Monks practice the presence in every sense

By Joe Murray
New Thought News Service


The Gyuto monks of Tibet are a multi-sensory experience. 
They are world-renowned for their unearthly, deep-voiced chanting, their creation of large, intricate sand mandalas and their mastery of Tantric ritual traditions.
As amazing as these practices may be, they are peripheral to the most engaging aspect of their character: their presence.
It is the monks' sense of kindness, compassion and unconditional love that permeates the Gyuto House of Australia. For Maureen Fallon, Gyuto House director, that feeling gives people the desire to want "to be around them all day."
Frog-like, entrancing and unbelievably deep, their chants blend complex harmonies; during their appearance at the Parliament, four monks in deep red robes sat cross-legged on a raised dais, chanting for 20 minutes.
The monks in Melbourne, who are visiting various venues across Australia from the Sydney Opera House to primary schools, are part of the Dalai Lama's community of Gyuto monks in exile from Tibet, and are the latest to be chosen from the monastery in Dharamsala, India, to tour Australia.
They are masters of Tantric ritual and are specifically sought-after for those skills. The personal secretary to the Dalai Lama expresses relief when the monks are present, knowing that the proper rituals, prayers and decorations will be performed.
Based in Dharamsala at the Gyuto Tantric University, the monks have been touring through Australia annually for the past 15 years. They travel to raise money, and have built a new monastery, a school, and a clinic in India with the revenue they've generated; they've also provided for solar power, refrigeration, and health services. 
The depth of their kindness is immediately apparent, and yet there is uncertainty when it comes to protocol. That's where Sonam the translator comes in.
Sonam Rigzin is the translator for the traveling group and is himself a former monk. Educated in India, Rigzin later moved to Australia, where he has lived for more than 15 years. He first encountered the Gyuto monks when his younger brother joined the community. They needed a translator, and he was uniquely suited to the job. Beyond translating, Sonam's job is to defuse the apprehension of first-time visitors and to serve as a bridge across cultures; having been born on the Tibetan-Indian border road in 1962, that seems always to have been his role. Regarding the Chinese-Tibetan situation, Sonam grew somber.                                      "China is Tibet's adversary," he said. "We are very clear that it is a fight." Yet the philosophy is to "fight with love and compassion. It is a fight of peace, love and justice." The approach of the monks is "to be themselves, practicing their religion." And so they do, throughout Australia, day in and day out.

Photographs by Ariane Davis. For more, see our "Photos from the Parliament" link in the left column.