Tibetan Sacred Arts Tour

January 16 - 20, 2024, 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM

Located at the Seminole Okalee Indian Village and Venue
3551 N State Road 7, Hollywood, FL 33021

(954) 544-8466

This free event will be held at our satellite location in Hollywood at the Seminole Okalee Indian Village on January 16, 18, 19, 20, and 2024. On Wednesday, January 17th, a special pet blessing will be held at the TPPK Building in Big Cypress.

The Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum is pleased to host a cultural exchange with the Drepung Gomang Monks on their Sacred Arts Tour. This is the official tour of Drepung Gomang Monastery, India. The monks of the Sacred Arts Tours from Drepung Gomang Monastery visit cities around the country, sharing their warm presence and wisdom with anyone who is interested. In addition to many other events, they create Sacred Sand Mandalas, which are unique to Tibetan Buddhism, at venues such as community centers, universities, and museums. These multiple-day constructions are filled with wishes that all beings be free from suffering and have what they need.
Please join us for this very special opportunity filled with teachings and workshops.

Sacred Sand Mandala Paintings
Stone Painting Workshops
Meditation Teachings
Mala Bracelet Making
Bring your pet for a blessing
Blessings for the sick and wellness
*Cash Donations Accepted

Sacred Arts Tour Mission

• To share the message of compassion, often through interfaith sharing, helping create peaceful communities that work together toward World Peace
• To provide a window into the ancient, precious, and endangered Tibetan culture
• To raise funds to educate, feed, house, and provide healthcare for the 2000 Tibetan Buddhist Monks living in exile at Drepung Gomang Monastery in India

What is the meaning of this Interfaith World Peace Sacred Sand Mandala?

The Sacred Sand Mandala, a kind of “painting” made by thousands of grains of sand, is a Tibetan Buddhist art form thought to have originated in India and brought to Tibet in the Middle Ages. “Mandala” is a Sanskrit word meaning cosmogram or “world in harmony.” Traditionally the sand mandala is carefully constructed from dyed sand particles using two metal tubes into images that represent the Tibetan Buddhist universe. The mandala is considered a vehicle to generate compassion, demonstrate the impermanence of reality, and bring a sense of healing to a place or to a group of people.

Over these four days the monks will build this extremely intricate contemporary image in a meditative and prayerful fashion, literally one grain of sand at a time, on a five-foot square piece of wood. The process begins and concludes each day with chanted prayers for nonviolence, peace, interfaith understanding, and the growth of compassion.

In addition, the monks will also be selling unique and beautiful Tibetan crafts, prayer beads, jewelry, shawls, bags and spiritual items. All funds raised help provide food, housing, healthcare and education for the 2000 monks, many of whom are refugees, at Drepung Gomang Monastery in India. In addition, donations of any size are deeply appreciated.

The 2023-2024 Tour Group

Geshe Lharampa Khenrap Chaeden, tour leader
Geshe Kherap Gyatso
Geshe Sangyal Gyatso
Geshe Lobsang Jinpa
Geshe Tenzin Gelek
Geshe Jamyang Nyema
Jamyang Chophel
Geshe Sonam Gyatso, tour driver
(The Geshe title means teacher, and signifies an advanced academic achievement in Tibetan Buddhist Philosophy, similar to a PhD in the West.)

For more information visit DrepungGomang.org

About Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum

The Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum opened in 1997 and is owned and operated by the Seminole Tribe of Florida. Situated in the Everglades on a 66-acre cypress dome on the Big Cypress Seminole Indian Reservation, the museum offers more than 5,000 square feet of gallery space. Exhibits feature rare artifacts and lifelike dioramas that depict Seminole life at the turn of the century. In 2009, the Museum became the first tribally governed museum to be accredited by the American Association of Museums. For more information, visit www.ahtahthiki.com and follow the museum on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. Ah-Tah-Thi-Ki Museum is located at 34725 W. Boundary Road, Clewiston, Florida.