In the right corner room of The Venue Fine Art & Gifts, the Tibetan monks chanted.
Seven monks from Tashi Kyil Monastery in Dehradun, India, visited The Venue as part of their stay in Bloomington. Monk and translator Tenpa Phuntosk said the monks will travel the United States until March.
During their month-long stay in Bloomington, Phuntosk said the monks will work toward three goals: teaching Dharma, or Buddha’s teaching of compassion and living kindness; preserving Tibetan culture; and raising funds for the monastery.
The vast displays of jewelry lining the wall in the adjacent room of The Venue rattled ever so slightly as two performing monks entered stomp-by-stomp.
The tinkle of colored glass and metals was faint beneath the drum and cymbals keeping the beat.
The two monks, adorned in extravagant and multicolored costumes over their matching maroon robes, followed each other’s steps in the dance, which Phuntosk described as a traditional dance called Tashi Shopa.
He said Tashi Sopa was commonly presented as a greeting and appreciation of special guests.
The black and white tassels attached at their costumes’ waists bounced around the monks’ ankles; their pace quickened and slowed as they mimicked each other’s movements later in the dance.
The chant continued from underneath the yellow masks the monks wore. One monk smiled under the mask as they swung their colored batons.
The demonstration was just one means of sharing Tibetan culture Tuesday night. Aside from the dance, customers were presented with samplings of Tibetan culture through food and crafts.
A jasmine rice dish speckled with raisins called Desi was unveiled in the main room of The Venue.
On the patio, the sunset shone on a display table strewn with handmade textiles and jewelry, many of them the handiwork of the monks of Tashi Kyil.
A small brass bowl sat on a stool beside the front door with a sign for donations.
Gabe Colman, curator of the Venue, said this is the monks’ third visit to their space.
Tucked behind SOMA Coffeehouse on Grant Street, The Venue tries to have two art events per week, Colman said. Book signings, weekly art receptions and small concerts with local musicians are common events at The Venue, he said.
Colman said the monks’ visit follows their mission of supporting handmade crafts.
“They’re working with artwork or craft pieces that were made by them, and we certainly support that,” Colman said.
All of the proceeds of the monks’ sales were given to the monks in support of their monastery.
“We have 120 monks who live in our monastery,” Phuntosk said. “We don’t have any income.”
Phuntosk said the monastery is mainly supported by donations and events like the one at The Venue where they can sell merchandise.
The proceeds would partially help support the 50 young monks sent to the monastery to be educated without cost, Phuntosk said.
He said half of the monks living in Tashi Kyil are refugees from Tibet who escaped through the mountains to India.
The other half come from Tibetan parentage, he said.
Kalsang Gyamtso, a Tibetan monk, stood behind the display table to demonstrate a singing bowl.
He gently tapped the metal bowl with a stick and swirled it around the brim of the bowl. He held the bowl to his ear, and a customer leaned into the sound until the ring was loud enough for the crowd on the patio to hear.
Phuntosk said some of the singing bowls were also made by hand.
“Each one has a different sound and different design,” he said. “Different mantra.”
Greg Haas, a 67-year-old Bloomington resident, said he came to The Venue to support the monks because of his sympathy for their cause.
He said he remembered seeing the Dalai Lama speak at IU Auditorium about 10 years ago.
“He’s a pretty impressive guy,” Haas said.
Although it is not always apparent in today’s world, Haas said one message from the Dalai Lama stuck with him.
“One quotation I remember is, ‘My religion is kindness,’” he said. “Kind of hard to disagree with it.”
As he purchased the small singing bowl, Haas thanked Gyamtso. The monk nodded thanks in return.
For the monks, teaching Dharma is a crucial step toward preserving Tibetan culture and maintaining peace among people of the world, Phuntosk said.
“This is necessary not only for one individual, but for the whole universe,” he said.
Phuntosk said people are constantly doing something in search of happiness, but their pursuit often results in suffering because they do not know compassion.
Although raising funds for Tashi Kyil is vital for the monastery, Phuntosk said teaching compassion is their ultimate goal.
“How to cherish another, how to care for another person — this is a very important message,” Phuntosk said.
