Sacred Arts Tour – Drepung Gomang Monastery

Sacred Arts Tour with Drepung Gomang Monastery:  Jan. 22 – 27, 2024

The Sacred Arts Tour Monks of Drepung Gomang Monastery are refugee monks and members of Drepung Gomang Monastery, a Tibetan monastery in Karnataka State, South India.

A variety of experiences will be available throughout the week-long Sacred Arts Tour at Mounts Botanical Garden, including:

• GENERAL ADMISSION (click to purchase tickets in advance):  includes full access to the Sacred Arts Tour mandala making, prayer ceremonies, and the Tibetan Marketplace for the day. 
  • January 22, 23, 24, 25, 26 from 10:00am – 3:30pm
    $25 per day for Nonmember Adults; $18 for Nonmember Children (includes Garden admission); $5 per day for Members (Garden admission is free with membership).
    Tickets may be purchased in advance online or the day of the event at the Welcome Center.
    Join Mounts Botanical Garden in welcoming the monks from the Drepung Gomang monastery who are renowned for the Sacred Art of Sand Mandala Construction. They will be creating an Avaloketeshvara Sand Mandala (Chenrezig), which is the Buddha of generating compassion, love. and peace. Construction of a mandala of this size and intricacy takes 5-7 days to complete with multiple monks working on it for 5-6 hours a day. Each day’s events include opening ceremonies and informal conversation with the monks as the mandala is created. Before and after working on the mandala each day, the monks recite prayers in the traditional overtone chanting, with each monk singing a full chord of three notes. The prayers are often accompanied by delicate hand gestures, cymbals, drums, horns, and flutes. 
    Authentic Tibetan Marketplace: The Sacred Art monks of Drepung Gomang bring with them Tibetan merchandise with Buddhist religious symbols and mantras. Much of the merchandise is made by the monks living at the monastery and helps to support those studying there with living expenses and medical care. Full-day access to the Authentic Tibetan Marketplace is included with your general admission ticket. All proceeds from the marketplace go directly to the monks of the Drepung Gomang Monastery.
    Opening Ceremony begins at 10:00am each day.
    Closing ceremony begins at 3:00pm each day.

• MALA MAKING (click to register)
  • Tuesday, January 23, 1:00pm – 2:00pm
    Workshop only: $10 per person (does not include Garden admission)
    Mala beads have been around for over 3,000 years and are rooted in Buddhism. They are used as a spiritual accessory and to help you focus your mind during meditation. This workshop is fun for adults and children with adult supervision. The tour monks will explain the use of the mala and guide participants in creating your own wrist mala. All supplies are included in the workshop.

• PET BLESSINGS (click to register)
  • Wednesday, January 24, 1:00pm
    $5 per pet; human companion’s admission to the garden is $20 for adults and $13 for children. Free admission for members. *Please note: Animals are not permitted inside the building for the Sacred Arts Tour.
    Meant to bestow good fortune and blessings upon your furry family members, the pet blessing will imprint seeds of happiness for the animals. The mantras recited are for health and success in this life and the next ones. Bring your pet to the Garden and have them personally blessed by the monks. All animals must be under control at all times by a leash or crate.
    Pet tags for the Sacred Arts Tour will be available for purchase after the blessing for $5 each. Credit Cards only.

• AUTHENTIC TIBETAN COOKING CLASS & DINNER WITH MONKS (click to register) – SOLD OUT
  • Friday, January 26, 5:30pm – 9:00pm
    Cooking class starts at 5:30pm; dinner 7:00pm – 9:00pm
    $115 per person. Cooking class and dinner is limited to 30 adults.
    Eat, relax, and have fun! Learn traditional Tibetan food preparation and cooking techniques with a hands-on experience making Momos, Naan and Thenthuk with the monks. Casually socialize and eat dinner with the monks as you have a night filled with amazing authentic Tibetan food you helped to prepare! Don’t worry about language differences, sharing food is universal and requires little conversation! End the night with a prayer ceremony and house blessing. This is a-once-in-a-lifetime experience and spots are extremely limited, so reserve your seats early! Adults only please.

• CULTURAL PAGEANT & FINAL CLOSING CEREMONY (click to register)
  • Saturday, January 27
    General Admission: $30 for Nonmembers Adults $23 for Nonmember Children (includes Garden admission); $10 for Members (Garden admission is free with membership)
    12:00pm – Cultural Pageant
    Experience ancient Tibetan cultural rituals, including the snow lion dance, good luck dance, monk dance, sacred chants, prayers, and monastic debate, bringing authentic Tibetan traditions to life.
    4:00pm – Closing Ceremony
    The closing ceremony includes prayers, chanting, deconstruction of the mandala, and sharing the blessed sand with those in attendance.

About the Monks of Drepung Gomang Monastery

Mission: 

• To share the message of compassion, often through interfaith sharing, helping create peaceful communities that work together toward World Peace
• To provide a window into the ancient and precious Tibetan culture
• To raise funds to educate, feed, house, and provide healthcare for the 2,000 Tibetan Buddhist Monks living in exile at Drepung Gomang Monastery in India 

Drepung Monastery was founded in 1416 near Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. Gomang College is the oldest of the four colleges of Drepung. Drepung Gomang Monastic University has produced many eminent Buddhist scholars and for many years has been a very important Tibetan Buddhist learning center. While each of the colleges of Drepung has its specialty, the focus of Gomang is philosophy, both logic and debate.

For more information about Drepung Gomang Monastery, visit www.DrepungGomang.org.