Four-day Tibetan event features sand mandala and Buddhist teachings

A four-day event celebrating Tibetan culture will be held April 21 to 24 in South Lake Tahoe and Minden.

The event will feature Ven. Geshe Lobsang Tsultrim who will construct a sand mandala with viewing opportunities during the day and teachings in the evenings.

Evening talks will feature topics that include death and rebirth, mind training and Buddhist philosophy and practice.

The viewing hours for the construction of the mandala are from 10 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. April 21, 22 and 23, followed by evening teachings at 7 p.m. The South Lake Tahoe events will be held at the Blue Angel Cafe, at 1132 Ski Run Blvd.

The sand mandala dissolution ceremony, the dismantling of the mandala, representing the impermanence of life, will be on April 24 at 4:30 p.m.

All are invited to accompany Tsultrim on a short walk to Ski Run Marina for the close of the ceremony.

The event is sponsored by Blue Angel Cafe and chef Jens Dressler. Dressler will prepare specials that are apropos with cultural delicacies of the region available in the dining and bar areas to accompany the occasion.

Since Tsultrim's visit to Lake Tahoe last year he returned to India to complete and receive his Geshe degree. In the Gelugpa tradition, the tradition of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, it takes about 20-25 years of study and debate to achieve this degree. Tsultrim now teaches and is accepting students.

While in India, Tsultrim met with the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, now home of the exiled Tibetan spiritual leader for the past 50 years. On Tsultrim's return to the United States he was appointed director of Thubten Dhargye Ling Center in Long Beach by Gaden Shartse Monastery.

Tsultrim is a Tibetan Buddhist monk of the Gelugpa order, born near Amdo, the eastern region of Tibet. He trained in philosophy and sacred art at Gaden Shartse Monastic University in southern India and for 10 years served as sand mandala master for the Sacred Arts of Tibet tours, visiting more than 50 countries.

Sand mandala viewing and teachings at the Blue Angel Cafe are offered by donation, although though no one will be turned away for lack of funds, as Dharma teachings are always offered free and without expectation. Volunteer positions are available.

Tsultrim will also teach a two-session Tibetan Thangka painting workshop in Minden at O2 Wellness Studio, at 1557 Zerolene Place on April 25. The cost is $95 and space is limited.

The schedule is available online at puremind.org. For event information contact Melanie at (775) 586-9125.