Tibetan Monks Offer Their Blessing at Neighborhood Congregational Church

The air of Laguna Beach's was filled with fragrance of incense and the sound of the Tibetan long horn Wednesday morning, as monks from the Tibetan Buddhist Center of Pomona performed a purification and healing ceremony.

Before the monks began, Senior Minister Reverend B. J. Beu welcomed several dozen seated visitors.

CLICK THE BOX ON THE RIGHT TO SEE PHOTOS FROM THE CEREMONY -->

Beu said, "Holy people from foreign shores ... come into this community and communities throughout the world bringing peace and compassion, teaching us the ways of walking humbly and gently upon this good Earth. May the work of their hands inspire us to be compassionate in all of our endeavors. May it teach us to ... be gentler with our fellow creatures."

Six monks sat on the floor at the front of the church, three on both sides facing each other. In the middle of them, on the floor, was the outline of a mandala, a symbolic drawing which represents the cosmos.

The men proceeded to chant prayers and played hand-held acoustic instruments for about a half-hour. After they performed their blessing, four of the men moved to the four sides of the mandala.

Each monk had a tray upon which were many containers filled with different colored sand. They also had a set of long, slender funnels and tapping tools. 

The monks placed sand into the funnels, called chak-purs, and then tapped the funnels with the tools. The sand slowly poured out onto the "cartoon" of the mandala.

Several of the ceremony attendees moved closer to watch the men create the mandala. As the monks continued to place sand on the mandala, a question and answer session was headed up by Reverend Beu and Geshe Serap, a senior monk from the Buddhist center. Serap answered the questions of half a dozen visitors. After about an hour, most attendees left the building, but some stayed behind to watch the monks at work.

The brilliantly colored sand mandala will take several days to complete. The mandala is symbolic of "portraits of the celestial mansions of enlightened beings."

CLICK HERE TO WATCH A SHORT VIDEO OF THE MONKS BUILDING THE MANDALA

After the mandala is completed, it will be dismantled, symbolizing the impermanence of existence. The monks will sweep up the colored sand. This event will take place at noon on Sunday, September 25.

"It’s really important to our church," said Beu, "to let everybody know that the spiritual path is an open path. We welcome people that are on lots of different paths."

"My understanding of religious truth is that where the world religions overlap is where they are the most true, and where they differ is where they are the most interesting," Beu continued. "What we often do is fight over what makes us unique instead of what brings us together."

"We’re trying to give people an experience," said Beu, "with the monks being here, that they wouldn’t be able to have. The teachings of Buddha and the teachings of Jesus are perfectly compatible. It’s a great opportunity for us to open our doors and invite in the community."

For more information about the week's events, CLICK HERE.