Album Description
Founded by the First Dalai Lama in 1447, Tashi Lhunpo Monastery is renowned for its scholarship in Mahayana Buddhist philosophy and the Tantric tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. The Chinese occupation of Tibet in 1959 and the Cultural Revolution from 1966-80 wreaked destruction on many monastic institutions, and of the 6,000 monks in the monastery, only 250 were able to follow the Dalai Lama into exile. In 1972, under the patronage of the present Dalai Lama, Tashi Lhunpo Monastery was re-established in the southern Indian state of Karnataka.
`Dawn till Dusk' was recorded on location in Tashi Lhunpo's prayer hall in Bylakuppe, and features many previously unrecorded chants and mantras from the monastery's rich heritage, passed down over the centuries through generations of Tantric masters.
The Tashi Lhunpo Monks undertake a three month UK tour starting in May 2008, when they will be in the Nottingham Arena during HH the Dalai Lama's teachings, and performing at arts venues and festivals all over the country, including an appearance at GLASTONBURY and WOMAD.
2008 sees the 49th anniversary of the Tibetan National uprising against the illegal Chinese occupation of Tibet. News of the continuing unrest within the Tibetan capital of Lhasa and surrounding regions has been widely reported. The forthcoming Beijing Olympics will continue to focus international attention on the plight of the Tibetan people.