The monks of the Drepung Loseling Monastery will return to UNC Asheville Oct.22-26 for a residency that includes creating a sand mandala, lectures on Tibetan culture, traditions and beliefs, and a sacred music and dance performance. All residency activities are open to everyone free of charge except for the Oct. 25 concert, which is a ticketed event. The full schedule, and a link to concert tickets is provided below.

The Mystical Arts of Tibet is a world tour endorsed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama to promote world peace and healing by sharing Tibet’s rich and authentic sacred performing and visual arts with modern audiences. The residency offers a rare opportunity to witness one of the world’s most ancient sacred traditions presented by a group of monk artists for whom these traditions are a way of life.

The artists are monks from Drepung Loseling Monastery, which has been re-established in exile in South India. The performers on The Mystical Arts of Tibet tour are not full-time professionals; rather they are genuine monks who are taking time off from their life-long devotion to contemplation and study to participate in the tour. These monk artists consider it an honor to be selected to represent their monastery and share their cultural traditions on the tour, hoping that they will be able to make some small contribution toward world peace and toward greater awareness of the Tibetan situation. At the end of each tour the monks return to Drepung Loseling Monastery to continue their vocation.

HOURS TO OBSERVE THE MONKS CREATING A SAND MANDALA:

Monday after opening ceremony 1 p.m. until 6 p.m.

Tuesday & Wednesday, 10 a.m. – 6 p.m.

Thursday 10 a.m. – 3 p.m.

Friday, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m.

Hours for community sand mandala: Participation in creating a smaller mandala, designed by UNC Asheville students, will be open to all. Hours will be the same as the large sand mandala, and volunteers will be on hand to help you learn how to use the same tools as the monks.

Monday, October 22 – 1 p.m. Opening Ceremony for Sand Mandala, Highsmith Union

Tuesday, October 23 – 11:50 a.m. “Ancient Art of Healing,” lecture, Lipinsky Auditorium

Wednesday, October 24 – 

• 11 a.m. “Death and Dying,” lecture, Lipinsky Auditorium
• 7 p.m. “Symbolism of the Sand Mandala,” lecture, Sherrill Center, Ingles Mountain View Room

Thursday, October 25 –  7 p.m. “Sacred Music, Sacred Dance,” performance, Lipinsky Auditorium. Tickets, available online or at the door, are $15 general admission; free for UNC Asheville students with OneCard; $5 for all other students and for UNC Asheville employees; $10 for OLLI members and UNC Asheville alumni.

Friday, October 26 – 1 p.m. Closing Ceremony Sand Mandala, Highsmith Union

Support for the residency at UNC Asheville of monks of the Drepung Loseling Monastery comes from Biltmore Farms Hotels, BPR (Blue Ridge Public Radio), Our State magazine, UNC Asheville’s Thomas H. Howerton Distinguished Professor in the Humanities, and the university’s Departments of Physics, and Art and Art History.