Peace Times 1

The Kunpen Lama Gancen Institute in Milan, periodically hosts groups of Tibetan monks coming from India and Nepal. They bring us a glimpse of their rich religious and artistic culture. They also accomplish purifying rites, turning many Milanese homes into incense filled little gompas for a few hours, to sounds of beautiful and powerful chanting.

Aside from the religious practices, the monks are very busy touring, with the dance performances, executing sand mandalas, teaching and even turning their hands to mouth watering traditional Tibetan cooking, under the coordination of Pino Tommasi.

Mandalas are ephemeral compositions created to purify the environment from every negative interference. They are constructed with multi-coloured sands applied to a line drawing based on wood, with millimetric precision. Cham dances are traditional ancient ritual dances which, unlike Western theatre, beckons the spectator’s spiritual awareness.

The Institute having a longterm schedule, have already hosted monks from Samtenling, Sed Gyued and Sera Me monasteries over the past few years. Presently the famous Ganden monks are on tour in Europe and have to date visited over 30 towns in Italy, benefitting over 20.000 people. Following their tour of France they will perform the Cham dances at the Reggio Theatre in Turin on the 25th November followed by a sand mandal in the rooms of the Masnago Castle in Varese, which is presently hosting an exhibition of water colours by Hermann Hesse, the author of “Siddhartha”.

In April 1997 we will be honoured to receive a group of monks from Tashi Lumpo Monastery, South India.

(Paola Tamborini)