|
The Gyuto House The Gyuto monks begin their evening chant. Their deep, rhythmic drone travels out and across the landscape. It is a familiar sound in their Tibetan homeland, but this is not Tibet. Nor is it the monks’ home in exile in northern India. Those sitting before them have come in their Holdens and Fords from communities so remote as to not even to make it onto the map. They travel from places such as Thevenard in South Australia and Myola in northern Queensland to witness the bridging of two cultures: one from the roof of the world and one Down-under. The Gyuto monks have been travelling and chanting across Australia for the past 14 months. Sponsored by Gyuto House in Adelaide, the monks hope to spread awareness about Tibetan culture and gather financial support for refugee monks in India. Originally from Lhasa, the monks fled Tibet after the Chinese occupation in 1959. Only 60 escaped with the Dalai Lama to India, according to Jangden Chenmo Lobsang Tsering, the great chant master of the touring monks. The monks slowly rebuilt their monastery and school in Bomdila and Arunachal Pradesh in India, and now have a community of over 500. But the chant master says the Gyuto monastery is finding it increasingly difficult to provide for the continual stream of refugee monks from Tibet. "They are like orphans when they reach India" he says, "and the monastery needs to provide them with food, shelter and education". Jack Barton spoke with the great chant master, otherwise known as Chenmo La, and his translator, Sonam Rigzin, about why hundreds of monks flee Tibet every year. In an attempt to gain support for the refugees, the Gyuto monks have been making a yearly voyage to Australia since 1994. They have performed their unique method of harmonic chanting at venues like the Sydney Opera House, the Daintree Rainforest and the Darwin Supreme Court. The touring monks also conduct mediation retreats and hold workshops with street kids, sexual assault victims and criminal offenders. "The aim is to spread kindness and compassion to all Australians regardless of their personal or economic background", says Maureen Fallon, the Director of Gyuto House in South Australia. The monks pride themselves on their mastery of Tibetan Buddhist tantric rituals, and chanting forms a crucial part of their religious practice. The sound has been compared to the resonance of a drum or a didgeridoo and is reputed to have a cathartic influence on the mind and body. The chanting itself is a recitation of Buddha’s teachings and each monk has the capacity to chant in three octaves at once. The monks must memorise 2500 pages of scripture and practice for about 20 years to perfect their art, according to Chenmo La. He talks about the Buddhist origins of chanting, and its path to enlightenment. The current tour by the Gyuto monks will end in late June, completing a record 18 months of public engagements in Australia. The monks’ remaining engagements include the Adelaide Festival, the Byron Bay Blues Festival and the Sacred Music Festival in Brisbane. Despite the popularity of the monks, Gyuto House insists on allowing free entry to the performances. Maureen Fallon concedes this is an unusual approach considering the organisation is attempting to raise funds. Maureen says despite the free performances Australians have been more than generous. The funds raised by their tours have substantially contributed to the building of a new monastery near Dharamsala, the residence of the Dalai Lama. "Previously the monks were forced to live in a remote corner of India where health and basic housing services were virtually inaccessible", says Chenmo La. He says the money not only helps sustain monastic life in India, it ensures the survival of a race and a people. Now in the final months of his Australian visit, Chenmo La says the monks have been overwhelmed by the hospitality of the Australian people. For more information about the Gyuto monks and their tour dates, go to www.gyuto.va.com.au Location of article on SBS World
News Website: http://www.theworldnews.com.au/perspectives.php3?id=144&archi=1  ~ | CLOSE WINDOW | ~  |