Sacred Arts Tour Closing Ceremony/Blessing of the Water

Join us as we wrap up Sacred Art Tour week in Camden, with the dissolution of the sand mandala in the church sanctuary at 3 pm, followed by a blessing
of the water at 4 pm at the Camden Public Landing.

About the Sacred Arts Tour:

The National Sacred Arts Tour from the Drepung Gomang Monastery (Mundgod, India) will be creating a sacred sand mandala at The First Congregational
Church, 55 Elm Street, Camden, from October 28 through November 1. The Sacred Arts Tour includes seven Tibetan refugee Buddhist Monks who are sharing
the message of compassion through offering the traditions and culture of Tibet. All events are open to the public, with donations welcome to support
the 2000 Buddhist monks living in exile at Drepung Gomang Monastery in India.

Beginning with an Opening Ceremony at 10 a.m. on Monday, October 28, the public is welcome to watch the creation of the intricate World Peace mandala
in the sanctuary of the First Congregational Church. The public is invited to join the monks as they chant each day at 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
The Closing Ceremony and dissolution of the mandala will be on Friday, November 1, at 3:00 p.m., followed by a blessing of the water at Camden
Harbor Public Landing.

Other events offered by the monks during the week (at First Congregational Church, 55 Elm Street, Camden, unless otherwise indicated):

Monday October 28, 4-5:00 p.m. Sand Painting Workshop (suggested donation $10)

Monday, October 28, 6-7:30 p.m. Tibetan Cultural Performance (suggested donation $10)

Tuesday, October 29, 6-8:00 p.m. Traditional Tibetan Momo Dinner (suggested donation $25)

Wednesday, October 30, 5:30-7 p.m. Fire Puja at Wheeler Bay Wildlife Sanctuary, 172 Clark Island Road, St. George

Thursday, October 31, 6-7:30 p.m. Meditation and Dharma Talk on Impermanence at The Dancing Elephant, 14 School Street, Rockland

Friday, November 1, 3:00 p.m., Closing Ceremony, Dissolution of the mandala

Friday, November 1, 4:00 p.m., Blessing of the water, Camden Harbor Public Landing

Drepung Monastery was founded in 1416 near Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. In 1959, before the invasion of Communist China, Drepung Monastery had more
than 10,000 monks. After the violent occupation of Tibet by the Chinese Communist Government, His Holiness the Fourteenth Dalai Lama was forced
to flee his country. He was followed by 80,000 refugees. About 100 Drepung Gomang monks managed to escape with His Holiness in 1959. In 1969, 62
of the surviving monks were given 42 acres of land in Mundgod, South India, where they began rebuilding Drepung Gomang Monastery. Today, approximately
2,000 monks live there. The Sacred Arts Tour supports the education, nutrition and health of the monks at Drepung Gomang Monastery. This visit
is the second time the Drepung Gomang monks have visited midcoast Maine. Their first visit was March, 2018, at Georges River Land Trust’s Langlais
Sculpture Preserve in Cushing.

For more information visit www.drepunggomang.org or contact Local Coordinator Cynthia Trone at [email protected] or 207-706-9045.