Creating and Letting Go: Tibetan Monks’ Sacred Mandala
In mid-October, a group of Tibetan monks from the Drepung Gomang Monastery brought an aspect of their tradition to PVCC. Over the course of four days, for four hours a day, they constructed a mandala, or sacred circle, from colored sand, symbolizing world peace. The artwork, a blend of Buddhist imagery and symbols from several world religions, invited the community to reflect on the values of unity, peace, stress, and meditation.
The event was organized by Danzing Thomson, adjunct instructor of eastern religion; Kit Decker, interim dean of humanities; Kristine Swanson, assistant professor of French; and Mary-Evelyn Sellars, coordinator of student life and campus engagement. Together, they created an atmosphere of mindfulness and community engagement.
In the Main Building event space, the monks worked with quiet concentration, dressed in maroon and yellow robes that added a rich sense of holiness to the space. Students, faculty, and community members gathered in a semicircle around the mandala, watching in respect as the monks used small metal funnels to lay out the sand with intricate precision. The rhythmic scraping of the funnels became a meditative sound, as Decker said, a “reminder to sit, breathe, and be present.”
The usual tables, chairs, and computers in the space had been pushed aside to make room for the monks. Audience members were invited to move in closer; some chose to sit cross-legged on the floor, while others preferred to curl up in cushioned chairs. As the mandala took shape throughout the week, it became a vivid mosaic of colors, forming patterns and symbols of peace that spoke to the monk’s message of harmony.
The event ended in a closing ceremony on Oct. 17, and the organizers and monks (with the help of Thomson’s translation) introduced the final stage of the mandala’s journey. The monks chanted prayers before proceeding to sweep away the work of art they had spent days carefully arranging. The monk’s words, “Nothing is built on stone; everything is built on sand,” reminded the audience of life’s impermanence and why the mandala needed to be swept away.
To end the ceremony, the monks distributed small bags of sand to members of the audience, offering a piece of the mandala for each to take home. For those present, the event was a transformative experience, one that offered not just art, but a deeper reflection into life’s impermanence, stress, unity, and peace.
