Imagine making a beautifully intricate work of art by hand only to sweep it up and release it into the river once you're done.
Over two days at Cargo this weekend (September 18 through 20) visiting Tibetan monks will do just that.
First the monks will create a mandala at a large table inside Cargo, using small batches of sand mixed with vegetable dyes. Mandala, by the way, means "circle" in Sanskrit; the designs are patterned after those created by the Buddha and recorded in ancient texts. These elaborate mandala patterns have been memorized by monks, many of who begin their studies as young children in monasteries.
That's true of Ngawang Chojor, the monk who will lead this particular mandala project. He is a bit of a celebrity for his artistic accomplishments and for having appeared with Brad Pitt in the film Seven Years in Tibet. Chojor comes from Namgyal monastery, personal home of the Dalai Lama.
"He's the real deal," says Cargo owner Patty Merrill.
Once completed, the mandala will be dismantled in a ceremony that is a metaphor for the impermanence of all things, including things of great beauty.
The sacred act of mandala creation was only viewable by monks and nuns inside monasteries at one time. The Dalai Lama lifted that ban in 1988 so here is your chance.
It is believed that witnessing the creation of a mandala forges ties within the people in attendance and that it also strengthens community. According to Buddhist beliefs, feeling sadness when the mandala is destroyed is a sign that the heart is functioning.
"This will be one of the coolest things we've done at Cargo and we want people to be a part of it," says Merrill.
Disclosure: Michaela Bancud works part-time at Cargo.
Mandala creation commences at 11 a.m. Friday, September 18; reception for the Venerable Ngawang Chojor is scheduled from 4–6 p.m. Friday, September 18. Construction continues 11-5 p.m. Saturday September 19 and 11 a.m. to late afternoon Sunday, September 20, followed by a Dismantling Ceremony.
photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/davdenic/ / CC BY-NC-ND 2.0
