Monastery kicks off New Year with week of celebrations

Thursday marked the first day of the Year of the Earth Rat in the Tibetan tradition. In commemoration, Bloomington’s Dagom Gaden Tensung Ling Buddhist Monastery will celebrate for a whole week.\n“It’s hard to believe it’s the New Year already; it is here so quickly,” said Suzy Fulkerson, president of the board at the monastery.\nThe celebration begins on the eve of the new year and follows with a 5 a.m. ceremony of spiritual reflection at the monastery.\nThe second day offers a day of celebration with friends and close family.\n“There is a lot of cooking and singing on this day,” said Jamyang Lama, one of the resident monks at the monastery. “It is a lot like Thanksgiving, with a lot of eating.”\nOn the third day, events include making a smoke offering and installing new prayer flags around the monastery.\n“The monks will be saying prayers as the people put the prayer flags up and the smoke puju (devotional practice) is taking place,” said Lisa Farnsworth, secretary of the monastery.\nThis year, visiting teacher Kyabje Yongyal Rinpoche will preside over teachings throughout the celebration. Lama said Rinpoche is one of their lineage’s most respected teachers.\nOn Feb. 13, Rinpoche will teach at the grand initiation of Dukar, the White Umbrella deity. This teaching focuses on living a long life.\nSunday at 6 p.m., the monastery will be hosting its annual New Year dinner party, celebrating with games and homemade food. Lama said the New Year, or Losar, celebration is regarded as Tibet’s most important holiday.\nOpen to the public, this informal Tibetan dinner offers momo, a type of Tibetan dumpling.\n“The monks make fabulous food; the momo is fantastic,” Farnsworth said. “It’s a really nice time for people to come who aren’t necessarily interested in Buddhism.”\nUnlike some other ceremonies during the New Year celebration, the dinner is a community-oriented event. “The dinner is a way to express gratitude to the community and give thanks to Bloomington for giving us a home,” Lama said.\nThe communal fellowship offered during this time is free. However, the resident monks ask that guests RSVP either by phone at 339-0857 or by email at dgtl@ganden.org.