While a mandala may seem pure art, this configuration of images and symbols guides focus - and thus aids meditation - in certain Eastern spiritual practices.
Mandalas appear ubiquitously in nature; they're created in sundry materials, and they're rendered in paints and other media on various surfaces.
One manifestation is the sand mandala, which is created - and destroyed - over time and ritualistically. Originating in India, the techniques of sand mandala painting were taught by Buddha Shakyamuni in the sixth century BCE; its creation is now incorporated into Tibetan Buddhist practice.
According to the Asia Society, all of these aesthetic gems "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 nonprofit organization writes.
All can witness the mandala creation process through Friday morning this week at 118 Elliot in Brattleboro, as River Gallery School (RGS) hosts Lama Tenzin Yignyen for "Creating Avalokiteshvara, the Sand Mandala of Compassion."
Visitors are encouraged to stop by between 11 a.m. and 5 p.m. on Wednesday, May 8 and Thursday, May 9 to witness the creation.
On Wednesday night, a community talk from 6 to 7:30 p.m. will provide an opportunity to engage with Lama Tenzin and learn more about the spiritual significance of the mandala. On Friday, May 10 at 10:30 a.m. the public is invited to partake in the dismantling of the mandala.
All events, including the Wednesday night talk, are free.
Design in sand made from rocks
To make the mandala, explains RGS Executive Director Kimberly Carmody, Lama Tenzin uses Indian sand "made from rocks [...] gathered from rivers and waterfalls and then crushed down to a fine white sand, which is cleaned and dyed many colors."
"Then the sand is formed into ancient designs with the use of a special metal funnel and rod," she continues. "Some mandalas are made in just one day; others take months to complete."
The sand isn't fastened to the table in a permanent way - it's not meant to be saved, she says.
In Friday's dismantling ceremony Lama Tenzin invites participants to help sweep up the sand, which is scooped into a vase, brought to the nearest body of water, and returned to the Earth.
"This process embodies impermanence and challenges many people's ideas of ownership which are shaped by our capitalist society," Carmody says. "Additionally, reuniting the blessed sand with the Earth highlights sustainability and stewardship."
A sacred art form
The Venerable Lama Tenzin Yignyen, an ordained Tibetan Buddhist monk, holds a degree of Master of Sutra and Tantra studies from the Namgyal Monastery of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, India.
He has taught Tibetan Buddhism, art, and language at Namgyal branch monastery in Ithaca, New York, since 2021 and has created sand mandalas in museums and art galleries, and secondary schools, as well as colleges and universities throughout North America, from Honolulu to Canada.
Currently living in Geneva, New York, Lama Tenzin has been a visiting professor for Tibetan Buddhism at Hobart and William Smith Colleges, where he has been teaching Buddhist studies and the art of sand mandalas for over 40 years.
"The mandala is a reflection or expression of our inner self - our inner positive qualities," he explains in a RGS press release. "It presents us with opportunities to cherish those qualities and a means to rid ourselves of negative qualities, so [that] we may be happy and peaceful."
Lama Tenzin says that the message of the Mandala "includes all the important elements that can make us a happy and caring person. The construction is considered as a blessing for the area and for the people who live where it is constructed."
This sacred art form, he says, "symbolizes love, compassion, generosity, wisdom, and appreciation, and serves as a profound testament to the beauty and interconnectedness of all beings."
Carmody explains that "creating the mandala is a meditation based in gratitude for humanity and the Earth."
"The messages of love, compassion, generosity, appreciation and wisdom which the symbols in the mandala represent, foster a very special atmosphere," she says.
"The intrinsic nature of the mandala is about how to bring joy and peace into one's life," Carmody adds. "This kind of atmosphere fosters friendships, personal connections, and community bonds."
Asked why it's important to offer witness to this creative process here in Brattleboro and now, Carmody explains that this event is part of a "five-year initiative to support mental health, wellness, and social cohesion in Brattleboro."
Thus, Lama Tenzin Yignyen will make a sand mandala here each year through 2028.
A message of joy, equanimity
Bringing Lama Tenzin to Brattleboro, Carmody continues, "is manifesting our belief in a world where creativity and its expression are important parts of life, and where society values the arts and the diversity of cultures and experiences they represent."
Every year, RGS "will do focused outreach to distinct communities in the area. This year our focus is on bringing children to meet Lama Tenzin and see the mandala," she says.
"As Lama Tenzin shares the ancient art of sand mandalas with Vermonters, his message of how to bring joy and equanimity into our own hearts will help people navigate our increasingly complex world," Carmody says.
She says the benefits of Lama Tenzin returning to the same community each year "are numerous."
"It provides an opportunity for visitors to connect with one another and with Lama Tenzin to build meaningful relationships and memories over time, which nurtures community," she says.
More than 400 area school children will have visited the Mandala and met Lama Tenzin through the course of the week, through the nonprofit's Art in Schools residency program, which connects RGS teaching artists with Oak Grove School in Brattleboro, Guilford Central School, and Newbrook Elementary in Newfane.
"We are providing funding to bus students from these three local schools to see the sand mandala and meet Lama Tenzin," Carmody says.
Students at all of these schools also received a lesson and had the opportunity to make their own small sand mandala, she noted.
"Additionally, students from Green Street School and Inspire School, and the Ethiopian Community Development Center (ECDC) have signed up to bring groups of students to this event," Carmody says.
Destroying the mandala recognizes impermanence
On Friday at 10:30 a.m., the public is welcome to partake in the destruction of the mandala that's been in creation since Monday and thus partake in recognition of impermanence, of the ephemeral nature of existence.
The closing ceremony will incorporate a walk from 118 Elliot through town to Whetstone pathway, where Lama Tenzin, Carmody explains, "will return the sand to the Earth by offering it to the brook."
This Arts item by Annie Landenberger was written for The Commons.