9 Buddhist monks in Camden next week

CAMDEN – As part of Tibet Week 2003, the Camden area chapter of Amnesty International will serve as host to nine Tibetan Buddhist monks from a monastery in India next week.

The men from Drepung Loseling Monastery will participate in a weeklong series of events, Monday through Saturday, Nov. 17-22.

The agenda:

. Creation of two sand mandalas dedicated to the protection of prisoners of conscience who, organizers say, are in Drapchi Prison in Lhasa, the capital of Tibet. Mandalas are circular designs containing geometric forms, sometimes images of deities, and symbolizing totality, the universe or wholeness, in both Buddhist and Hindu thought.

The public is invited to participate in building a community mandala, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, Nov. 18-21, in the rotunda of the Camden Public Library.

. Two lectures: “Meditation: A Tool for Conscious Living,” at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 18, and “Beyond Ego: The Great Void and the Gateway to Freedom,” 7 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 20. Suggested donation is $7;

. A medicine puja, at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 19, at St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Rockland. The prayer service of music, mantra and mudra is part of the Buddhist healing rite designed to ensure the health and happiness of the community.

. “Sacred Music, Sacred Dance for World Healing,” performance at 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 21, at the Camden Opera House. Tickets are $16 in advance and $20 at the door;

. A closing ceremony for the mandala exhibit is planned at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Nov. 22, at the Camden Public Library rotunda.

For information, contact Mitch Kihn at 273-4046 or Kit Harrison at 354-8551.