Blessings and Support
For the Proposed California Central Coast
Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary
Introduction
Hundreds came to hear the Tibetan Buddhist Monks and the Chumash Native Americans give public blessings and a special blessing for the proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary on October 14, 2013 from 2:00 to 3:00pm on the cliffs overlooking the ocean at Eldwayen Ocean Park in Pismo Beach (Shell Beach), California.
Fred Collins and
Geshe Logsang Tsetsen
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Fred Collins, Tribal Administrator of the Northern Chumash Tribal Council, welcomed Geshe Logsang Tsetsen and his group of Tibetan Buddhist Gomang Monks to the homeland of the indigenous Chumash. Mr. Collins invited the monks to give their blessings first.
The local organizers for the monks, Anet and Charley Carlin of Atascadero, shared their role in helping the monks visit the California central coast as part of the Tibetan Buddhist Monks’ 2013 Sacred Art Tour of the U.S. The monks are from the Drepung Gomang Monastery, a center of learning for Tibetan Buddhists in southern India. |
Chumash Sanctuary Banner
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Anet planned 19 days full of activities for public cultural exchange. The Tibetan Buddhist Monks created sacred sand mandalas, offered Buddhist teachings, performed traditional dances, and offered pujas (blessings) of homes, businesses, creative projects, and people in need.
Mandala created by the Monks at Allan Hancock College, Santa Maria, CA
David Georgi, representing the Marine Sanctuary Alliance, announced the proposed Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary.
The Blessing (Puja) by the Buddhist Monks
Geshe Logsang Tsetsen began by sharing his teachings on peace, compassion, love and kindness. The monks’ spiritual chanting with symbolic music lasted about 20 minutes, and their vocal vibrations spread energy and peace to all in attendance. Three sea otters were attracted be the chanting.
Tibetan Buddhist Monks with Music
More information about the Tibetan Monks Sacred Art Tour can be found in the October 8, 2013 New Times article, “Nine Tibetan Buddhist monks sojourn in San Luis Obispo County,” by Anna Weltner.
The Drepung Gomang Monastery originated in 1416 A.D. near Lasha, Tibet. After the invasion of Communist China in 1959, the Drepung Gomang Monastery exiled to southern India and established the Drepung Gomang Monastic College.
The Chumash Blessing by Fred Collins
Fred Collins shared that we are all connected and share honoring the ocean that gives us all life. He emphasized that it is a great honor to have the Tibetan Buddhist monks here where the Chumash have been living continuously for 10,000 to 20,000 years.
Mr. Collins described the blessings for the sanctuary proposal as the beginning of a spiritual basket that we are all creating. The bottom of the basket was formed that day with the Tibetan Monks chanted blessing. Fred stated that we all form the strands of the basket and make it what it will become, the Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary to protect the Chumash spiritual sites and promote the thrivability of the ocean. He ended with a Chumash blessing in his native language.
Fred Collins Giving Blessing
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Fred Collins with the Tibetan Buiddhist Monks
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Conclusion
The Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary proposal is presented in the October 2013 Slo Coast Journal’s Marine Sanctuary article. Many organizations, entities, businesses, and individuals are sending their support for the sanctuary proposal.
The Northern Chumash Tribal Council (NCTC) would like to invite you and/or your organization to support our Indigenous proposed California Central Coast Chumash Heritage National Marine Sanctuary. We hope you will join us. In light of a possible disaster in our waters, we want to act now to provide our coastal waters with national sanctuary protection.
We believe our county has the timely, unique opportunity to provide a legacy of thrivability, which will continue to create healthy local coastal waters and marine ecosystems that will endure into future generations to be enjoyed and treasured by all.
More information is available in our previous marine sanctuary articles on the Marine Sanctuary Alliance website , and on CCC Marine Sanctuary Alliance Facebook.
You can help by emailing to NCTC a letter of your and/or your organization's support for this marine sanctuary designation to Fred Collins. The address for mailed letters is: Northern Chumash Tribal Council, 67 South Street, San Luis Obispo, CA 93401. The list of supporters is growing.
-Chumash Councils and other Native American Tribal Entities
-Bakersfield Chumash Tribal Council,
Northern Chumash Tribal Council, The Modoc Nation-Government for the Modoc People of Southern Oregon and Northern California
Organizations and Entities
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Big Sur Advocates for a Green Environment, CA Central Coast Marine Sanctuary Alliance
- COAST(Citizens Opposed to Acoustic Seismic Testing), Dolphinmotion (Dutch Marine Conservation Group)
- Friends of the Elephant Seal, Grandmothers for Peace San Luis Obispo County Chapter, Greenspace-The Cambria Land Trust
- Healing Ourselves and Mother Earth-Bennington VT.
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Inter-Nation Cultural Foundation (INCF)
- Kayak Morro Bay
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Nevada Nuclear Waste Task Force
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Ocean Defenders Alliance (ODA)
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PhotoMorroBay
- San Luis Obispo Chapter of Surfrider Foundation
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Sierra Club
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Save Our Seas-Hawaii
- Terra Foundation
Individuals
Bev Ano, B. Autolitano, Ivan BrownOtter, Anet Carlin, Charity Collins, Fred Collins,
Leslie Craig, Henrietta Groot, Watson Gooch, Eric Greening, Jamphel Gyatso, Aaron Kirby, Lila Henry,
Russell Hodin, Joseph Hudson, Stacey Hunt, Elizabeth Johnson, Thomas and Sharon Kilby, Karen Leonard
David Levy-Chair Marinet-Friends of the Earth U.K. Director UKWIN/TATWBN & Delegate OSPAR/OCEANS/Black Fish
Terry Lilley-Marine Biologist-Kauai, Lloyd Madansky, Ruth Madocks, Janet Miggins, Justin Montes, Linda Seeley, Spenser Riffle
Margaret (P.J.) Webb-Attorney-Cambria, Rosemary Wilvert
Businesses
- Hidden Coast Outdoors
- Native Herb & Honey Co.
Photos by Carol Georgi except where noted.
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