Mandala: A Spiritual Experience of Tibet

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — In 1988, His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama, the spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhism, allowed the first construction of a mandala in the west to be open to the public. This mandala was the Kalachakra Mandala and was constructed in sand by the Namgyal Monks from Dharamsala India at the Natural History Museum in New York City.

Two Tibetan monks teaching at the University of Arkansas will create the mandala of Buddha Akshobhya in the Bogle Exhibit Hall on the 5th floor of Old Main. The opening ceremony will be at 7 p.m. Monday, Nov. 6., with the closing ceremony scheduled for 4 p.m. Friday, Nov. 17. The public is invited to watch Geshe Dorjee and Rinzin Dorjee as they construct this intricate and beautiful mandala, made with the use of a chakpur, an elongated metal funnel that allows the artist to control the speed and flow of the sand. Accomplished sand painters can make the sand flow one grain at a time. They will be working every day, Monday through Friday from 9 to 11 a.m. and 2 to 4 p.m., assisted by honors students in the J. William Fulbright College of Arts and Sciences.

The Venerable Geshe Dorjee is teaching an honors colloquium this fall on Tibetan philosophy and culture as well as a course in Buddhist philosophy. In the spring, he will offer a course on Mahatma Gandhi and the Dalai Lama.

His Holiness the Dalai Lama opened up the viewing of the original mandala as a cultural offering, and as a means to preserve Tibetan culture. His Holiness felt that it would be a benefit to the world, as it would enhance the lives of all living beings near the construction site. Since then, mandalas have been constructed around the world to great acclaim.

A mandala is thought to bring peace and harmony to the area where it is being constructed. Simply viewing a mandala is believed by Buddhists to be enough to change one's spiritual awareness by creating a strong imprint of the beautiful perfection of the Buddha's mind as represented in the mandala itself. As a result of this imprint, Buddhists believe viewers can find greater compassion and a clearer sense of well-being.

“It is quite an honor that Geshe Dorjee and Rinzin Dorjee have decided to create a mandala for us. The one they have chosen represents the purification of form, both inner and outer forms, and so it is to the creation of a purer, more joyful environment that their work is dedicated,” said Sidney Burris, director of the Fulbright College honors program. “Their wish is that all of us both here in Old Main and in the surrounding community prosper in a healthy and life-giving environment.”

Tibetans see the mandala as a sacred object. After spending many hours of intricate labor, the monks destroy the mandala when it is finished, dramatizing the impermanence of our lives. They will then distribute small amounts of the consecrated sand to those who are present. They will pour the remaining sand into the stream that runs through Wilson Park so that its healing power will spread throughout our community and beyond.