Meditation, Healing, Transition
Two Buddhist monks from the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan spent a week on campus in March, explaining the fundamentals of Tibetan Buddhism and creating a sand mandala in Montag Den.
Mandala is a spiritual art form used by monks as a form of meditation, and the ritual of mandala creation bestows healing properties, according to the Venerable Lama Karma Namgyel and his nephew, 23-year-old Lopen Kesang Dorjee (shown above with Jacob Swenson ’07).
Visitors came each day to observe the growing mandala as millions of grains of brightly colored sand passed through Lopen Dorjee’s fingers. The intricate design illustrated the Buddha of Compassion and the cosmos, says Asian Religion Professor Xijuan Zhou.
One morning provided a purification fire ritual at Jackson Plaza with offerings of flowers, seeds and grains, and the following morning the monks swept up the meticulously constructed mandala to demonstrate the transitory nature of life. More than 100 visitors observed the ritual and received blessings while Lama Karma chanted and rang a high-pitched bell before the grains of sand were flung into the Mill Stream, where they glittered on the surface for a moment and then disappeared on their way to the ocean to complete the circle.