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Buddhist Sand Mandala for Peace at Glencairn Museum

From Wednesday, April 6 through Sunday, April 10, 2011, the Venerable Losang Samten (the first Buddhist given permission by the Dalai Lama to make Mandalas in the West), will be creating a traditional Sand Mandala in the Great Hall of Glencairn Museum.

Students, faculty, and community members are welcome to witness the step-by-step creation of the Mandala, an ancient art form of Tibetan Buddhism. Mandalas are drawings in sand of the world in its divine form; they represent a map by which the ordinary human mind is transformed into an enlightened mind. This year's Sand Mandala will stand for peace.

Over the course of five days, the Venerable Losang Samten will complete the Mandala. Then, during Glencairn's Sacred Arts Festival on Sunday he will ritualistically dismantle it.

Sacred Arts Festival at Glencairn Museum

Glencairn Museum presents religious life through the ages using art and artifacts from a variety of cultures and time periods. On April 10, at their annual Sacred Arts Festival, the festivities will include the traditional dismantling of a Sand Mandala.

Stone carvers will demonstrate the finer points of their craft, and there will be live demonstrations on Glencairn's replica Gutenberg-style printing press. Guests can peruse Glencairn's temporary exhibition, "From Gutenberg to Kindle: The Art of Bible Making," listen to sacred music, see stained glass panels being painted, and tour the Museum's galleries and interactive activities.

Admission for the first floor and the Sand Mandala is free. Additional activities are $5 per person.