By Madelyn Cory
Staff Writer
Last week, refugee monks from the Drepung Gomang Institute created a mandala – a sand drawing representing the highest form of Buddhist practice – as part of the Sacred Arts Tour that wove through Chapel Hill.
From a Tibetan Cultural Pageant at University Mall and The ArtsCenter to butter sculpture workshops at the Chapel Hill Museum, the tour has left a mark on the town.
Chapel Hill event coordinator Eve Barkley organized all of the events.
“It has been a real community project because of the facilities and organizations that have all helped,†said Barkley. “We’ve had a really good turnout because of that.â€
Barkley said the experience has been a rare one for participants. “It has really resonated with the community,†she said.
The creation of the sand mandala began with an opening ceremony on May 22 in which the monks consecrated the old Chapel Hill Museum. Construction started with the drawing of the design on the base – all done completely from memory and meditation. The sand used was from a previous mandala creation in Newark, N.J., which was blessed by the Dalai Lama.
The Buddhist deity chosen for this mandala was the Green Tara, a female Buddha. Monk Phuntsok, translator for the refugee monks, shared the importance of this particular deity.
“The Green Tara is very special in helping all sentient beings in the practice of compassion, tolerance and well-being,†said Phuntsok. “This sand mandala is offered to the town of Chapel Hill.â€
After the mandala was finished, to symbolize the impermanence of all that exists, 5 ounces of the colored sands were swept up and poured into Bolin Creek where the waters can carry what the monks say are healing energies throughout the community. Some of the remaining sand was given out, and the rest will be used for the next mandala creation in New York City.
To celebrate the mandala and the Sacred Arts Tour, the Ackland Art Museum will host a free event, Out of the Studio: Evening of Tibetan Culture & Performance, today (Thursday) from 6 to 8 p.m. in the Avery Gallery.
For more information about the Ackland show, contact Emily Bowles at esbowles@email.unc.edu, or for more information about the refugee monks and sand mandala, visit gomang.org.