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Week-long visit by Tibetan monks highlights Mary Seifert Series spring events

March 7, 2014

Continuing in April, the Mary L. Seifert Cultural Series will provide thought-provoking entertainment as part of the “In God We Trust?” series. The events are as follows:

In God We Trust: A Choral Perspective

Join Clarion University Concert Choir and Chamber Singers at 7:30 p.m. April 5 in Marwick-Boyd auditorium for an evening of Jewish, Hindu, Christian and American Indian religious music.

Holocaust Remembrance 2014: Remembering Genocide in Popular Music

At 7:30 p.m. April 14 in Hart Chapel, Phil Holtje, curator of the Holocaust Awareness Museum in Philadelphia, will explore how people survived such atrocities through their religious faith and will examine how popular music keeps alive the memories of recent genocide, in hopes of preventing it in the future.

The Mystical Arts of Tibet

Tibet Monk

Tibetan monks from the Drepung Loseling Monastery will bring their culture and customs to campus during the week of April 7-13. Events include:

  • Opening Ceremonies, noon to 1 p.m. April 7 in the art gallery, Carlson Library, Level A. The monks will bless the site of the mandala sand painting in preparation for their work on the piece. Sand painting is a unique art that involves painstaking arrangement of millions of grains of colored sand. The process takes days to complete.

  • Lecture, “A Buddhist Approach to Dealing with Emotions,” 7 p.m. April 8, Marwick-Boyd auditorium

  • Lecture, “The Psychology of Enlightenment,” 7 p.m. April 9, Marwick-Boyd auditorium

  • Sacred Music/Sacred Dance, 8 to 10 p.m. April 10, Marwick-Boyd auditorium. The monks will display Tibetan culture through song and dance using traditional instruments and exotic costumes.

  • Lecture, “The Symbolism of the Sand Mandala,” 2 p.m. April 11, art gallery

  • Cognitively Based Compassion Meditation, 4 to 7 p.m. April 12, Gemmell MPR

  • Mandala Closing Ceremony, 2 p.m. April 13, art gallery. As a metaphor for the impermanence of life, the monks will deconstruct the mandala on the final day of their visit. Half of the sand will be distributed to audience members, and the other half will be taken to a nearby body of water to promote healing of the earth.

The Mary L. Seifert Cultural Series Endowment of the Clarion University Foundation, Inc. was established to provide the Clarion University community with the cultural experiences that inspire learning through thoughtful discussions.

Clarion University is the high-achieving, nationally recognized, comprehensive university that delivers a personal and challenging academic experience.

Last Updated 1/11/21