By KEVIN O’BRIEN
A group of Tibetan Buddhist monks from a Minneapolis monastery will be holding a three-hour introduction to their philosophy and a chanting session this Sunday at Potter’s Farm west of Washburn.
Led by the Venerable Gongpar Chungtsang Rinpoche of India, the monks of the Gyuto Wheel of Dharma Monastery serve the second largest population of Tibetan-Americans in the United States from inside the first Western branch of Tibet’s Gyuto Monastery.
According to the monastery’s brochure, Gyuto monks are known for their “unique and powerful multiphonic chanting of prayers, elaborate butter sculptures of Buddhist images, and the creation of very intricate, impermanent sand mandalas (circles).”
Descended from the Gyuto monks who fled Tibet with the Dalai Lama in 1959, the Minneapolis monks are believed to generate healing powers with their rituals.
“Their harmonic chanting is said to activate the body and mind to transcend mundane ‘discriminative’ thought, and to bring about an integrated state of enlightenment. Tantric ritual practices are always performed as blessing ceremonies for the Earth and all beings.”
Bob Brander, CEO of Potter’s Farm, said the monk’s Tibetan version of Buddhism is right in line with the non-profit farm’s mission to teach people about the connection between themselves and the Earth.
According to the Farm’s yearly newsletter, “Being There,” the education retreat’s main goal is to “provide a place where humans, as individuals and groups, can re-discover the largely forgotten wisdom that explains our co-evolution of our genes and culture.”
“If you dig deep, it is something that is universal,” Brander said. “Different cultures deal with it in different ways.”
The Tibetan mandala symbol also goes along with the farm’s own two circular symbols, an earth wisdom wheel that represents “the cosmos and the human place in the cosmos” and an 11-circuit labyrinth.
Brander said a representative from the monastery came to the farm two years ago, eventually leading to the arranged visit this weekend.
Named after Alden Potter, one of the first practitioners of osteopathy in the early part of the 20th century, the farm regularly hosts classes and programs dealing with philosophies that center on so-called “Earth wisdom.” This includes everything from seminars on business ethics to workshops on holistic healing.
The historic stone barn dates back to 1912, and according to Brander, “it is believed to be the prized example of a farmstead influenced by the arts and crafts movement.”
The visit goes from 12 to 3 p.m. on Sunday, and there is a fee. Call Potter’s Farm at 373-2988 to register. Directions to the farm are available at this number or at www.pottersfarm.org.
