Monks create sand mandala to illustrate worldly impermanence
Saba Naseem
Issue date: 3/4/09 Section: News
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The word "mandala" is Sanskrit for "circle." Although there are many different types of mandalas, the ones constructed by sand are unique to the Tibetan culture in that they are believed to affect purification and healing. They are created by hand and embody traditional meditative designs that represent the universal qualities of harmony, balance and community, according to a press release.
The construction began Monday with an opening ceremony where three Tibetan monks blessed the area before beginning their construction on the mandala.
"Spiritually, we believe we have to bless the place so that we have permission to inhabit the space," said Geshe Thupten Dorjee, instructor in the Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences.
"For centuries, Tibetan mandalas were seen exclusively by the monks and nuns of Buddhist monasteries," according to the press release. "In 1988, however, the Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, decreed that a mandala be constructed in full view of the public.
"Tibetans have long believed that to witness the creation of a mandala is to cultivate these enduring qualities within each of us, and so to witness the creation of a mandala is to lay the foundation for a strong and balanced human community."
The sand mandala is constructed by millions of grains of colored sands that are laid into place on a flat platform. This process could take a week or longer.
"This is a healing ceremony," said Sidney Burris, director of Religious Studies. "We hope that the community will gain benefit from watching it grow."
Lama Agha will be working on the mandala through March 11 - 9 to 11:30 a.m. and 2 to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, and 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 8.
"The mandala is a 2-D representation of a 3-D goal for the environment," Dorjee said. "The art of the mandala signifies Buddhism. It presents everything from pure wisdom and love to harmony and balance."
A finishing ceremony 7 p.m. March 11 will celebrate and seal the mandala's completion, and the finished mandala will be on display from March 11 to March 29.
After a closing ceremony, the mandala will be destroyed. Small packets of sand from the mandala will be distributed to those who are present.
"This signifies the impermanence of this world," Dorjee said. "Nothing exists forever."
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stephen_i
posted 3/03/09 @ 9:40 PM CST
Sadly, I'm out of the country and couldn't be there.
It wasn't mentioned that Lama Agha is also a Geshe like our own Geshe Dorjee, and he came from the Drepung Loseling Monastery that has been relocated in exile to south India specifically to work on this mandala. (Continued…)
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