Mandala Sand Painting - Brookdale Community College

INT3033 mandala prgrm05 10/21/05 9:53 AM Page 1
The world is our community !
The Ritual Arts of Tibet:
Mandala
Sand
Painting
November 28-30,
2005
For more information on other cultural and educational events, including performing the sacred
dances of Tibet, teachings and
lectures, please contact:
THE NAMGYAL MONASTERY
Institute of Buddhist Studies
P. O. Box 127
Ithaca, New York 14851
Phone: (607) 273-0739
Fax: (607) 256-5132
Email: [email protected]
Web site: www.namgyal.org
For more information on other International
Festival events contact:
BROOKDALE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
International Center
765 Newman Springs Road
Lincroft, New Jersey 07738-1597
Phone: (732) 224-2799
Fax: (732) 224-2790
CVA Gallery
Lincroft campus
(parking lots 1 & 2)
Sponsored by the I nternational Center and Student Life and
Activit ies
INT3033 mandala prgrm05 10/21/05 9:53 AM Page 1
The world is our community !
The Ritual Arts of Tibet:
Mandala
Sand
Painting
November 28-30,
2005
For more information on other cultural and educational events, including performing the sacred
dances of Tibet, teachings and
lectures, please contact:
THE NAMGYAL MONASTERY
Institute of Buddhist Studies
P. O. Box 127
Ithaca, New York 14851
Phone: (607) 273-0739
Fax: (607) 256-5132
Email: [email protected]
Web site: www.namgyal.org
For more information on other International
Festival events contact:
BROOKDALE COMMUNITY COLLEGE
International Center
765 Newman Springs Road
Lincroft, New Jersey 07738-1597
Phone: (732) 224-2799
Fax: (732) 224-2790
CVA Gallery
Lincroft campus
(parking lots 1 & 2)
Sponsored by the I nternational Center and Student Life and
Activit ies
INT3033 mandala prgrm05 10/21/05 9:54 AM Page 3
The Ritual Arts of Tibet:
Mandala Sand Painting
AT B RO OKDAL E COM MU NI TY COL LEGE
Lectures: “Introduction to the Art of Sand
Mandalas”
Delivered by the Monks
Monday, Nov. 28 at 1:30 p.m., Student Life Center, Twin
Lights I
Tuesday, Nov. 29 at 10:30 a.m., Performing Arts Center, Rm
101
Wednesday, Nov. 30 at 10:30 a.m., Student Life Center, Twin
Lights II
Lecture: “ Tibet: The Roof of the World”
Tuesday, Nov. 29 at 7:00 p.m., Student Life Center, Twin
hat is Buddhism?
Lights IIfollowing
W
Eightfold
Path (Buddhist
Delivered by Ms. Dorothy Reilly, pastthe
director
of education
at
is a religion practice
teachings).
Buddhism
throughout Asia and the world.
It began in India about 2500 years
ago. Buddhists believe that all
beings are reborn into the world
many times and that each lifetime
is an opportunity to
learn and follow Buddhist teachings and thus reach nirvana, a
state of perfection. Buddha
is the name of the founder of this
religion.
He taught that all beings, animals,
plants and people are related to
one another. He taught
the four Noble Truths:
1.
2.
3.
4.
All life is suffering.
Suffering is caused by desires.
There can be an end to desire.
The end to desire is found by
form of Buddhism practiced
The
in Tibet places great importance on kindness and compassion to all beings. Tibetan
Buddhists believe that widespread practice of kindness and
compassion will bring universal
enlightenment and relief from
suffering. Some of the figures in
these paintings are called bodhisattvas; these teachers, out of
compassion for the suffering of
others, have chosen to be reborn
into the world rather than to
achieve nirvana. This act of kindness helps the whole world.
does a Tibetan monk
What
do?
people in Tibet have traMany
ditionally
chosen to be monks or nuns.
Tibetan monks wear distinctive
deep red robes and
have short hair. Before dawn
each day, monks rise and pray
by chanting and beating drums
and cymbals, sometimes for
three hours at a time. Some
monks are constantly dedicated
to prayer and the study of scripture, but many also have other
roles, such as builders, cooks,
teachers or artists.
Who is the Dalai Lama?
most honored of Tibetan
The
monks are called lamas, and
the most revered of
these is the Dalai Lama. Each
Dalai Lama is believed to be the
reincarnation of all Dalai Lamas
before him. Since the 1500s,
the Dalai Lama has been considered the political and religious
leader of Tibet. Currently, the
fourteenth Dalai Lama lives in
India; he won the Nobel Prize for
Peace in 1989.
What is a mandala?
a word that means
Mandalas,
“sacred
circle,” are sacred compositions
created in sand or in paint, or
even in three dimensions, and are
symbols of the pure universe.
They are images of perfect
worlds where
various deities reside. Mandalas are
like maps, showing the patterns
and structure of a perfect universe
and as a cosmic diagram of Buddhahood; it establishes a meditative
pattern for enlightenment. Sand
mandalas are especially important
in Tibet; knowing how to make
them is a key skill for a monk to
have, and they are usually created
within monasteries.
each of the hundreds of
Fortantric
deities, there is a man-
dala. Created to embody and
invoke a deity, each contains
outer, inner and secret meaning.
When constructing the mandala,
the monks perceive themselves
within the deity’s domain or
palace. On the outer level, the
mandala represents the world in
its divine form; on the inner level,
it represents
a map or blueprint by which the
ordinary human mind is transformed into the enlightened mind.
On the secret level, the mandala
depicts the perfect primordial balance of the chakras (subtle energies of the body), and the clear
light nature of mind in its true
form.
mystical tantric of sand
The
mandalas is a part of secret ini-
tiation ceremonies. Only recently
has the Dalai Lama permitted
sand mandalas to be made in
public; he sees that it
is an effective way of sharing
Tibetan culture throughout the
world. These elaborate rituals,
often accompanied by costumed
dancers, music and chanting,
grant the privilege to study and
practice the teaching of a tantra.
INT3033 mandala prgrm05 10/21/05 9:54 AM Page 3
The Ritual Arts of Tibet:
Mandala Sand Painting
AT B RO OKDAL E COM MU NI TY COL LEGE
Lectures: “Introduction to the Art of Sand
Mandalas”
Delivered by the Monks
Monday, Nov. 28 at 1:30 p.m., Student Life Center, Twin
Lights I
Tuesday, Nov. 29 at 10:30 a.m., Performing Arts Center, Rm
101
Wednesday, Nov. 30 at 10:30 a.m., Student Life Center, Twin
Lights II
Lecture: “ Tibet: The Roof of the World”
Tuesday, Nov. 29 at 7:00 p.m., Student Life Center, Twin
hat is Buddhism?
Lights IIfollowing
W
Eightfold
Path (Buddhist
Delivered by Ms. Dorothy Reilly, pastthe
director
of education
at
is a religion practice
teachings).
Buddhism
throughout Asia and the world.
It began in India about 2500 years
ago. Buddhists believe that all
beings are reborn into the world
many times and that each lifetime
is an opportunity to
learn and follow Buddhist teachings and thus reach nirvana, a
state of perfection. Buddha
is the name of the founder of this
religion.
He taught that all beings, animals,
plants and people are related to
one another. He taught
the four Noble Truths:
1.
2.
3.
4.
All life is suffering.
Suffering is caused by desires.
There can be an end to desire.
The end to desire is found by
form of Buddhism practiced
The
in Tibet places great importance on kindness and compassion to all beings. Tibetan
Buddhists believe that widespread practice of kindness and
compassion will bring universal
enlightenment and relief from
suffering. Some of the figures in
these paintings are called bodhisattvas; these teachers, out of
compassion for the suffering of
others, have chosen to be reborn
into the world rather than to
achieve nirvana. This act of kindness helps the whole world.
does a Tibetan monk
What
do?
people in Tibet have traMany
ditionally
chosen to be monks or nuns.
Tibetan monks wear distinctive
deep red robes and
have short hair. Before dawn
each day, monks rise and pray
by chanting and beating drums
and cymbals, sometimes for
three hours at a time. Some
monks are constantly dedicated
to prayer and the study of scripture, but many also have other
roles, such as builders, cooks,
teachers or artists.
Who is the Dalai Lama?
most honored of Tibetan
The
monks are called lamas, and
the most revered of
these is the Dalai Lama. Each
Dalai Lama is believed to be the
reincarnation of all Dalai Lamas
before him. Since the 1500s,
the Dalai Lama has been considered the political and religious
leader of Tibet. Currently, the
fourteenth Dalai Lama lives in
India; he won the Nobel Prize for
Peace in 1989.
What is a mandala?
a word that means
Mandalas,
“sacred
circle,” are sacred compositions
created in sand or in paint, or
even in three dimensions, and are
symbols of the pure universe.
They are images of perfect
worlds where
various deities reside. Mandalas are
like maps, showing the patterns
and structure of a perfect universe
and as a cosmic diagram of Buddhahood; it establishes a meditative
pattern for enlightenment. Sand
mandalas are especially important
in Tibet; knowing how to make
them is a key skill for a monk to
have, and they are usually created
within monasteries.
each of the hundreds of
Fortantric
deities, there is a man-
dala. Created to embody and
invoke a deity, each contains
outer, inner and secret meaning.
When constructing the mandala,
the monks perceive themselves
within the deity’s domain or
palace. On the outer level, the
mandala represents the world in
its divine form; on the inner level,
it represents
a map or blueprint by which the
ordinary human mind is transformed into the enlightened mind.
On the secret level, the mandala
depicts the perfect primordial balance of the chakras (subtle energies of the body), and the clear
light nature of mind in its true
form.
mystical tantric of sand
The
mandalas is a part of secret ini-
tiation ceremonies. Only recently
has the Dalai Lama permitted
sand mandalas to be made in
public; he sees that it
is an effective way of sharing
Tibetan culture throughout the
world. These elaborate rituals,
often accompanied by costumed
dancers, music and chanting,
grant the privilege to study and
practice the teaching of a tantra.