Featured image: Tibetan Buddhist monks work on a sand mandala at Lyon College in 2019.
An opening ceremony will be held Monday, March 6, for the construction of a mandala sand painting in the rotunda of the Lyon Business and Economics Building on the Lyon College campus in Batesville.
According to a release from Lyon, three Tibetan Buddhist monks from Drepung Loseling Monastery will work on the painting from the opening ceremony at 6 p.m. Work will continue on the sand painting through Friday, March 10. The monks will work from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. each day until Friday, when there will be closing ceremony at noon.
During the week, there will also be two presentations. (Continue scrolling for a complete schedule of the week’s events.)
The public can view the mandala construction and attend the free presentations. The monks will take staggered breaks for lunch, so there should always be at least one person working on the mandala during the visit.
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In a release from Lyon College, mandala sand painting is explained:
From all the artistic traditions of Tantric Buddhism, that of painting with colored sand ranks as one of the most unique and exquisite. Millions of grains of sand are painstakingly laid into place on a flat platform over a period of days or weeks to form the image of a mandala. To date the monks have created mandala sand paintings in more than 100 museums, art centers, and colleges and universities in the United States and Europe.
Mandala is a Sanskrit word meaning sacred cosmogram. These cosmograms can be created in various media, such as watercolor on canvas, wood carvings and so forth. However, the most spectacular and enduringly popular are those made from colored sand.
In general, all mandalas have outer, inner and secret meanings. On the outer level they represent the world in its divine form; on the inner level they represent a map by which the ordinary human mind is transformed into enlightened mind; and on the secret level they depict the primordially perfect balance of the subtle energies of the body and the clear light dimension of the mind. The creation of a sand painting is said to effect purification and healing on these three levels.
The mandala sand painting begins with an opening ceremony, during which the lamas consecrate the site and call forth the forces of goodness. This is done by means of chanting, music and mantra recitation.
The lamas begin the exhibit by drawing an outline of the mandala on the wooden platform. On the following days they lay the colored sands. Each monk holds a traditional metal funnel called a chak pur while running a metal rod on its grated surface. The vibration causes the sands to flow like liquid onto the platform.
Traditionally most sand mandalas are destroyed shortly after their completion. This is done as a metaphor for the impermanence of life. The sands are swept up and placed in an urn; to fulfill the function of healing, half is distributed to the audience at the closing ceremony, while the remainder is carried to a nearby body of water, where it is deposited. The waters then carry the healing blessing to the ocean, and from there it spreads throughout the world for planetary healing.
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Sand Mandala Construction
March 6-10, Lyon Business and Economics Building
Lyon College, Batesville, Arkansas
Please note: All events will occur in the Lyon Business and Economics Building on the Lyon College campus in Batesville.
Monday, March 6
Opening Ceremony, 12 p.m., Rotunda
Mandala Construction, 12-6 p.m., Rotunda
Tuesday, March 7
Mandala Construction, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Rotunda
Lecture: “Symbolism of the Sand Mandala,” 5 p.m., Nucor Auditorium
Wednesday, March 8
Mandala Construction, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Rotunda
Thursday, March 9
Mandala Construction, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., Rotunda
Lecture: “Meditation for Focus and Stress Relief,” 7 p.m., Nucor Auditorium
Friday, March 10
Mandala Construction, 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., Rotunda
Closing Ceremony: 12 p.m., Rotunda
Image and information provided by Lyon College
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