Geshe Thupten Dorjee, of the Tibetan Heritage Institute of Arkansas, will lead a tsog offering for the benefit of the Tibetan people on Sunday, August 5 from 11:00 am - 12:30 pm. The ceremony is open to the public and will be held at Dramis Hardwood Floors; 2275 S School Avenue in Fayetteville.

Tsog offering pujas are ceremonies that involve making offerings of food and drink to the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in conjunction with prayers, chanting, and meditation. They are an excellent method for accumulating merit, purifying negativity, and receiving and giving blessings. Participants are encouraged to bring an offering of fruit, drink, or flowers to the ceremony.

This summer will witness the largest demonstration of solidarity with the cause of Tibetan freedom in the history of Tibet. On July 8, 14 Tibetans began an indefinite hunger strike in Delhi, India in an attempt to force the People’s Republic of China to meet certain demands related to religious and human rights within Tibet. On August 8, hundreds of thousands of Tibetans in India will begin a mass demonstration based on the principles of nonviolence and Gandhi’s tradition of satyagraha, meaning “insistence on truth”. For more information on the hunger strike and upcoming demonstration, visit the web site of the Tibetan Youth Congress at www.tibetanyouthcongress.org.