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Tibetan Monks Visit University Of South Dakota

This week the University of South Dakota received a dose of foreign culture. Six Tibetan Monks visited the campus and during their stay shared a variety of traditional customs and beliefs with students and the public.

The Monks are currently touring the United States from the Gaden Shartse Monastery in India. Their purpose is to educate individuals and to raise money. Throughout their week-long stay at USD they performed traditional music and dance, spoke of their culture to various classes, and created an intricate piece of artwork called a sand mandala in the Medical School Building.

The mandala is an ancient tradition that dates back twenty-five hundred years. Jampa Lobsang is the translator for the monastic group. He says some mandalas take up to one month to finish and upon completion the sand is swept into a body of water. Lobsang says this is done to demonstrate their belief of transience.

Monks working on the sand mandala

"In Buddhism we believe that everything is impermanent. So we are showing some kind of impermanence. Even if we are beautiful world, beautiful people, beautiful girl, beautiful boy, but in the end it will change," says Lobsang.

The general course of study at the monastery is about 25 years where students devote their life to spiritual study. For six days a week from approximately five a.m. to midnight the monks pray, meditate, memorize text and focus on simplifying their existence. Their ultimate goal is to lead a peaceful, happy life.