Celebrate Earth Days at the Gershwin Hotel!

April 18-27, 2008 Sacred Tibetan Sand Mandala Installation with Ven. Lama Tenzin Yignyen, Tibetan Artist & Scholar at the Gershwin Hotel, 7 east 27th Street, New York City, New York, 10016 The Tibetan sand mandala, a traditional artwork of intricate designs made with millions of grains of colourful sand, will be constructed by Ven. Lama Tenzin Yignyen during April 18 to 27 in the lobby of the Gershwin Hotel. The three-fold purpose of this sacred Tibetan cultural phenomenon is to honor and bless this beautiful Earth, to generate merit, peace, and harmony for all sentient beings, and to recognize the impermanence in all things. In support of many causes and visions, this event is to benefit all with this timeless, wisdom tradition. The Gershwin Hotel celebrates Earth Week by supporting this Sand Mandala presentation and welcomes all hotel guests and the public to visit and view this beautiful event! The Gershwin Hotel is proud to co-sponsor Ven. Lama Tenzin Yignyen in creating this work of art, the Tibetan sand mandala, in their beautiful lobby, adding to the Hotel’s long-standing tradition of presenting artists’ work and hosting art opening galas and cultural gatherings for artists-in-residency at the Gershwin Hotel. Co-sponsor Avanti Consortium was one of the originator’s of National Earth Day (April 22) and regularly supports the tradition of Tibetan Sand Mandalas as a special commemoration of Earth Day, and for educating that Every Day is Earth Day, and a cause for celebration! The Gershwin Hotel owner Suzanne Tremblay and hotel staff offer this special event to their hotel guests and to the general public – throughout the ten days the sand mandala will be created and housed in the hotel lobby. The sand mandala will be constructed over two consecutive weekends, April 18, 19, 20 and April 25, 26, 27; and will be available for viewing at all times, during all phases of construction. A gala evening reception, honoring Lama Tenzin Yignyen will be open to all Friday, April 25, 8-10 PM and there will be a special sacred closing ceremony ending the sand mandala installation on Sunday, April 27 at approximately 2 PM, with ceremonial blessings and a completion procession. Ven. Tenzin Yignyen was born in Tibet, and ordained as a monk by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He entered Namgyal Monastery in Dharamsala, India in 1969, and completed monastic studies, including rituals and philosophic studies. In 1985 he received the monastery’s highest degree, ‘Master of Sutra and Tantra’ with highest honors, which is equivalent to a Ph.D. degree. In 1989-1990, Tenzin assisted in the research and translation for the book “The Wheel of Time Sand Mandala”, in conjunction with the Samaya Foundation in New York City. He has constructed the sand mandala in many different venues, including colleges and schools, art museums, Times Square and Lincoln Center in New York City, the Smithsonian Folk Life Festival in Washington, DC as well as in Moscow and St. Petersburg, Russia. In 1993 he was invited to Ganden Thekcheling Monastery in Ulanbaatar, Mongolia where he instructed the Kalachakra tantric ritual and sand mandala construction. Tenzin is currently a visiting professor at Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, NY, serving as Professor of Tibetan Buddhist Studies since 1998. He has also led several pilgrimages to Mongolia and India over the past few years, and was appointed as Program Director for India Study for 20 college students from six colleges in upstate New York. Please join us at any time during this 10-day event to view this exceptional art installation, the Tibetan Sand Mandala. Come celebrate the Earth with a touch of Tibet at the Gershwin Hotel! For more information contact The Gershwin Hotel at 212.545.8000 Press and Media contact: Avanti Consortium, 802.233.3520