Living Well: Himalayas meet the Rockies
Wednesday, July 29, 2009
By Teresa Griswold
Jackson Hole, Wyo.-If you take a short drive away from Jackson on Saturday you will discover colorful traditions and treasures that are usually far from reach – hidden half way around the world in the Himalayas. But the Rocky Mountain Himalayan Foundation is bringing the Himalayas closer with an all-day festival celebrating the culture of the region at the Coffee Cabin (40 Hwy 89) in Alpine.
The Himalayan Festival is a one-day event filled with booths and activities featuring unique aspects of Tibet and its surrounding regions and highlighting the people and traditions of the Himalayas. Tibetan Buddhist monks will create a butter sculpture while yoga, live music, chanting, food sampling and face painting take place.
The festival is for anyone seeking to expand mindfulness, loving-kindness, and compassion in their lives and to learn about the dynamic culture of Tibet and Nepal. You can casually try out yoga or mediation or just enjoy the art that will be on display. It is a family-oriented event also offering kid-specific booths.
A chanting ceremony opens the festival at 10:00 a.m. Ven. Kelsang Tenzin from New York, assisted by Ven. Lobsang Santen from the Land of Medicine Buddha, Santa Cruz, Calif. will then begin creating a sacred butter sculpture. Butter sculptures are a form of ritual art similar to the ornate and time-intensive sand mandalas of Tibetan Buddhist tradition. Both symbolize impermanence, and skillfully trained artisans mold dyed butter into various lifelike and brightly-colored patterns displaying history and stories.
Social entrepreneur, Phoebe Coburn of Wilson, who at age 12 began filling empty school libraries in Nepal with books, will be collecting books for two new libraries and sharing information about her mission and upcoming projects. Coburn, along with fellow student philanthropists will also sell dharma objects provided by Coburn’s mother, Didi Thunder, to raise funds for a trip to Nepal.
Thangkas which are cloth artworks depicting Buddhist deities and mandalas, and Tibetan clothing will be displayed. Tsering Dhondup will explain the meaning, uses, and symbolism in the Thangka paintings.
The festival will end with a chanting ceremony at 6:00 p.m. followed by the drawing for the butter sculpture and two hours of jazz by Papa Chan. JHW
The festival is free, but a $5 donation earns one raffle ticket with more available for the cost of $20 for 5. Contact Tina Seay at 307-413-3494 or Sue Atwood at 307-413-3120 or visit
rmhimalayanfoundation.org for more info.
COURTESY PHOTOButter sculptures, like sand mandalas, symbolize impermanence.PERMALINK:
Living Well: Himalayas meet the Rockies | Planet JH News Article: General News
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