STCC to host Tibetan Monks as virtual event on Feb. 25

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. – Springfield Technical Community College invites the public to join students and participate in a virtual ceremony featuring the Tibetan Monks on Feb. 25 at noon.

The monks will present live from India directly to the STCC community. Their virtual stop at STCC is part of The Mystical Arts of Tibet Tours with The Drepung Loseling Monks. Registration is required. Visit stcc.io/monks2021.

“Being able to share an opportunity for all of our students to experience the wonderful Tibetan Monks live from India will be so amazing,” said Andrea Tarpey, coordinator of Student Activities at STCC. “We hosted the monks on campus 15 years ago. It was by far one of my favorite and most successful programs we have ever had.  It was spiritual, uplifting and beautiful … something we can all use right now.”

The monks will perform a worship ritual called “Drolchog – Tara Ritual Ceremony.” Tara is perhaps the most popular feminine manifestation of all the Buddhas. A blessing of Tara is considered especially effective and appropriate for a person who may be seeking success and fulfillment of a virtuous mission.

The ceremony will include the recitation of Tara’s mantra, “Om Tare Tuttare Ture Soha,” roughly translated as “With my body, speech and mind, I prostrate to Tara, the enlightened mother who liberates beings from samsara, all fears and illnesses."

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 tours offer 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.

From the first tour in 1988, the Mystical Arts of Tibet tours by the Drepung Loseling monks have enjoyed an overwhelming reception across North and South America, as well as in Europe.  Due to the timeless nature of these Tibetan arts, and the spirit of universal values they inspire, the tours continue to capture the imagination of the West. 

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.

For more information and to register, visit stcc.io/monks2021

About Springfield Technical Community College

STCC, the Commonwealth's only technical community college, continues the pioneering legacy of the Springfield Armory with comprehensive and technical education in manufacturing, STEM, healthcare, business, social services, and the liberal arts. STCC's highly regarded workforce, certificate, degree, and transfer programs are the most affordable in Springfield and provide unequalled opportunity for the vitality of Western Massachusetts. Founded in 1967, the college – a designated Hispanic Serving Institution – seeks to close achievement gaps among students who traditionally face societal barriers. STCC supports students as they transform their lives through intellectual, cultural, and economic engagement while becoming thoughtful, committed and socially responsible graduates.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Jim Danko, (413) 755-4812, jdanko@stcc.edu

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