By Elizabeth Aguirre
The sight of seven meditating men clothed in robes may surprise Capitol passers-by on Friday.
Tibetan monks from the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery in India will lead a World Peace Meditation from noon to 1 p.m. at the statehouse in downtown Lansing as part of a 2002-03 North American tour. They’ll be in mid-Michigan for four days.
The Buddhist monks are raising awareness in the United States and Canada about their leader, the Panchen Lama, the world’s youngest political prisoner at age 14. He’s been missing since 1995.
In 1996, the Chinese government admitted to holding the boy but has denied access to him.
“He’s not going to be freed anytime soon because he’s the second highest religious leader,” said Lisa Hale, a member of the Michigan State University Students for a Free Tibet, a group helping to host the monks. “If they let him free, the Chinese government feels they’ll lose control.”
Tashi Lhunpo Monastery is the seat of the Panchen Lama, who is second only to the Dalai Lama. The Panchen Lama is believed to be the incarnation of the Amitabha Buddha, the Buddha of boundless light.
During their visit to the Amitabha Village Buddhist Temple in Perry this weekend, the monks will lead a compassion teaching, meditation and retreat, and will perform a Cham ceremony for the first time ever in the Lansing area. The ceremony, used to revitalize spiritual energies, features sacred masked dances and music, healing chants and richly ornamented costumes.
The monks also will participate in a postcard-writing campaign sponsored by the MSU and national chapters of Students for a Free Tibet. The campaign has people send postcards to political leaders in hopes of entering negotiations to learn about the status and location of the Panchen Lama.
A similar campaign recently helped free 11 of 14 Tibetan nuns. The release of the other three nuns is being negotiated.
Ajahn Khemasanto, abbot of the DhammaSala Forest Monastery, also in Perry, which will host the monks during their trip to Lansing, says the monastery is open to travelling Buddhist monks.
“It’s always interesting to get monks from different traditions,” Khemasanto said. “You always learn new things.”
The Tashi Lhunpo monks will continue their tour in Grand Rapids on Monday.
Contact Elizabeth Aguirre at 702-4248 or eaguirre@ lansing.gannett.com
Planned events
-7 p.m. Thursday: Amitabha Buddha Teachings/Sacred Cham Dance at Amitabha Village, 14780 Beardslee Road, Perry
-Noon-1 p.m. Friday: World Peace Meditation, state Capitol
-1:30 p.m.-3:30 p.m. Saturday: Great Compassion Teaching, Amitabha Village
-10 a.m.-5 p.m.: Amitabha Retreat, Amitabha Village
All events are free.
On the Web
More information about the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery and the Amitabha Village can be found at www.tashilhunpo.org and www.geocities.com/lansingbuddhist
