As part of a stopover at the SMU campus, three of the 10visiting Gomang Monks participated in a lecture aimed to informstudents on the rich Tibetan history, from the very first DalaiLama to the present-day struggle for freedom.

Group coordinator Mary Pattison presented a slide show to thepacked audience in Hyer Hall. She began the lecture with adescription of the Tibetan flag, which is composed of five colors,each representing a different element of the culture.

Red stands for fire, yellow is for earth, blue is for air orsky, green is for water, and white is for space.

“Sadly, this flag does not fly over our country at thepresent time. Although over the centuries, Tibet has had manypolitical disputes with its neighbors, it has always maintained itsindependence.

Chinese occupation

“This independence was brutally ended in the 1950s becauseof the Chinese invasion and occupation of Tibet.”

Today, the Chinese population is threatening to outnumber theTibetan people.

Pattison spoke of the more than 1.2 million Tibetans whose liveshave been lost at the hands of communist oppressors. In addition,”more than 6,000 of Tibet’s monasteries have beendemolished.”

“Thousands of innocent people continue to be imprisoned,tortured, persecuted and killed because of their beliefs, theirloyalty to His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and their steadfastcommitment to a free Tibet,” Pattison said.

Since the communist invasion of the 1950s, Chinese policies haveput up many obstacles to the free expression of the Buddhistreligion of the Tibetan people.

A number of political prisoners have been captured over theyears, and some have drawn more media attention than others.

Ani Pachen, for example, was captured in 1969 and spent 21 yearsin Drapchi and Chumdo prisons.

Most noted for having led an armed group of 100 people andcarrying out numerous raids against the Chinese, Pachen wasreleased in 1991.

“Palden Gyatso was arrested by the Chinese in 1959 duringthe uprising at the time of the escape from Tibet by the DalaiLama,” said Pattison.

After 33 years in prison, he was released, at which point Gyatsosaid that his greatest fear during his years of captivity was thathe was that he might lose his compassion for his torturers and hisenemies.

Buddhist monks spread message

Pattison said, “The monks on this tour are from DrepungGomang Monastery which was rebuilt in south India in 1969 after thedestruction of Drepung in Lhasa by the Chinese.

“It was built on 42 acres of land in the refugeesettlement at Mundgod by 62 monks who managed to escape Tibet in1959 with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Today more than 1,500 monkslive on these same 42 acres.

“Tibetans consider it a great privilege to have a monk ora nun in their family,” she said.

A great number of the citizens are Buddhist monks or nuns,though the nation was not always Buddhist.

Today, buddhas, bodhisattvas, and deities all representimportant religious figures in Tibetan Buddhism.

Not coincidentally, each of the buddhas and bodhisattvas embodyone or more of the beliefs that the monks practice.

Some of these notables include Manjushri (the Bodhisattva ofWisdom), Maitreya (the Buddha of Loving Kindness), and Tara (themother of all Buddhas).

According to Pattison, “White Tara is associated withpractices designed to lengthen one’s lifespan and overcomelife-threatening hindrances.”

“An average of 200 refugee monks per year come to Gomangfrom Tibet, Mongolia, Russia, Nepal, and northern India in order toreceive a Buddhist education. Gomang is noted for its excellence indebate and logic.”

The monks visiting SMU are, in fact, from one of the most notedsuch monasteries in the world.

Because of this, the traditions and rituals for these monks areheld in particularly high regard, and this includes laws enforcingrules on membership in the monastery.

According to group interpreter Thupten Kelsang, the offspring oftwo monks himself, giving up the robe in favor of a life notassociated with the monks, “depends on the situation athand.

“Once you give up [the robe], however, you cannot comeback.”

And, much like priests in America, those in the Gomang Monasteryare not allowed to marry unless they give up their robe.

The purpose behind the Drepung Gomang Monastery U.S. tour, whichconcludes this August, is to share the compassion and wisdom ofTibetan Buddhism, to demonstrate the artistic accomplishments ofthe people of Tibet, and to generate funds to insure the survivalof Tibetan culture.

Those interested in offering help should [email protected].