On Wednesday, Jan. 17, Jesuit High School Sacramento received a visit from a group of Tibetan monks as a part of their Sacred Arts of Tibet Cultivating Compassion tour. Coming from Gaden Shartse Norling Monastery, these monks seek to raise money for their monastery and spread compassion to the people they meet throughout their journey.

The monks spent time on campus, watched a soccer game, a basketball practice, and were part of two different talks. During the community period talk, the monks held a performance of their cultural chant along with a Question and Answer session for any students who attended. Students learned about the lifestyle of the monks as well as their perspective of the United States and Jesuit. Later that evening, the monks held a Dharma talk in the chapel, including an interfaith dialogue between the monks and Dr. Mark Luttio.

Dr. Luttio, the teacher of the world religions class, believes that the history behind the Buddhist religion made this experience special.

 “[Their visit was] to bring awareness to our student body about a religious tradition that goes back [a] millennia,” Dr. Luttio said. “[It] is rich in history, and gives the students here an opportunity to actually see this religious tradition in the flesh and blood.”

Principal Dr. Michael Wood ’99 connects the visit with the monks to Jesuit’s principles and goals, such as the importance of providing a chance to understand unfamiliar cultures. 

“[It's] an opportunity for growth, for curiosity, to experience something different, to be exposed to something that you wouldn’t otherwise be exposed to, and to learn how to respect and appreciate another culture, another philosophy, another way of thinking,” Dr. Wood said. “The more we can have our students and families encounter that, the more robust our educational program can be.”

Dr. Wood is happy with the choice of making the visit optional, and he thinks that it created an audience that was genuinely engaged.

“It was a very successful visit.” Dr. Wood said. “It was good that it was invitational. It was really just there for those who were interested. It wasn’t for everybody, and not everyone is interested in that, and that’s just fine. But for those who had a curiosity and a desire to spend some time with the monks and to see Dr. Luttio and his expertise, I think it was very successful.”

Dr. Luttio also noticed the attentiveness of the students taking advantage of the opportunity and learning about another culture.

“I was impressed with the level of perception and ability for our students on campus here to question and raise kind of issues or awareness about the tradition.” Dr. Luttio said. “So they showed a real intellectual acumen in addressing the questions that they did.”

Jaden Fox ’25 attended the monks’ visit during community period and appreciated the opportunity to learn about a new culture he otherwise wouldn’t have been exposed to.

“I was interested in attending the monks’ talk,” Jaden said.“I thought that interacting with a culture and belief system so seemingly different from my own could elicit some personal growth.”

The visit from the Tibetan Monks led to the growth of our Jesuit community by exposing members to the ancient Buddhist culture. This successful visit was embraced by students and families alike, spreading awareness and compassion just as the monks sought to do.