By Amy Tara Koch
When the email invitation arrived to cover the “Healing Arts Of Tibet” retreat at the luxe Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Miami Beach, I found my fingers intuitively pounding “yes!” into the keyboard without consulting my date book or husband. To a spa devotee, the trip’s premise – partnering small workshops about Tibetan philosophy and culture with exotic spa services like ayurvedic holistic body treatments and Thai massage – was mouth-watering. By the time I learned about daily tai chi classes (held beachside, no less) and private Tibetan astrology readings, I had already secured my plane ticket and invited my sister-in-law to attain inner peace with me.
How did a band of Tibetan monks arrive in a five star hotel in South Florida? Let’s start from the top. The Mandarin Oriental Hotel collaborated with the Gaden Shartse Monastery of India to bring a group of Tibetan monks to Miami to perform a series of rituals for guests. The program offered healing and empowerment ceremonies, monastic dances, and the rare opportunity for guests to gain inspirational wisdom from the Gaden Shartse monks. Aside from propagating the teachings of Buddha, the monks’ visit would raise funds to educate Tibetan children and assist students at the Monastic College.
Upon arrival, guests learned the unbelievable history surrounding the Gaden Shartse Monastery. Founded in Lhasa, Tibet in 1409 by the great master Tsongkapa (chief architect of Tibetan Buddhism Renaissance), the Gaden Shartse once housed more than 5000 monks and was renowned for producing scholars, geshes, and lamas. When Communist China forcibly occupied Tibet in 1959, the monastery was destroyed and the monks exiled. Relocated to Buxa, India, the Monastery toiled to rebuild itself and is now recognized as the finest seat of scholarship for the preservation and development of Tibetan culture.
The weekend kicked off with a ceremony at dusk led by Geshe Jangchup Kelsang, the master monk (who actually left Tibet with the Dalai Lama in 1959 at the age of eight). Through a translator, the master introduced key Buddhist tenets that can lead to a life of empowerment through attaining “Buddha,” or enlightenment. “Compassion is the most important virtue,” instructed the master monk, “When one is compassionate, he does not judge others and sees all being as pure.” The master called upon a traditional American symbol, the car, to explain karma and compassion’s domino effect. “Think of all of the people that put sweat into building that car and drilling for petroleum. You must have compassion for all of these people.” The monks firmly believe that suffering and peacefulness are determined by human actions. “Humans have the ability to transform a polluted mind, an angry or jealous mind [in]to [an]altruistic mind.” Each teaching was peppered with a series of meditations and complex chants. At the end, the master offered all participants his blessing of wealth, prosperity, long life, wisdom, and happiness.
I was captivated by the unflappable serenity of all the monks, as well as their blind faith in an ancient and seemingly simplistic code of morality. Just as fascinating was observing the monks floating about in their bright orange robes amidst the backdrop of Miami Beach’s opulent, designer-jeans-clad cast of characters.
The Mandarin Oriental’s spa is a haven, replete with exotic services administered by nurturing hands and efficient minds. Treatment rooms are studded with stones, tropical flowers, and emblems of European, Balinese, and Thai cultures. On the first day, I took part in one of the spa’s celebrated Time Rituals, a two-hour service that a practitioner customized for my specific needs. To begin, my feet were cleansed in salts, purifying any recent missteps in my life. After a brief “lifestyle” quiz, I was labeled a “pitta” and placed face up on a massage table where a deep tissue massage, mini facial, reflexology, and nap soon ensued. I emerged in a state of bliss, de-stressed and relaxed. The next day I selected a detoxifying Thai massage to relieve my sore neck and polluted mind. Garbed in Thai pajamas, I was stretched and massaged into a state of what seemed to be adolescent flexibility. All the while, I imagined that this feel good Tibetan karma was being physically kneaded into me. On Sunday, I had my astrology chart analyzed. Tibetans treat astrology as a science; one’s birth date functions as a window into her soul. I was delighted to know that my husband and daughter are compatible to my sign but bewildered to learn that I should minimize activity on Thursdays as they are karmically “not my day.”
TEACHINGS
Culled from seminars and an interview with Kunga Tenzin, the following are some teachings that can lead to an enlightened life filled with peace, happiness, and love.
When you learn how to let go of attachments to negative emotions and things you can leave the ocean of suffering and find refuge and bliss.
The worst trait? Attachment. You must give up attachment to things and feelings. Attachment causes greed, jealousy, and negative energy. Our world is created by our perceptions. Suffering is determined by actions. Because Americans have so many attachments, they live in fear (of theft, terrorism, war, etc.).
Meditation is very important because a peaceful mind makes you neutral. You must be strong on the inside to withstand the pressures of the outside world. America is an exciting country but the people look so stressed. They are so busy. They need to develop their inner spiritual life and gain a “civic conscience.”
You must value your life because human life is so precious. This world is so good to you.
Because we are all equal, you must have respect and compassion for every man and woman.
I was transfixed by these seemingly simple rules. Why did I waste my energy stressing out about minor life details? Fuming at friends and family over petty disagreements? According to the monks, anger, “only disturbed my peace” and did nothing to remedy the situation. True. True. But how to rid myself of these negative reactions? The monks provide a Buddhist teaching which translates into taking the high road. “You must give up attachment to negative feelings. It causes greed, jealousy, and bad karma. Humans have a choice on how to live their lives. You can transform a polluted mind into an altruistic mind. When you achieve this, your perception of the world will change.” Could bliss be at my fingertips? I twisted my monk anointed prayer beads and smiled at this new, compassionate world.
March/April 2004
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