By Stephanie Nicotra
Walking into the lobby of Carruth Rizza Hall this past week, one would see several men dressed in red robes, hear a metallic scraping
One of the traditional works of art Tibetan monks create are sand mandalas, an elaborate art form which involves the careful arrangement of colorful, finely ground stones. The purpose of the art work is to create an environment in which a traditional blessing can be given.
and possibly the low hum of prayers.
Seven monks, one American and the others of Tibetan descent and one translator from the Gaden Shartse Monastery in Mundgod, India, came to SRU with the purpose to try to be a benefit to others as well as to preserve Tibetan culture according to Dr. Andrew Colvin, assistant professor of philosophy.
These monks are on a 20-month tour across the United States and are going to Omaha, Nebraska when they leave Slippery Rock.
They began the creation of a sand mandala, which is a very elaborate and colorful art form that uses finely ground gemstones, on Monday.
“Mandala are actually not just a two-dimensional sand thing, a mandala is a three dimensional radiant thing that is visualized and tantric practitioners actually get inducted into mandala,” Venerable Jangchub Chophel, the director of the foundation and an American monk, said.
The idea of creating a mandala is to benefit others.
“Well the point of creating the sand mandala, we’re going to work all week on this, we’re going to create this work of art and then we’re going to sweep it up, why do we do that?” Chophel said. “What they are doing they are creating an environment, this space, to receive the blessings and have the area blessed purified cleansed of negatives so after effort, intention, concentration they are going to create this always with the intention that it be a benefit to all human beings. Read More »
