Monks from the Gaden Shartse monastery in India will visit Rice University Oct. 16-20 to create a sand mandala with accompanying rituals and lecture at the Moody Center for the Arts.
In a series of events throughout the week, Tibetan monks will create a sand mandala for public viewing, perform opening and closing rituals and present a lecture on Buddhist concepts of life, death and rebirth. The lecture and rituals will be led by Geshe Lharampa Jampa Chodak, ritual master.
“This is an incredible opportunity to see world-class specialists demonstrate an essential practice and speak about the fundamental beliefs of Tibetan Buddhism. More than an elaborate artistic form, the sand mandala is key to understanding the Buddhist spiritual path,” said Eric Huntington, T.T. and W.F. Chao Assistant Professor in the Department of Transnational Asian Studies.
The sand mandala is one of the most famous aspects of Tibetan Buddhism, an intricate artistic object created to purify, empower and enlighten. Constructed from colored powder and finely ground stone, the sand mandala is both labor-intensive and ephemeral, being destroyed just after its completion to finalize its effect.
The week will begin with an opening ritual Oct. 16 followed by public viewings throughout the week and a dissolution ritual Oct. 20. A public lecture will be held Oct. 17 at the Moody Center’s Lois Chiles Studio Theater focused on the topics of death, bardo and rebirth, explaining the stages and goals of life and death from the perspective of Tibetan Buddhism.
These events are made possible through support from the Chao Center for Asian Studies , the Humanities Research Center, the Department of Religion and the Moody Center for the Arts.
To learn more about these events, visit chaocenter.rice.edu/events/mandala or contact huntington@rice.edu.