Gethsemani Abbey, located in Trappist, Kentucky, welcomed a group of Tibetan Buddhists to the monastery. They had come from India and are traveling to various places in order to raise money for their monastery back home. They are staying in Lebanon at the moment and will be creating sand mandalas to be shown to the public.

They were accompanied by a group of friends.  While they were here at Gethsemane, they received a tour of the monastery, then walked out to the hermitage with Br. Paul and Fr. Lawrence. Everyone attended the mid-day prayer service called Sext and then enjoyed a friendly picnic on the front lawn of the monastery.

As most know, Gethsemane monk Thomas Merton visited the Dalai Lama in India when he was traveling in the East. They spoke for two days. The Dalai Lama considers his encounter with Thomas Merton a significant event in his life and counts Merton as his friend. When Tibetan Buddhists visit here, they almost always stop at Merton’s grave and sing some hymns in his honor.