By Mary Kay Bauman
KUTZTOWN – A spiritual essence graced the stage of Schaeffer Auditorium on Feb. 3 at 8 p.m. in the form of The Mystical Arts of Tibet.
Nine monks from Loseling Monastery in India performed a series of spiritual chants and dances that represented peace, healing and goodness. The current lineup is on a 16-month tour, chosen from among their fellow monks for their spiritual maturity and performing ability.
The monks solemnly walked onto the stage dressed in deep crimson and gold robes for the introductory piece, “Nyensen: Invocation of the Forces of Goodness.” Two of them carried a picture of the Dalai Lama while the rest went to individual instruments, consisting of two long horns the length of one man each, a pair of cymbals and a ceremonial drum.
The monks played their instruments and chanted in a deep baritone; as they performed they seemed to lose themselves in the music, with looks of solemn devotion on their faces. The piece lasted for a few minutes and received a warm applause from the 300 audience members.
My favorite piece of the evening was the lighthearted “Senggey Garcham: The Snow Lion Dance.” In Tibet, the snow lion represents the fearless quality of the enlightened mind. Three of the monks began playing the cymbals and drum as a giant white “snow lion” leapt onstage, in the form of a costume worn by two dancing monks.
The lion pranced and shook its head as it sauntered around the stage, producing an eruption of laughter from the audience. The children of the audience found it even more amusing when the lion began to nap in the middle of the stage, with an occasional sly wink toward the younger viewers.
“Durdak Garcham,” also known as “Dance of the Skeleton Lords,” was a strikingly contrasting piece. Heavier music provided a backbeat for two of the performers dressed in monstrous red skeleton costumes that moved about the stage in a hypnotizing dance, sweeping their arms and spinning in succession with the music. The dance is performed to remove bad spirits, and the skeletons act as protectors of truth.
The show concluded with the participation of all nine booming baritone voices in “Sangso Shijo: Auspicious Song for the World Healing.” The monks carried an incense burner that was supposed to release peace and harmony into the world, and then finished with a gracious thank you; you could feel their gratitude radiating from the stage as they were applauded.
In 1959 the Chinese communist invasion closed Loseling monastery and most of its monks were either imprisoned or killed. Today 2,700 of them live in a new Loseling monastery in southern India. The monks of the Mystical Arts of Tibet work to spread their message of peace and harmony so that others won’t forget what happened to their people.
The performance was truly a sight to see, with the culturally-laden music, chants and costumes. With so much beauty in the performance, you felt as if you had been transported to Tibet and were no longer in Schaeffer Auditorium.
