Buddhist monk to hold pet blessing

A Buddhist monk in the tradition of the Dalai Lama and former member of the Tibetan Parliament in exile will lead a pet blessing in September in Santa Fe.

The blessing by Geshe Thupten Phelgye is set for 12:30 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 13, during the Santa Fe animal shelter’s pet adoption event at PetSmart, 3561 Zafarano Drive. It is free and open to the public.

Phelgye is founder of the Universal Compassion Foundation, an international animal rights activist and visiting global scholar in residence at Gonzaga University and currently an adjunct professor at Eastern Washington University.

Phelgye did a similar blessing at the shelter during a visit to the area last year. Organizers ask that participants consider the safety of their animals by making sure dogs and other large animals are on leads and that cats and other small animals are in crates or whatever habitat is appropriate.

For more information about Phelgye and the Universal Compassion Foundation, visit universalcompassion.org.