Tibetan monks are in the Keys this month. You have many chances to see them

A group of Tibetan monks will spend the week in Key West spreading a message of peace and compassion and raising money for their monastery through events that run through Jan. 25.

The eight monks, who are from the Drepung Gomang monastery in India and are students of the Dalai Lama, held an opening ceremony Sunday at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 401 Duval St., where many of the upcoming events will take place.

They played music on long horns, or dungchens, and began sketching out what will become an example of an ancient Tibetan Buddhist tradition.

The monks are building a sand mandala, a design of geometric patterns created by colored sand, inside the church, and the public is invited to watch them work from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.

This mandala offers blessing for those who are suffering from sickness.

“We are very lucky to be here and and make this healing mandala in this beautiful church,” said Minyak Rinpoche, the leader of the monks who was declared by the Dalai Lama to be a reincarnation of the prior Minyak Rinpoche.

On Saturday, the monks and their supporters will walk from the church to the Simonton Street beach and dump the mandala into the sea as part of the closing ceremony.

The destruction of the intricate, painstakingly made mandala represents the impermanence of life.

The monks visited Key West in 2017. To schedule a blessing of a home, boat or garden — by appointment only and for a donation — email kwtaramandala@aol.com or text 305-923-4218.

“For me, my joy is bringing these wonderful beings of peace and healing to Key West,” said Ellen Booth Church, of the Tara Mandala Sangha in Key West.

After the week in Key West, the monks will visit the Upper Keys from Jan. 27 through Jan. 30 with events at the Islander Resort in Islamorada and the Keys Jewish Community Center in Tavernier.

Monks’ schedule in Key West

Here are highlights from the monks’ schedule:

Daily at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 401 Duval St.

10 a.m., Morning blessings and meditation

12 p.m., Dharma talks.

4 p.m., Closing blessings and tea ceremony

Jan. 20

Dharma talk by the pond

5 p.m.

Key West Tropical Forest and Botanical Garden

5210 College Road, Stock Island

Please bring a donation for Star of the Sea Food Bank

Jan. 22

Meet the monks for tea and cookies

6:30 p.m.

Tropic Cinema

416 Eaton St.

7 p.m.

Screening of “Kalachakra — The Enlightenment,” a film about the Tibetan people and their culture.

Jan. 23

Sacred Sounds Music Concert

7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church

401 Duval St.

The concert, created by Key West resident Skipper Kripitz and other local musicians, will feature the monks on Tibetan instruments and vocalizations. The suggested donation is $20.

Jan. 24

Tibetan cultural dance

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church

401 Duval St.

4:30 p.m. to 6 p.m.

Mala making and mantras workshop

5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Jan. 25

Closing ceremonies and final blessings

2 p.m.

St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and Simonton Street beach

Closing ceremonies will start at 2 p.m. at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church and then the monks will proceed to Simonton Street beach, where they will dump the sand mandala into the sea and watch it dissolve. The destruction symbolizes the impermanence of life.

This story was originally published January 20, 2020 at 12:55 PM.

Gwen Filosa

Miami Herald

Gwen Filosa covers Key West and the Lower Florida Keys for FLKeysNews.com and the Miami Herald and lives in Key West. She was part of the staff at the New Orleans Times-Picayune that in 2005 won two Pulitzer Prizes for coverage of Hurricane Katrina. She graduated from Indiana University.