A sacred art of Tibet
The Sand Mandala
The Sand Mandala
Heidi M. Pascual*
Publisher & Editor
* 2006 Journalist of the Year for the State
of Wisconsin (U.S.-SBA)
Publisher & Editor
* 2006 Journalist of the Year for the State
of Wisconsin (U.S.-SBA)
| For more Asian American stories in Wisconsin, click: |
By Heidi M. Pascual
“It is so beautiful!”
“What an awesome creation!”
“This art is so unique and obviously very difficult to make!”
“Wow! I’ve never seen one like this before!”
These were just some of the comments from spectators who watched three Tibetan monks
(Lamas) construct a colorful sand mandala at the Memorial Union’s Main Lounge on Sept. 19. The
monks were part of a team from Drepung Loseling Monastery (based in Georgia, U.S.A.) who were in
Madison to perform “Mystical Arts of Tibet” at the Madison World Music Festival that same day. They
are renowned for their “multiphonic singing, unique Tibetan instruments and beautiful traditional garb.”
They were also UW-Madison’s “artists in residence” while they constructed a mandala every day from
September 16 to Sept. 20, a sacred art work that took hours and hours to make.
About Mandala Sand Painting (Summarized from “The Mystical Art of Tibet”)
One of the most exquisite and unique of the artistic traditions of Tantric Buddhism, dul-tson-kyil-
khor (mandala of colored powders) consists of millions of grains of sand (in various colors)
painstakingly laid on a flat platform over a period of days or weeks.
The Mandala is used as a tool for re-consecrating the earth and its people. In general, all mandalas
have outer, inner and secret meanings. The outer level represents the world in its divine form, while
the inner level represents a map by which the ordinary human mind is transformed into enlightened
mind; and the secret level depicts 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 purify and heal.
When the mandala is completed, to symbolize the impermanence of all that exists, the sands are swept
up together, half of it distributed to the audience, and the other half placed in an urn and poured into a
nearby body of water which will carry the healing energies throughout the world.
Every tantric system has its own mandala, and each one symbolizes a particular existential and
spiritual approach. For example, the mandala of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara symbolizes
compassion as a central focus of the spiritual experience; that of Manjushri takes wisdom as the
central focus; and that of Vajrapani emphasizes the need for courage and strength in the quest for
sacred knowledge.
The process of creating a mandala sand painting in Madison began on September 16 with an
opening ceremony in which the Tibetan lamas consecrated the Memorial Union hall by inviting forces of
goodness. They did so by chanting and reciting mantras. Then the lamas drew an outline of the mandala
on a wooden table. The following day started the art work of pouring the colored sands onto the design,
using traditional metal funnels called “chak-pur.” Each monk held a chak-pur in one hand, and
simultaneously ran a metal rod on the grated surface. The vibration created caused the sands to
flow. This tedious process continued for the next several days until the closing ceremony on
September 20. On the back of the hall where the mandala was created was a photo of His Holiness The
Dalai Lama, who specifically endorsed “The Mystical Art of Tibet” performance as a means of promoting
world peace and healing. Hundreds of people watched the creation of this Tibetan sacred art at the
Memorial Union, and most of them received a small plastic bag of the colored sands after the mandala
was dismantled. There was again chanting and mantra recitation as well as sacred music, during the
closing ceremony. The monks later poured the remaining colored sands into the edge of Lake Mendota,
while Madisonians watched in awe, many of whom were hoping for peace throughout the world …
precisely the message of His Holiness The Dalai Lama.
“It is so beautiful!”
“What an awesome creation!”
“This art is so unique and obviously very difficult to make!”
“Wow! I’ve never seen one like this before!”
These were just some of the comments from spectators who watched three Tibetan monks
(Lamas) construct a colorful sand mandala at the Memorial Union’s Main Lounge on Sept. 19. The
monks were part of a team from Drepung Loseling Monastery (based in Georgia, U.S.A.) who were in
Madison to perform “Mystical Arts of Tibet” at the Madison World Music Festival that same day. They
are renowned for their “multiphonic singing, unique Tibetan instruments and beautiful traditional garb.”
They were also UW-Madison’s “artists in residence” while they constructed a mandala every day from
September 16 to Sept. 20, a sacred art work that took hours and hours to make.
About Mandala Sand Painting (Summarized from “The Mystical Art of Tibet”)
One of the most exquisite and unique of the artistic traditions of Tantric Buddhism, dul-tson-kyil-
khor (mandala of colored powders) consists of millions of grains of sand (in various colors)
painstakingly laid on a flat platform over a period of days or weeks.
The Mandala is used as a tool for re-consecrating the earth and its people. In general, all mandalas
have outer, inner and secret meanings. The outer level represents the world in its divine form, while
the inner level represents a map by which the ordinary human mind is transformed into enlightened
mind; and the secret level depicts 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 purify and heal.
When the mandala is completed, to symbolize the impermanence of all that exists, the sands are swept
up together, half of it distributed to the audience, and the other half placed in an urn and poured into a
nearby body of water which will carry the healing energies throughout the world.
Every tantric system has its own mandala, and each one symbolizes a particular existential and
spiritual approach. For example, the mandala of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara symbolizes
compassion as a central focus of the spiritual experience; that of Manjushri takes wisdom as the
central focus; and that of Vajrapani emphasizes the need for courage and strength in the quest for
sacred knowledge.
The process of creating a mandala sand painting in Madison began on September 16 with an
opening ceremony in which the Tibetan lamas consecrated the Memorial Union hall by inviting forces of
goodness. They did so by chanting and reciting mantras. Then the lamas drew an outline of the mandala
on a wooden table. The following day started the art work of pouring the colored sands onto the design,
using traditional metal funnels called “chak-pur.” Each monk held a chak-pur in one hand, and
simultaneously ran a metal rod on the grated surface. The vibration created caused the sands to
flow. This tedious process continued for the next several days until the closing ceremony on
September 20. On the back of the hall where the mandala was created was a photo of His Holiness The
Dalai Lama, who specifically endorsed “The Mystical Art of Tibet” performance as a means of promoting
world peace and healing. Hundreds of people watched the creation of this Tibetan sacred art at the
Memorial Union, and most of them received a small plastic bag of the colored sands after the mandala
was dismantled. There was again chanting and mantra recitation as well as sacred music, during the
closing ceremony. The monks later poured the remaining colored sands into the edge of Lake Mendota,
while Madisonians watched in awe, many of whom were hoping for peace throughout the world …
precisely the message of His Holiness The Dalai Lama.
(Counterclockwise from top right) A lama sweeps the
sand mandala as part of the closing ceremony;
colored sands and tools used to create the sand
mandala; Tibetan monks create the sand mandala at
the Memorial Union; lamas perform the closing rites;
chanting at the edge of Lake Mendota; pouring the
colored sands that made up the sand mandala onto
Lake Mendota.
sand mandala as part of the closing ceremony;
colored sands and tools used to create the sand
mandala; Tibetan monks create the sand mandala at
the Memorial Union; lamas perform the closing rites;
chanting at the edge of Lake Mendota; pouring the
colored sands that made up the sand mandala onto
Lake Mendota.