For more than ten years, Dave and Jan Arnett have been hosting Lama Losang Samten and other monks in Tahoe. The couple acts as contacts and sponsors to facilitate teachings for world healing, and has been instrumental in establishing the Tibetan Cultural Festival in South Lake Tahoe, now in its third year. Losang Samten, renowned Tibetan scholar, spiritual teacher and artist, is returning to teach and to create a sacred Medicine Buddha Sand Mandala at the Tibetan Festival in Valhalla Monday, August 25 through Sunday, August 31. Furthermore, he has decided to return to Truckee to bless us by creating the Mandala of Compassion at ‘The Rock,’ from August 16 through August 23.
Losang became a Tibetan Buddhist monk at 11-years-old then he joined Namgyal, the Dalai Lama’s personal monastery, in Dharamsala, India. After many years he assumed the honorable position of personal attendant to his holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama, and earned the highest degree at the monastery, a Master’s Degree in Sutra and Tantra, comparable to a Ph.D. in Philosophy and Debate.
Losang was the first Tibetan Buddhist to introduce sand painting to the public. For 2,500 years the ancient religious art was secluded in monasteries in Tibet and India, but His Holiness the Dalai Lama recognized, in this past decade, the need to alleviate some misconceptions about the Tibetan Buddhist practice. In 1988 Losang came to the United States, the place the Chinese had warned when they occupied Tibet, ‘was like a paper tiger: it may shimmer and shake, but in the end it will do nothing for you.’ His list of accomplishments since he arrived in the U.S. is impressive: he has created numerous mandalas all over the country, has founded five Tibetan Buddhist centers, has given back his monastic vows and become a lay practitioner, earned Honorary Doctorates in Divinity and in Art from U.S. Universities, has taught Tibetan language, and even did a stint in Hollywood, supervising the creation of a sand mandala for Martin Scorsese’s film ‘Kundun.’ Does playing the role of the attendant for the young Dalai Lama in the film mean he was swallowed by the paper tiger? I don’t think so.
Do we in Truckee shimmer and shake, or do we give and contribute to Losang’s life work?
I asked Dave why Losang was blessing Truckee with the creation of the Mandala of Compassion. ‘Losang really likes it here in Tahoe. He’s been here as long as a month at a time and he feels a good connection,’ Dave said. As far as Truckee specifically, ‘He feels the people here are down to earth, and he had a good response to the teaching he did at Tahoe Yoga and Wellness (last October).’ Dave said Losang ‘develops a feel of a community then decides when and what type of mandala he would create based on an understanding of the needs of the community.’ Does Truckee need extra help in the area of compassion?
Dave read the definition of compassion from a Buddhist Text. ‘Compassion is sustained determination to do whatever is possible and necessary to help alleviate the suffering of others.’ Think about it…
That’s what Losang does as he creates his prayerful works of art. ‘The purpose of the Mandala of Compassion is to emphasize and cultivate loving kindness and compassion for ourselves, our nation, and the universe. It is said to purify the five emotions of ignorance, anger, attachment, jealousy and pride. It uses five colors in its composition. Blue is central and represents space, East is white and represents water, South is yellow for earth, West is red for fire, and North is green for air. The mandala is created to purify the four elements within ourselves.
The Mandala Opening Ceremony is Saturday, August 16 at 11 a.m. at The Rock, where Losang will create the Mandala, 11253 Brockway Road, Suite 106, in Truckee. The Mandala of Compassion will be open to viewing during its creation from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday through Friday. Donations are gratefully accepted. The Dissolution Ceremony (symbolic of the belief that all aspects of life are impermanent) will be from 6 to 7 p.m. on Friday, when the mandala is poured into a vase and carried in a pilgrimage to the Truckee River, where the waters and our community will be blessed. We are so fortunate to have Lama Losang Samten back for more Tibetan Buddhist teachings and meditations and to have Tahoe consecrated with the blessings of the Mandala of Compassion and the Medicine Buddha Mandala.
Namaste.
Teachings
• Saturday, August 16 – Tibetan Tea Offering Ceremony and Teaching ‘Generating Compassion,’ from 7 to 9 p.m. $15 suggested donation. 11253 Brockway, Suite106.
• Monday, August 18 – ‘Incorporating Mindfulness and Compassion into Everyday Life,’ from 7 to 9 p.m. $15 suggested donation. Squaw Valley Chapel.
• Wednesday, August 20 – ‘The Noble Eightfold Path,’ from 7 to 9 p.m. $15 suggested donation. Tahoe Yoga and Wellness Center in Truckee.
• Saturday, August 23 – ‘Transforming Negativity Into Happiness,’ all day retreat includes chanting, meditation and teaching. From 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. $45 suggested donation. For Goodness Sake, 530-550-8981.
For information on The Tibetan Cultural Festival Monday, August 25 through Sunday, August 31, visit nevadadharma.net. To volunteer at the festival contact Dave or Jan Arnett, 530-525-1900.
To learn more about Tibetan Buddhism, sand mandalas and what is happening in Tibet visit, losangsamten.com, mandalaman.org, and dalailama.com.
