THE SACRED ART TOUR RETURNS! September 18, 2007 through September 23, 2007 Photo Moments Tuesday September 18, 2007
Prior to the opening ceremony, the Gomang Monastery monks are already hard at work drawing the architectural lines for the special mandala that will remain on display at Dae Yen Sa. See the film of them working hard on this project here.    |
Mandala Creation
Master Dae San looks on Tuesday, late morning, as the first circle of sand is created by the Tibetan monks.
Close up of the mandala tools.
Mandala development by Tuesday evening! The architectural lines around the sand are clearly seen.
Mandala at the Tea Puja on Wednesday evening. The Tibetan group leader Geshe Lobzang Samdup and Master Dae San sit directly in front of it.
Master Dae San invites people to feel the energy of the mandala after his Thursday evening healing meditation.  A close look at the colorful sands, some of them sparkling in the photo, used to create the mandala.
Friday, the mandala looks nearly complete. Sue Yen Sunim, the head abbess, is the center person praying.
A close up showing the finely sand painted details of the mandala.
Finally, Saturday the mandala is complete and decorated at the corners with butter sculpture flowers.
The group gathers around the completed mandala for an extra special photo opportunity.
Sunday begins the ceremonial sweeping of the mandala sands.
A procession of music and chanting around the pagoda with mandala sands.
The mandala sand is released into the downtown Torrington river in a great gesture of sharing and healing. Joy to the world. |
Dae Yen Sa International Buddhist Temple and Meditation Center Tuesday, March 20 through Sunday, March 25, 2007 The Sacred Art Tour Experience Visitors to the temple witnessed the entire process from creation through dispersal of a sacred sand mandala. This visit, starting Tuesday, March 20, 2007 through Sunday, March 25, 2007, was a wonderful success. The week long visit ended with the dispersal of sands on Main Street, downtown Torrington on Sunday, March 25, 2007 at 11 AM.The Gomang Monastery’s Sacred Art Tour is currently traveling throughout the USA focusing on cultural awareness, opportunities for exchange, sacred arts, traditions and community. The week long visit in New Hartford was dedicated to cultivating peace. The visit opened up unique opportunities to experience the art and culture of Tibet at the temple and elsewhere in the community. People of all beliefs were welcome to attend and fully share in this experience. All events were by donation, gratefully accepted to house, feed and educate members of the Drepung Gomang Monastery. Additional information about Drepung Gomang Monastery and their Sacred Art Tour is available on their website www.Gomang.org.Thanks to everyone for this great event! Please browse our site to view photos of this wonderful visit: |
Fallen American Soldiers in the Iraq War Special Prayer Period for 3,000.
The memorial basket filled with names and faces of the 3,000 American soldiers losing their lives in the Iraq War. A special prayer period of 49 days, started on March 31, 2007 is an offering in hope for soldiers losing their lives in the Iraq War by Sue Yen Sunim. Master Dae San also performed a special prayer for the soldiers. A large basket, filled with 3,000 soldier's names and faces originally printed by the New York Times, was on display in Dae Yen Sa's temple for a limited time. This visual adds a solemn depth and disturbing breadth to the subject, looking "face to face" with high personal losses in a relatively short time. On New Years Eve, just prior to 2007, the number of American soldiers sacrificing their lives in the Iraq war reached 3,000. This death toll occurs in a period of less than four years and is even greater now. On April 1, 2007, the Washington Post lists the number of fallen soldiers in Operation Iraqi Freedom totaling 3,227. When including the number of soldiers losing their lives in Operation Enduring Freedom, the total count on April 1st is 3,597. This number, taken together with an startling number of faces and names in the basket, adds to recognition of the deep personal costs of any war. The number of losses is even many times greater when counting soldiers from other countries and civilians. The Human Cost of War The story of the soldiers memorial basket's creation.  A close-up of the Winsted Area Peace Actions Group's soldiers memorial. The impetus for this project is a peace and Veteran's Day service at North Congregational Church, New Hartford, Connecticut. Searching for a way to honor and bear witness to the American men and women losing their lives in the Iraq war, the basket creation commences. The volunteers begin cutting apart photos of American casualties from a New York Times printing, just after reaching the grim mark of 2,000. The process of separating and affixing the photos to the cards, taking several hours time, is quite sobering. Looking into the faces of these men and women, considering loved ones surly still struggling with grief and loss, the participants are struck by the enormity of the number 2,000. Yet, another 1,000 soldiers is a later addition to the basket. Sadly, the total number of casualties continue to grow well past the 3,000 mark. The peace group encourages each person encountering the basket to spend at least a few moments to get a visual and tactile sense of the human cost of this war. Visitors are welcome to reach in and look at the cards, coming face to face with some of the victims. It is the group's fervent hope that acknowledging the reality of the devastation of war will also renew commitment to the peaceful resolution of conflicts in our communities, nations, and the world. We wish all of the soldiers, their families and friends, peace. This basket recognizes their great personal sacrifices. May a peaceful settlement be found soon. |
Tibet Visit Highlights 2007
The Tibetan group leader, Geshe Lobzang Samdup, at the opening ceremony.
Thank you to everyone visiting and making this week so very special. |
Buddhist Retreat  The Way of the Bodhisattva  Warming up with yoga in the beginning of the day! Experiences! The retreat from the Buddhist Faith Fellowship of Connecticut was held on June 10th at Dae Yen Sa International Buddhist Temple. This day was packed full of information, tools and experiences! Sitting and walking meditation instruction, Zazen, Zen walking, body work, yoga, sutra chanting, plenty of noble silence, discussions, mindfulness eating practice and a delicious homemade Korean vegetarian lunch is still not an all inclusive list of events.  Teachers assembled at the front of the group. Topics are Many Just a sampling of the day's topics includes: Working with the Mind, exploring mindfulness practice, from the Guarding Alertness chapter of the classic 8th century Indian text The Way of the Bodhisattva by Shantideva. Awakened by the Ultimate Dimension from a variety of passages written by Shinran Shonin, founder and Shin Buddhist teacher, exploring true entrusting, mindfulness, Buddha-nature and the Bodhisattva way. Healing Mantras. Learning and practicing transformative Sanskrit chants awakening the heart and healing body and mind. Is There a Soul? A look into these questions from the Buddhist perspective. Healing Meditation Experience. A sharing of the healing meditation practice available at the temple.
A sampling of the many participants in the retreat. Thanks! Thank you to everyone who set up attended, participated and taught, bringing together this wonderful experience! |
STILLWATER MEDITATION CENTER "Where Body and Mind Come Together in the Here and Now." Dae Yen Sa visits Stillwater's Holistic Health Fair in Wolcott, CT. September 9, 2007 Congratulations to Pierce for realizing a dream of opening his own center!
Sue Yen Sunim visits an old friend out front before entering. This is one of the many Buddhas on the property.
Sue Yen Sunim joining Pierce in meditation in the spacious room downstairs. Pierce worked hard to restore this former warehouse space to its current serenity enhancing condition! Many people may recognize Pierce who led many teachings at Dae Yen Sa and still arrives for events. Click here to listen and see Pierce leading a class in chanting Om Mani Padmi Hum.
Pierce posing with special friends and associates in front of another Medicine Buddha. The attention to detail achieved inside and outside of the property in such a short time is simply amazing! Many services are available at the facility as well. Available services include Reiki, massage therapy, herbal therapy, yoga, Tai Chi, and meditation. (A special thank you to Linda for this photo!)
This is only one of the many colorful fish on the premises. Stillwater has many saltwater tanks, blending nature and other traditional Buddha decor.
Pierce with the coy pond in Stillwater's backyard. Stillwater has several outside water features.
Enlightened shopping is not a myth! This is actually possible at Pierce's meditation center! The proceeds from the Practice Shop go toward services for those who could not otherwise take part in the programs.
This musical frog rasp makes a few kinds of calls by scraping the wood tapper across its back. Perhaps it can also be used as a tapper for those who may want a whimsical moktok. The charming vase can also be found in Pierce's shop. The store is full of items such as jewelry, Buddhist practice tools, tea service items, books, and CD's, just to name a few. For more information on Stillwater Meditation Center, you can visit their webpage at http://stillwatermeditation.com/contact.htm. Best wishes Pierce for much success and Buddha work at the new center!
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