Himalayan Society in the News
Please read
about our efforts to preserve Himalayan culture in the
following links:
http://www.unc.edu/world/2008K12Symposium_concurrent_sessions.htm
http://www.news-record.com/content/2009/03/06/article/ancient_healing_in_modern_times
Traditional Tibetan Medicine
with Dr. Tenzin Bista
The Himalayan
Society is pleased to announce the May 15-June 15, 2010
return visit of Dr. Tenzin Bista. Dr.
Bista is a senior monk in the Sakya Tibetan Buddhist
tradition and an amchi (practitioner of Tibetan medicine)
from Mustang, Nepal. Dr. Bista learned the art and science
of Tibetan medicine under the guidance of his late father,
as well as other Amchis from Mustang. Dr. Bista has been
involved in international efforts to revitalize amchi
practice and medicinal plant use and is a founding member of
the Mustang Amchi Association (MAA) and the Himalayan Amchi
Association (HAA). If you
are interested in scheduling a lecture or a private
consultation with Dr. Bista please contact The Himalayan
Society at
TibetUSA@mindspring.com or by phone at 919-792-2575.
Himalayan Society to Assist Dongpa Region School Project
In the
remote Dongpa Shen (County) under Shigatse Prefecture of the
Tibet Autonomous Region of China has a local community
boarding school building built some years ago. There are
about five hundred children ranging from the age of 6 to 14
years old in need of schooling. These children live in
poverty and their parents have not seen a school in their
lives in this desolate nomadic region. Therefore, there is
an urgent need for essential school and boarding supplies
and a means to transport them to the region. The Himalayan
Society is beginning our efforts to provide support to the
Dongpa region community.
Please
continue to check our website for further details and to
learn how to contribute to these efforts.
Tibetan Language
CD Now Available!
Now available
the Himalayan Society is offering a Basic Tibetan language CD.
Learn the most important phrases for conversing in Tibetan.
Each of the 38 phrases is repeated 3 times in English and Tibetan for easy learning.
A limited number of these CD’s are available for $10. E-mail us today to place your order!
UNC-Chapel Hill Hosted Ancient Tibetan Butter Sculpture
Demonstration
The
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill hosted a
demonstration of the ancient Tibetan Buddhist art form of
butter sculptures on Tuesday, November 18.
Legend says
that in 641 Princess Wencheng arrived in Lhasa, Tibet to
marry Songtsen Gampo, king of Tubo, and with her she brought
a statue in the shape of Sakyamuni, the founder of
Buddhism. In the Buddhist tradition flowers were to be
offered as a tribute to the Sakyamuni statue. In the dead
of winter no fresh flowers could be found so the people
formed flowers using butter from their yaks. This
once-rough creation has since been mastered by Tibetan
Buddhist monks who transform crude butter into delicate and
intricate displays of art.
The butter
sculpture demonstration was hosted in conjunction with
International Education Week at UNC with support from
the
Himalayan Society. Founded in 2001 by Sherab Lama and
Alex Semilof, PhD. the Himalayan Society is a non-political
and non-religious organization seeking to preserve and share
the Himalayan culture.
“We believe
that many Westerners are beginning to appreciate the merits
of living a more balanced way of life, emphasizing human
interaction and sharing and de-emphasizing materialism and
competition,” explained Sherab Lama. “By learning about
this traditional Tibetan Buddhist art form, visitors will
gain insight into new definitions of prosperity and
contentment, which are cornerstones of Tibetan culture.”
The FedEx
Global Education Center at the University of North Carolina
at Chapel Hill offers engaging and educational events to
encourage a richer understanding and appreciation of world
cultures. To learn more about Carolina’s international
endeavors at home and abroad, visit
global.unc.edu.
Be
sure to check here for upcoming events and news.
In addition to
the special cultural exchange programs offered by The Himalayan Society other
programs are available as part of our ongoing educational and cultural
exchange efforts.
