Tour of Tibetan monks From Sera Jey monastery, Karnataka, India

A group of Tibetan monks from Sera Jey monastery are touring Europe from April to August 2015. The purpose of their tour is to present Tibetan monastic culture and tradition to the Europeans and at the same time to gather some needed means for building of the new temple in the Ngari Khangtsen part of the monastery, which they urgently need, since the old temple is decrepit and too small. In the framework of the tour the monks will come also to Slovenia, because of their connection with Lama Shenpen Rinpoche, the Abbot of the Buddhist Congregation Dharmaling.

During the visit in Slovenia they will make a sand mandala of Buddha Chenrezig (Avalokiteshvara) in Slovene Etnographic Museum in Ljubljana, perform sacred Cham dances in Ljubljana, Koper and Maribor, and in Ljubljana they will also have two workshops: making of the sand mandala, where the visitors will be able to try themselves out in this meditative skill and the workshop of learning about butter sculptures, which are typical for the Tibetan monastic tradition.

Sacred dances (Cham)

Tibetan monastic dancing tradition, known as Cham, originates in the oldest Buddhist practices, in which the great Buddhist masters transferred their vision of »the deities in motion« to their disciples. Dances have different symbolism and specific costumes, they are performed at various opportunities for various purposes, e.g. for overcoming of obstacles (violence, sickness, ignorance, hatred …), for purification of negative energy, for happiness…

Monks will perform the black hat dance (which is dedicated to overcoming obstacles like violence, sickness, ignorance, hatred and lack of trust), dance of the masters of the cremation grounds (dancers wear masks of the skeletons, usually it is performed at the end of the year as a part of practices of purification of the negative energy of the year which is ending).

Schedule of the visit of the monks in Slovenia

Making of the sand mandala

• 22. – 24. May & 26. and 27. May, Slovene Etnographic Museum, Ljubljana. Monks will be making a sand mandala of Buddha Chenrezig (Avalokiteshvara). It will be possible to see the mandala being made every day from 10h to 18h. Recommended donation is 7€. 
• Workshop of the making of the coloured sand mandala: 24. May, 11:00 - 12:30, Slovene Etnographic Museum, Ljubljana. Recommended donation is 10€. Registration is required: + 386 40 125 512 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• Dissolution of the mandala: 27. May in the afternoon

Sacred dances (Cham)

• 23. May, 20:00, SiTi teater, Ljubljana. Tickets (15€) will be available 1 hour before the event or they can be bought online here: http://www.sititeater.si/sl/drugi_dogodki/tibetanski_vecer_
• 26. May, 20:00, Theatre Koper, Small stage, Koper. Tickets (12€) will be available 1 hour before the event or they can be bought online here: http://www.gledalisce-koper.si/index.php?
• 28. May, 20:00, Cinema Udarnik, Maribor.Tickets (12€/10€/6€) can be purchased in advance at Cafe Udarnik. They will also be available 1 hour before the event.

Other events

• Workshop creation of the butter sculptures: 24. May, 16:00 - 17:30, Buddhist Center Dharmaling, Ljubljana. Recommended donation is 10€. Registration is required: + 386 40 125 512 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
• Long Life Puja for Lama Shenpen Rinpoche, 25. May, at 18:00, Buddhist Center Dharmaling, Ljubljana. Everyone is welcome to join, but only those who have taken Refuge, can recite the text.

Contact:  040 125 512

More detailed schedule of the tour in Slovenia

Himalayan Sacred Art for Peace page