May 26th-June 6th – Tibetan Sand Mandala construction in Addlestone Library rotunda

This is just a reminder that the Addlestone Library and the Charleston Tibetan Society cordially invite you to watch the construction of a Tibetan sand mandala.

 

Here is an updated schedule of events associated with the sand mandala.

 

What: Chenrezing Sand Mandala

When: May 26th – June 6th

Where: Addlestone Library Rotunda

 

Details: Addlestone Library will be hosting the Charleston Tibetan Society as they construct a sand mandala, an ancient, sacred form of Tibetan Buddhist art, in the Addlestone Library rotunda.

 

Venerable Lobsang Tsering from the Drepung Loseling Monastery Center for Tibetan Buddhist Studies, Practice, and Culture in Atlanta, Georgia, will be constructing a mandala devoted to Chenrezig, the Tibetan name for Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. This particular mandala illustrates, in two dimensions, the divine palace, residence, or celestial abode of Chenrezig. The finished mandala will be approximately four feet in diameter and will take a week or so to complete.

 

There are several events associated with the sand mandala. Listed below are the dates for the opening and closing ceremonies and the daily hours Venerable Tsering will be working on the mandala.

  • Opening Ceremony
    • Tuesday, May 26th at 10:00 am
      • Venerable Lobsang Tsering and Geshe Dakpa Topgyal will consecrate the site of the mandala with approximately 30 minutes of chanting and mantra recitation. Immediately following Venerable Lobsang Tsering will begin to draw the lines for the design of the mandala on the table.
  • Mandala Daily Viewing Hours
    • Tuesday, May 26th – Saturday, June 6th
    • Monday through Friday –  9 am-12 pm and 2 pm-5 pm
    • Saturday and Sundays – 10am-12 pm and 2 pm-5pm
  • Chenrezig Sadhana Practice
    • Wednesday, June 3rd and Thursday, June 4th – 10 am-11 am and 5 pm-6 pm
    • Friday, June 5th – 10 am-11 am and 3 pm-4 pm
      • Venerable Lobsang Tsering and Geshe Dakpa Topgyal, Spiritual Director of the Charleston Tibetan Society, will perform the Chenrezig Sadhana meditative practice including the recitation of the Chenrezig mantra.
  • Closing Ceremony
    • Saturday, June 6th at 10:30 am
      • During the closing ceremony there will be a 20 minute power point presentation about the mandala. Afterwards there will be chanting and the mandala will be dismantled by being swept up (symbolizing he impermanence of all phenomena) and distributed to anyone who would like to take some, and the rest being dispersed in the nearest body of water.

Additionally the Division of Marketing and Communications will be doing a time lapse recording of the mandala for The College Today news site.

 

We hope you can join us!

Tonight is the 1st annual Asian-Pacific Islander Unity Celebration.

The API Unity Celebration is a culturally-focused event that celebrates and recognizes the achievements of our graduating Asian, Pacific Islander, Indian, Arabic, and South Asian American communities on campus.

 

Graduating students, including undergraduates and graduates, are invited to take part in the celebration, which occurs each academic spring term; the days prior to college-wide commencement events. This year we have three (3) special 2015 Asian-Pacific Unity graduates: Aimi Nguyen, Andrea Nillas & Monica Patel. Please join us tonight!

 UnityCelebration

Help the English Language Institute to Bring Students from Japan!

The College of Charleston English Language Institute (ELI) hosted a professor, Kayoko Takegoshi, from Japan’s Toyama University during the fall of 2014. She met our students and faculty, attended our ESL classes, toured the campus and city, and returned to her home university to arrange a “CofC ELI short term program” for her sophomore students. She anticipates that 4-5 students will be interested in attending the English Language Institute from August 24 – September 25, 2015. This is a summer break for Toyama University students, so it is the only opportunity for them to study abroad. As student housing is at a premium, especially at the beginning of the academic year, it’s not possible to lodge these students in the CofC dorm.

 

Therefore, the CofC ELI program has launched a homestay program and is in the early stages of recruiting individuals, couples and families who would be interested in hosting a Japanese student for 5 weeks. For families with young children, this can be a life altering experience as children of all ages benefit from interacting with people from other cultures, and through this process, learn tolerance and other essential qualities of becoming global citizens.

 

These students are university sophomores and are independent adults. Ideally, the homes would be within walking or biking distance from the CofC campus so they could come and go on their own. Students attend ELI classes M-F from 8am-3pm, depending on the day, so they would purchase a meal plan to cover breakfasts and lunches. Dinner would be prepared at home. Host families would be adequately compensated for hosting a student, and would be expected to include the student on any appropriate family excursions during the weekends. As English language acquisition is a primary goal of the students, involving them in English conversation in the family setting would be strongly encouraged.

 

If you are interested in learning more about the CofC homestay program, please contact Alice Hamilton at hamiltonam1@cofc.edu by April 20, 2015.

Summer I ONLINE Course Opportunity! “The Role of the Quran in Contemporary Islam”

Registration for Summer classes begins on March 10!

ARST 273 (CRN 30754) will be offered ONLINE by Dr. Ghazi Abuhakema during Summer I.

Course Description: In this course, ARST 273, The Role of the Qur’a and its Place in Contemporary Islam, students are introduced to some of the key ideas and themes of the Quran and its role as the ultimate source of authority for Muslims. The course also examines current, and, in some cases, controversial, issues, and explores how particular Qur’anic passages have been cited and interpreted with respect to these issues.