With Geshe Chaphur

June 16, 10:00 – 4:30 PM

GYALSHEN INSTITUTE is delighted to present a unique opportunity to follow the creation, dedication, and dissolution of a Tibetan Bön Buddhist mandala, presented with special consecration ceremony and Cham sacred dancing. The Sadhag Nyelam Mandala represents the world of Earth-owning spirits, spirits of water bodies, spirits of trees, and the spirits of rocks and boulders. In the view of the Bön spiritual tradition, the creation of this mandala will bless the Bay area with balance in the Five Elements and provide many other benefits……

Cham dancing is an ancient Tibetan sacred dance that invokes the purifying and blessing presence of specific deities through highly developed ritual movements. One of the most enduring forms of spiritual celebration at monasteries and public gatherings in Tibet, Cham dances are performed in elaborately detailed deity masks and rich costumes to the accompaniment of traditional trumpets, cymbals, and drums. The intricate and precise body gestures require extensive training to master, and intensive preparatory prayer for each performance. In the Bön view, the proper skill and focus of the dancers results in the dissolution of negativities and the removal of obstacles while conveying a narrative story about the deities, their origins, and relationships to human life. Read more