TIBETAN MONKS OF THE SERA JÉ MONASTERY
The Monastery of Sera Jé forms part of the Gelug tradition founded by Lama Tzong Khapa in the thirteenth century.
The chief spiritual head of this tradition is H.H. the Dalai Lama. Today, H.H. Tenzin Gyatso is the XIV Dalai Lama.
The historical Monastery of Sera Jé lies in the northern reaches of Lhasa.
At one time it numbered 5500 resident monks and was divided into sections or colleges; in the beginning these were four, Gya, Dromteng, Toed-Pa and Me.
The two main colleges are Sera Jé and Sera Mé.
The Monastery of Sera is one of the three great monastic universities of Tibetan Buddhism of the Gelug tradition.
Following the Chinese armed invasion in Tibetan territory in the late fifties, 90% of the monasteries were destroyed by the iconoclast fury of the Cultural Revolution.
Today many of these have been rebuilt in India by those monks who escaped the invasion.
In the state of Karnataka in southern India, two hours from the town of Mysore, the Monastery of Sera stands in exile.
Here, live over three thousand monks who follow the monastic, ritual studies and ceremonies, thus keeping alive their rich tradition wich is over ten centuries old.
The partecipation of the monks recalls the ritual tradition of the Tibetan Buddhist culture and is divided into two parts: ritual dances and songs.
Franco Callea
Tibetan Monks/Sera Jé Monastery
ARNR 0598
Format: CD Book - 96 pages
Click here for MP3
The ritual music of the Tibetan monks of the Sera Jé Monastery is the leitmotif of this spiritual journey through Tibetan culture.
The 96-page hardcover CD Book features exceptional photographs of Tibet and the Sera Monastery prior to its destruction in 1959, and gives an overview of Tibetan culture (Buddhism, history and the present-day scenario) and ritual Tibetan music.
The CD presents some of the principal rituals and is a colorful pageant invoking a pantheon of wrathful and peaceful deities, guardians, spirits, and realized masters of their lineage.
Chanting, horns, drums and cymbals combine to create a profound meditative, esoteric experience.
Format: Hardcover CD Book with 96 pages of text and full-color illustrations.
TRACKLISTING:
MONLAM, Prayer of the Path (0:18)
KUI.KYON.PAN, The Praise to Tara (2:00)
CHAMSIM SHEG TOR-UANG DEMMA, Dedication to the special Patron of the Sera Jé Monastery (9:20)
GANDEN LA GHIEMA, The land of the Hundred Deities, a Prayer to Lama Tzong Khapa (3:35)
DJAM.MON, The Prayer of Universal Love (2.03)
LAMRIM DUNDU, The Graded Path (11:37)
TAMDRIN YANGSA SHAGPA, The Confession and Purification of Secret Hayagriva (2:27)
TAMDRIM YANGSA CHENDREN, The Invocation of Secret Hayagriva (2:14)
TAMDRIM YANGSA SEDJU, Verses of the Patronage of Secret Hayagriva (2:54)
DAG SHEN MA, The Practise of Exchanging Oneself with Others-extended version (4:41)
KUI.KYON.PAN, The Praise of Tara-abridged version (2:24)
DAG SHEN MA, The Practise of Exchanging Oneself with Others-abridged version (1:37)
GEUA NGOUA, Dedication of the Merits from the Tenth Chapter of the Bodhisattvacaryavatara (2:23)
TZEME YONTEN, Final Dedication Taken from "Words of Truth", chant written by Dalai Lama, to Chenrezig (0:15)