Latest news with #DhargyeyBuddhistCentre
Otago Daily Times
09-07-2025
- General
- Otago Daily Times
Event celebrates Dalai Lama's 90th
Tibetan monks Lobsang Dhoyoe (left) and Lobsang Gyatso create a sand mandala celebrating a compassionate life. PHOTO: SAM HENDERSON A global peace icon has been honoured during five days of events. The Dhargyey Buddhist Centre recently marked the 90th birthday of His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama with a range of displays and activities at the Dunedin Community Gallery. Committee member Brent Caldwell said it was all about celebrating the life and works of His Holiness. A circle of four video displays presented information on the Dalai Lama's four principal commitments — human values, religious harmony, Tibetan culture and the revival of ancient Indian wisdom. A space for meditation and quiet reflection was created in one corner, including an altar displaying the Buddhist offering of seven water bowls — for drinking, washing, flowers, incense, light, perfume and food. A "kindness tree" invited visitors to record an act of goodwill or a birthday message on a card shaped like a bodhi (sacred fig tree) leaf and hang it on the branches. The space showcased Tibetan cultural artefacts and costumes as well as information about the Buddhist centre. One screen featured information on the Portobello Stupa, while another outlined ongoing fundraising efforts to repair the basement of the centre's Royal Tce home, which suffers from water seepage and soil contamination. Talks covered subjects such as human values and religious harmony. Throughout the five-day celebration, Tibetan monks Lobsang Dhoyoe and Lobsang Gyatso worked on creating an intricate multi-coloured sand mandala, ceremonially sweeping it away yesterday after completion. The Dalai Lama's worldwide advocacy for peace was recognised with the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989.
Otago Daily Times
02-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Otago Daily Times
Celebrations mark Dalai Lama's 90th
Dunedin's strong connection to Tibetan Buddhism will be at the heart of celebrations marking the Dalai Lama's 90th birthday. The Dhargyey Buddhist Centre community is planning five days of public events surrounding the Dalai Lama's birthday this Sunday, July 6, including an exhibition, a ceremony at the Portobello Stupa and the creation of an intricate sand mandala. Dhargyey Buddhist Centre board members Helen Ingrams and Jane Johnson said the celebrations would be mainly based at the Dunedin Community Gallery in Princes St, which would host the exhibition and a series of events from this Saturday to Wednesday, July 5-9. The exhibition, which will be officially opened in an invitation-only ceremony on Saturday, at 10am, will feature artefacts, videos and imagery from Tibetan Buddhism, specifically focusing on the "four commitments" made by the Dalai Lama when he fled Tibet in 1959. These include fostering human values, religious harmony, Tibetan culture, and the revival of ancient Indian wisdom. Ms Ingrams said the heart of the exhibition would be the work of local Tibetan monks, who would painstakingly create an intricate, multi-coloured sand mandala over five days, representing Chenrezic the Buddha of compassion. Work on the sand mandala will begin at 11.30am on Saturday, following the opening, and will continue each day of the exhibition between 9am and 4pm. It will be completed and then swept up at about 2.30pm-3pm on Wednesday. "The sand mandala will be positioned near the gallery's front windows, so passers-by will be able to see it, and people are welcome to drop in and watch it taking shape," she said. The work on the sand mandala will continue while other activities happen in the exhibition space, including public teachings, a quiet reflection and meditation space, children's activities, displays of ceremonial Tibetan clothing and a random act of kindness tree. "We are putting out a personal challenge to the people of Dunedin to make conscious, warm-hearted acts towards each other during this time," she said. Local children are invited to come along to the children's table and make birthday cards for the Dalai Lama, which will be sent to him by the Dhargyey Buddhist Centre. Mrs Johnson said, in the week leading up to the Dalai Lama's birthday on July 6, Dhargyey Buddhist Centre members have been meeting nightly to complete one million mantras — short Sanskrit prayers for long life. "Since His Holiness turned 80, we have been saying prayers for him and his long life in the weeks leading up to his birthday," she said. "And now he is turning 90, we are happy to invite everyone to join us in celebrating his life." On Sunday, the Dhargyey Buddhist Centre community will welcome the public to join them at 2pm for a Sang ceremony to mark the Dalai Lama's birthday at the Portobello Stupa (sacred site), which can be accessed via 1588 Highcliff Rd. The ceremony involves mingling sacred smoke with the air to give blessings to the community of humans, birds and animals. The Dalai Lama, who has visited Dunedin four times since the 1990s, is renowned across the world for his work as a peace advocate. He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1989. In addition to the Dunedin Community Gallery exhibition and events, there will also be a display of Tibetan Buddhist statues, books and cultural items at the University of Otago Central Library, and another at the Dunedin Public Library.
