Creation of a Green Tara Sand Mandala

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Sunday, May 30th, 2010
May 25 - May 29 10:00 am - 5:00 pm May 30 10:00 am - 2:00 pm Closing procession to Harbour at 2:00 pm

The Immigrant Welcome Centre is please to present the creation of a Green Tara Sand Mandala in the Nanaimo Museum Lobby. The public is invited to watch the progress of the creation throughout the week.

The creation of sand mandalas is an exacting and intensely artistic process. Tibetan monks undergo many years of training to accomplish this art. Lama Tsundu spent 18 years in the monastery and retinue of His Holiness the Dalai Lama.

Special sands are brought from India and then hand colored - every detail has a spiritual significance. The mandala takes innumerable hours of concentrated effort to create. The destruction of the mandala at the end of the period for which it is created demonstrates the principle of the impermanence of our lives and the futility of clinging to material life.

Before laying down the sand, the geometric measurements associated with the mandala must be drawn on the base. The sand granules are then applied using small tubes, funnels, and scrapers, until the desired pattern is achieved. A large amount of time and work is involved in arranging the sand in such intricate detail. The mandala is created one section of the diagram at a time, usually working from the center outwards. Every detail of the mandala, every pattern and color, has a symbolic and intrinsic meaning.

Each day will begin with a 20 minute meditation session - everyone welcome.