A Sacred Art of Tibet
The Sand Mandala
The Sand Mandala
By Heidi M. Pascual
“It is so beautiful!”
“What an awesome creation!”
“This art is so unique and obviously very difficult to make!”
“Wow! I’ve never seen one like this before!”
These were just some of the comments from spectators who watched three Tibetan monks
(Lamas) construct a colorful sand mandala at the Memorial Union’s Main Lounge on Sept. 19. The
monks were part of a team from Drepung Loseling Monastery (based in Georgia, U.S.A.) who were in
Madison to perform “Mystical Arts of Tibet” at the Madison World Music Festival that same day. They
are renowned for their “multiphonic singing, unique Tibetan instruments and beautiful traditional
garb.” They were also UW-Madison’s “artists in residence” while they constructed a mandala every
day from September 16 to Sept. 20, a sacred art work that took hours and hours to make.
About Mandala Sand Painting (Summarized from “The Mystical Art of Tibet”)
One of the most exquisite and unique of the artistic traditions of Tantric Buddhism, dul-tson-kyil-
khor (mandala of colored powders) consists of millions of grains of sand (in various colors)
painstakingly laid on a flat platform over a period of days or weeks.
The Mandala is used as a tool for re-consecrating the earth and its people. In general, all
mandalas have outer, inner and secret meanings. The outer level represents the world in its divine
form, while the inner level represents a map by which the ordinary human mind is transformed into
enlightened mind; and the secret level depicts the primordially perfect balance of the subtle energies
of the body and the clear light dimension of the mind. The creation of a sand painting is said to purify
and heal. When the mandala is completed, to symbolize the impermanence of all that exists, the
sands are swept up together, half of it distributed to the audience, and the other half placed in an urn
and poured into a nearby body of water which will carry the healing energies throughout the world.
Every tantric system has its own mandala, and each one symbolizes a particular existential and
spiritual approach. For example, the mandala of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara symbolizes
compassion as a central focus of the spiritual experience; that of Manjushri takes wisdom as the
central focus; and that of Vajrapani emphasizes the need for courage and strength in the quest for
sacred knowledge.
The process of creating a mandala sand painting in Madison began on September 16 with an
opening ceremony in which the Tibetan lamas consecrated the Memorial Union hall by inviting forces
of goodness. They did so by chanting and reciting mantras. Then the lamas drew an outline of the
mandala on a wooden table. The following day started the art work of pouring the colored sands onto
the design, using traditional metal funnels called “chak-pur.” Each monk held a chak-pur in one hand,
and simultaneously ran a metal rod on the grated surface. The vibration created caused the sands to
flow. This tedious process continued for the next several days until the closing ceremony on
September 20. On the back of the hall where the mandala was created was a photo of His Holiness
The Dalai Lama, who specifically endorsed “The Mystical Art of Tibet” performance as a means of
promoting world peace and healing. Hundreds of people watched the creation of this Tibetan sacred
art at the Memorial Union, and most of them received a small plastic bag of the colored sands after
the mandala was dismantled. There was again chanting and mantra recitation as well as sacred
music, during the closing ceremony. The monks later poured the remaining colored sands into the
edge of Lake Mendota, while Madisonians watched in awe, many of whom were hoping for peace
throughout the world … precisely the message of His Holiness The Dalai Lama.
“It is so beautiful!”
“What an awesome creation!”
“This art is so unique and obviously very difficult to make!”
“Wow! I’ve never seen one like this before!”
These were just some of the comments from spectators who watched three Tibetan monks
(Lamas) construct a colorful sand mandala at the Memorial Union’s Main Lounge on Sept. 19. The
monks were part of a team from Drepung Loseling Monastery (based in Georgia, U.S.A.) who were in
Madison to perform “Mystical Arts of Tibet” at the Madison World Music Festival that same day. They
are renowned for their “multiphonic singing, unique Tibetan instruments and beautiful traditional
garb.” They were also UW-Madison’s “artists in residence” while they constructed a mandala every
day from September 16 to Sept. 20, a sacred art work that took hours and hours to make.
About Mandala Sand Painting (Summarized from “The Mystical Art of Tibet”)
One of the most exquisite and unique of the artistic traditions of Tantric Buddhism, dul-tson-kyil-
khor (mandala of colored powders) consists of millions of grains of sand (in various colors)
painstakingly laid on a flat platform over a period of days or weeks.
The Mandala is used as a tool for re-consecrating the earth and its people. In general, all
mandalas have outer, inner and secret meanings. The outer level represents the world in its divine
form, while the inner level represents a map by which the ordinary human mind is transformed into
enlightened mind; and the secret level depicts the primordially perfect balance of the subtle energies
of the body and the clear light dimension of the mind. The creation of a sand painting is said to purify
and heal. When the mandala is completed, to symbolize the impermanence of all that exists, the
sands are swept up together, half of it distributed to the audience, and the other half placed in an urn
and poured into a nearby body of water which will carry the healing energies throughout the world.
Every tantric system has its own mandala, and each one symbolizes a particular existential and
spiritual approach. For example, the mandala of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara symbolizes
compassion as a central focus of the spiritual experience; that of Manjushri takes wisdom as the
central focus; and that of Vajrapani emphasizes the need for courage and strength in the quest for
sacred knowledge.
The process of creating a mandala sand painting in Madison began on September 16 with an
opening ceremony in which the Tibetan lamas consecrated the Memorial Union hall by inviting forces
of goodness. They did so by chanting and reciting mantras. Then the lamas drew an outline of the
mandala on a wooden table. The following day started the art work of pouring the colored sands onto
the design, using traditional metal funnels called “chak-pur.” Each monk held a chak-pur in one hand,
and simultaneously ran a metal rod on the grated surface. The vibration created caused the sands to
flow. This tedious process continued for the next several days until the closing ceremony on
September 20. On the back of the hall where the mandala was created was a photo of His Holiness
The Dalai Lama, who specifically endorsed “The Mystical Art of Tibet” performance as a means of
promoting world peace and healing. Hundreds of people watched the creation of this Tibetan sacred
art at the Memorial Union, and most of them received a small plastic bag of the colored sands after
the mandala was dismantled. There was again chanting and mantra recitation as well as sacred
music, during the closing ceremony. The monks later poured the remaining colored sands into the
edge of Lake Mendota, while Madisonians watched in awe, many of whom were hoping for peace
throughout the world … precisely the message of His Holiness The Dalai Lama.