Katherine Knowles explains the four-day cultural event.
“When there’s a celebration in Tibetan culture, people come from surrounding villages to celebrate for four days,” Knowles said. “It’s my hope to bring that sense of community here.”
An opening ceremony will be held Thursday, June 4, to mark the beginning of a mandala sand painting. Painting with colored sand is one of the most exquisite traditions of Tantric Buddhism. Millions of grains of sand are laid in place on a platform over a period of days to form the image of a mandala. This ceremonial work of art symbolizes the transitory nature of life. The public is invited free of charge to watch daily as the lamas create the mandala.