Midwest Thungkar Gathering

press release: Madison’s Tibetan community, 600 strong, all American citizens, with children and grandchildren fully fluent in English, most of them born in Madison, will celebrate America’s Independence Day Weekend with a Tibetan flavor. Madison’s Wisconsin Tibetan Association was selected to host the week-end festivities to celebrate the Dalai Lama’s birthday, which will attract visitors from several states.

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On July 2 at 6:45 pm, Madison Mayor Satya Rhodes-Conway and the Madison city council will present a resolution declaring July 6, birthday of His Holiness the Dalai Lama, as a “Day of Kindness and Compassion” within Madison. Members of the Wisconsin Tibetan Association will be present to comment on what His Holiness means to Tibetans worldwide and to express appreciation for the support that citizens of Madison have given their community. The Tibetan Resettlement Project, a very successful refugee effort, began in 1992 with the arrival of an initial 82 individuals. Currently residing in Dharamsala, India, the 14th Dalai Lama, age 84, continues to attract worldwide admiration with his writings and teachings. 

Saturday, July 6, 10:00 am at Deer Park Buddhist Center, 4548 Schneider Drive in Oregon, will bring out the full Tibetan community, many wearing tradition chupas, along with special guests and admires of the Dalai Lama. Celebration of His Holiness’ Trungkar (birthday) will include sangsol (incense) ceremony and offering of white khata scarves. Buddhist and non-Buddhists are welcome to attend and to stay for a pot-luck brunch.

A special guest of the weekend is a preeminent teacher of Buddhist studies, His Eminence Kyabie Youzin Ling Rinpoche. Born in India in 1985, Lin Rinpoche received instruction from His Holiness the Dalai Lama and frequently joins His Holiness for teachings that attract 40,000 to 60,000 people at a time. In the Buddhist religion, he is recognized as a reincarnation of the Dalai Lama’s senior teacher, who passed away in 1983.  Lin Rinpoche will offer three teachings at Deer Park Buddhist Center on July 2, 4, and 9 at 10 AM.

Two evening concerts, Friday and Saturday nights, July 5 and 6, both at 7 pm, both at James Madison Memorial High School, 201 S. Gammon Road, will treat the audience to living Tibetan culture. Children from three different “Saturday Schools” of language and culture will present a Friday’s cultural program, while internationally-known Tibetan and Mongolian singers, including Yeshi Khando and Amdo Gonpo Tashi from New York, will perform Saturday.  

Throughout the weekend, basketball and soccer teams from the three states will compete at Memorial High School Field House. Tournaments will culminate Sunday, July 7, with a father-child soccer match and the weekend’s closing ceremonies, 4:00 – 8:30 pm at Breese Stevens Athletic Field, 917 E. Mifflin St. Details on the unique weekends events are on-line on the Wisconsin Tibetan Association’s Facebook and web pages.