Asian Studies

Recent Activities - Sand Mandala

In April of 2004, Tibetan Buddhist monks Tenzin Thutop and Lobsang Gyaltsen from Namgyal Monastery, associated with the Dalai Lama’s monastery in Dharamsala, India, visited Austin College. During their visit, the monks created a sand mandala of the deity of compassion, Avalokiteshvara/Chenrezig, in the Johnson Gallery on the second floor of Wright Campus Center. The monks also spoke about their experiences as monks and about the mandala.

"A mandala is a geometric visual representation of the universe of a deity, often created for ritual purposes to help Buddhist practitioners reach enlightenment", explains Ivette Vargas, Assistant Professor of Religion at Austin College. "The deity in the mandala’s center symbolizes the goal, the achievement of Buddha-hood, and the specific design of the mandala represents the teaching of a particular method of spiritual practice in accordance with practitioners’ needs and aptitudes."

All aspects of the sand mandala -- the colors, the architectural details, symbols, and their placement -- are systematically explained in text pertaining to the mandala. The monks are not attempting to create an original work of art, but are directing their energy and discipline to making the mandala as true to the text as possible, thereby perfecting their skill and pleasing the deity.

Mandala Photos


	Here, Monks put the finishing touches on the Mandala

	The monks begin by carefully drawing the pattern for the mandala on the box.

	Day 1: Working from the center out, the monks begin applying the colored sand to the mandala

	Work Continues

	Delicate work

	mandala nears completion

	Finished mandala
	Upon completion, the mandala is destroyed, and the sand is dispersed

	This is the beginning of the ceremony to disperse the sand

	Here, the monks pour the sand into the water at the beach of the Austin College Lake Campus, as students look on.

	Detail