The Pluralism Project: Tibetan Nuns visit to Loyola University

A collection of photographs of the Tibetan Nuns of Khachoe Ghakyil Nunnery

The nuns perform an opening prayer before their performance at Roussell Hall, Loyola University. The hats worn here are distinctive to Tibetan nuns.

Three standing nuns perform a ritual purification ceremony offered to all the Gurus, the Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. This ritual bath purifies negative karma and delusions for the participants and all sentient beings.

Costumed dance accompanied by long horns and percussion instruments. The masked dancers in this picture perform the dance of Buddha Manjushri, the one who embodies the enlightened wisdom of all the Buddhas.

Four masked nuns enact the dance of the Bodhisattvas a dance expressing their activities of benefiting sentient beings.

A nun portrays Milarepa (1052-1135), a Tibetan poet and saint who transmitted esoteric teachings.

The ascetic Milarepa seated next to a deer which points to his austere life style. The deer was fleeing a hunter and his hound and Milarepa calms the deer.

Milarepa, seated between the deer and the hound, bestows a blessing upon the hunter who had tried to kill the deer and then Milarepa himself, but now has been won over by his teaching.

Tibetan horn players lead the dance of the Dakinis.

The Dakini dance in progress. In ceremonial robes the nuns wear a ritual headdress which bear a caligraphic script known as 'Lantsa'.

The Dakini dance in progress. Wearing their ceremonial robes the nuns hold ceremonial bell symbolizing wisdom and a ceremonial sceptre (vajra) symbolizing the fundamental unity of all things.

Two masked dancers represent the battle of good and evil.

The dance of the battle of good and evil. A dancer's mask helps her to portray a deity who is understood to take residence in her body during the ceremony.

A dancer representing a fierce deity which represents evil.

Nuns in monastic robes chant a ceremonial prayer.

Nuns perform prayers of dedication before a completed sand mandala which rests in the Danna Center Gallery of Loyola University just before its final dissolution.

Nuns collect the colored sand for dispersal.

Nuns carefully remove the last traces of colored sand from the tracing board. Each grain has been made sacred through its association with the mandalas construction.

Nuns perform the concluding rites for dissolving the sand mandala as they prepare to transport the sand out of the gallery.

Nuns conclude the dissolution ritual next to the altar which has been set up in the gallery.

Preparing to process from the gallery to Audobon Park.

Two horn players lead the bearer of the sand casket through Loyola's campus.

The nuns begin the procession from the gallery.

Nuns and onlookers cross St. Charles Ave. to enter Audubon Park.

Nuns play horns as they walk to the lagoon in Audubon Park.

Heading to the lagoon along the bike path.

Sounding symbols as the sands are released into the water.

Onlookers stand in silence as the nuns chant a prayer for the well being of their host community.