Tibetan monks visiting Morgantown!

Hello all!

Today we're in the office sorting through photos from the recent trips that have just been completed. Matt is about to head out for the week and leave us poor little interns to fend for ourselves on editing programs and tripod difficulties. We already discussed setting up a camera in the office while we make multiple mistakes and forget how to use the "Clone" tool on Photoshop and thankfully remember which hot key is "Undo" (It's Command + Z.... once you learn it, it's hard to forget it.).

Moving onto more exciting news!

Our calendar is still in the works, but is live and already filling up with interesting activities to do around the Morgantown area, a lot that I didn't even know about. Something I was very excited to hear about connected multiple events the entire week- Starting tonight!

Tibetan monks from the Drepung Gomang Monastery are visiting Morgantown and are holding multiple, intriguing events that are unlike the usual events in the area.



Tonight the visits take off with a Puja ceremony and potluck social. "Puja" is a Sanskrit word that means "offering." The monks will chant prayers and perform rituals specific to the type of prayer being offered. These prayers and rituals will be directed to the Mon River and Twin Spruce Marina.

The event is apart of a fundraising tour to help support the 2,000 exiled monks living in the Drepung Gomang Monastic University in southern India who are teaching Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and sciences and serving a community of 16,000 Tibetan exiles.

The event is held Twin Spruce Marina 48 Round Bottom Road in Morgantown, and the details for tonight are as follows:

5:00 - 6:00 pm

Gather. Arrive at the Marina, park, get set up, relax, socialize, swim, play music.

6:00 - 7:00 pm 

Puja Ceremony:

The Monks will introduce themselves, where they are from, discuss their tour and their monastery, followed by a Q&A. Then the Puja (chanting meditation), to bless the Monongahela River and the Twin Spruce Marina business endeavor. 

7:00 - 9:30 pm
Potluck and Social time, to include:
Drum Circle (led by Tim Terman)
Possible wood-carving demonstration (led by Mark Johnson)

If you can't make it tonight, the tour continues in Morgantown all day Wednesday. The events move to a local yoga studio BlissBlissBliss at 3101 About Town Place in Morgantown.

The day begins at 11:30 am with an event for children to color Tibetan designs. This workshop is offered at 5:30 if it's difficult for you to drag your young one out of the house. The workshop is all donation based to help the monks to fundraise the tour in support of the exiled monks.

Later in the day from 1-2pm, there will be another Puja event where the monks chant prayers and perform rituals specific to the type of prayer being offered. Prayers are addressed to Buddha’s, bodhisattvas and deities. Their primary purpose is to overcome negativities that may be obstacles in obtaining release from suffering and to promote spiritual, emotional, mental and physical well-being.

Merchandise from the Drepung Gomang Sacred Arts Tour will be available for purchase at all events. 100% of all proceeds go directly to support, educate, house, feed and clothe the nearly 2,000 refugee monks at Drepung Gomang Institute.

From 7pm-9pm the tour group leader, Geshe Lharampa Pobsang Dhondup is available to give talks on the main tenets of Buddhist philosophy and is happy to answer your questions about the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. His teachings will be given in Tibetan and translated into English by a translator. Geshe-la is a monk who has achieved the equivalent of a PhD.

The Four Noble Truths encompass the essence of the Buddha’s teachings. It was these four principles that the Buddha came to understand during his meditation under the bodhi tree.

1. The truth of suffering (Dukkha) 

2. The truth of the origin of suffering (Samudāya)
3. The truth of the cessation of suffering (Nirodha)
4. The truth of the path to the cessation of suffering (Magga)

Whether you're interested in the Buddhist culture and traditions or are looking for something new to do, these events are worth looking into! Don't let this unique opportunity to learn about a new culture or help those in need slip away!


Wishing everyone a wonderful week,
Natalie, Media Intern