Monks teach students about culture, patience, and sacred art

Will Andress ’17 spent a lot of time in his second week of college talking with Tibetan monks and watching them work on art that is sacred to them.

A group of Buddhist monks from Tashi Kyil Monastery spent the past five days at Randolph building a sand mandala—a colorful work of art made by placing thousands of grains of sand to depict symbols sacred in Tibetan Buddhism. They created an Avalokitesvara mandala representing the Bodhisattva of Compassion.

“I have always been interested in the Eastern religious traditions, and the monks were certainly knowledge about that,” Andress said. “On a more general level, I wanted to spend time with them to see their perspective, which would be vastly different from my own.”

Andress learned more about the monks’ religious practices and their language. He also spent some time watching the men build the intricate mandala, which they made in nearly complete silence by leaning over a platform to drop a few grains of sand at a time. Seeing their patience caused Andress to ponder his attitude towards life. “Many times I become too wrapped up and worried about everyday life,” he said. “I need to live in what is happening in the present.”

In addition to creating the mandala, the monks answered questions following a popular film about a monastery and performed a cultural presentation. On Wednesday, after they finished the mandala, they allowed members of the Randolph community and the general public to come get a closer look at the mandala. Then the monks completed their work with a ceremony that involved wiping the sand to destroy the mandala pattern and pouring the sand into a creek.

“I learned that for them, destroying the beautiful mandala that they had worked so hard to build over the last couple of days was not a difficult process for them because they understood that nothing is permanent, including the Mandala,” Andress said.

Monks return to make another mandala at Randolph in Sept. 2013

A group of Tibetan Buddhist monks will return to Randolph College in September to construct a sacred sand mandala.

The monks from Tashi Kyil Monastery in Derha Dun, India, are on a tour of the United States. They visited Randolph on their tour in 2011. Suzanne Bessenger, assistant professor of religious studies, invited them back.

An opening ceremony will take place on Saturday, Sept. 7, at 12:45 p.m. in Houston Memorial Chapel, during which the monks will dedicate the space for the sacred artwork. The public is invited to watch them work daily from 10 a.m. – 5 p.m.  On September 11, at 3:30 p.m., the monks will hold a closing ceremony in which they will destroy the mandala and disperse its colorful sand into a nearby creek.

“This is a great opportunity to witness an historic form of religious art,” said Bessenger. “I hope that Randolph students and Lynchburg area residents take advantage of the opportunity to come and watch Tibetan Buddhist art in action and to develop relationships with some wonderful people.”

A mandala is created by arranging grains of sand in an intricate pattern containing religious symbols. Bessenger said it has played a significant role in Buddhist thought and practice since at least the sixth century. Its significance in Hindu thought and practice dates earlier. “To be able to witness the evolution of the practice of the mandala art form, here in 21st century Lynchburg, Virginia, is a remarkable opportunity,” she said.

The monks will create an Avalokitesvara mandala representing the Bodhisattva of Compassion. Beginning in the 17th century, Tibetan Buddhists believed this deity incarnated as the Dalai Lama.

When they are not working on the mandala, the monks will offer several public events:

• Sunday, Sept. 8, 7 p.m.—Film screening of “The Cup,” a movie about young monks who manage to find a way to watch the World Cup finals at their monastery.  The monks will answer questions after the movie. Nichols Theatre, Student Center.
• Monday, Sept. 9, 7 p.m.— “Let’s Travel to Tibet,” a cultural program that will include a yak dance, a re-enactment of the story of Tibetan holy man Milarepa, and a debate demonstration. Attendees will receive a guidebook with Tibetan phrases. Houston Memorial Chapel

Like this video? Watch highlights from the 2011 mandala opening ceremony.

Also, Bessenger will present a lecture, “Do Nuns Make Mandalas?” on Tuesday, Sept. 10, at 7 p.m. in Houston Memorial Chapel.

Since the monks will be staying in the residence halls, students will be able to meet and personally interact with them during their visit.

“Randolph students will get to live, eat, and work with Tibetan monks for five days, all without leaving their college campus.  It is a tremendous educational opportunity,” said Bessenger.

“Normally when I teach Buddhism to Randolph students, I use books and other forms of media, which is fine.  It is another thing entirely, however, to be able to live with practicing Tibetan monks, to talk with them about their work, to share meals with them,” she added.

Randolph students listen to Dalai Lama

When he heard the Dalai Lama speak on Wednesday, Paul Rush ’16 had a pleasant surprise. During the first few minutes that the Tibetan Buddhist monk was on stage, he laughed and smiled, and he said several things that made the audience laugh as well.

“Seeing him in person, getting to actually hear his voice, and experiencing his sense of humor struck me a little,” said Rush, one of several Randolph College students who traveled to hear the religious leader speak. “I had guessed he would be very serious. Instead, I saw this humble monk from Tibet.”

Rush, a Buddhist, said seeing the Dalai Lama was an unforgettable, once-in-a-lifetime experience for him. “I learned through his anecdotes that all peoples are basically the same, and it is a great tragedy we live as if our world is separated when we are all one people,” he said.

Suzanne Bessenger, a professor of religious studies, took her first-year seminar class on
Buddhism to hear the Dalai Lama speak at the College of William and Mary Wednesday.

The Dalai Lama came to The College of William and Mary, just a few hours from Randolph, as part of his current lecture tour through the United States. In his speech Wednesday, he emphasized the importance of human compassion and religious tolerance. Haylee Reynolds ’16 was impressed that he did not single out Buddhism as something better than other religions, and he said that good people are found in all faiths. “Although the philosophies of the major world religions differ, he said, they all revolve around the basis of compassion,” Reynolds said.

Suzanne Bessenger, a religious studies professor at Randolph, organized the trip for her class, Sons and Daughters of the Buddha, a seminar course for first-year students. The experience added a unique element for students.

“The course explores the world views and introductory philosophies of Buddhism by examining the life stories of some of its more iconic adherents,” Bessenger said. “Having the chance to see the Dalai Lama, arguably one of the most famous Buddhists alive today, was a great opportunity for my students to see the course material in action.

“Not only did they get to hear a world-renowned scholar-practitioner of Buddhism discuss the very same Buddhist concepts we studied in class, but they also had the opportunity to witness first hand a 20th-21st century life and life story intimately shaped by that tradition,” Bessenger added. “It was a tremendous opportunity.”

Here is a video of the Dalai Lama’s speech on Wednesday.


Video streaming by Ustream

Monks finish mandala and hold closing ceremony at Randolph College

It took more than 30 hours of painstaking, back-breaking labor to create the beautiful sand mandala in the Randolph College chapel, and only a few minutes to destroy it.


Friday afternoon, the monks of Tashi Kyil monastery, in Dehra, Dun, India, conducted a closing ceremony with more than 150 people present.

In chanting and music similar to the opening ceremony (available in video here), they consecrated the mandala and prayed for permission to dismantle it. Then they slowly wiped their hands across the 5' x 5' surface.

Soon, there was nothing left but a blue board with pale colored sand left on it.

The monks swept the sand into a bowl, and passed some of it out in individual bags to people who were present. The sand is said to have healing powers.

Then they walked across campus to a wooded creek that empties into the James River. There, they poured most of the remaining sand into the water. According to Buddhist philosophy, doing this can bless animals in the water and also carry the healing powers of the mandala sand throughout the world.

They kept some sand to carry to the AIDS Walk in Washington, D.C., the next stop on their journey.

Throughout this week, the monks have worked tirelessly in the chapel, lived in one of the College's dorms, interacted with students and community members, explained their beliefs, and sold Tibetan goods to raise money for their monastery. People of various religious traditions marveled at their dedication to create a beautiful work of art with religious significance.

In one week, they became a part of the College community, and they will not be forgotten.

Monks make time for Randolph's preschoolers

Several of the Tibetan monks visiting Randolph's campus this week took time out to meet preschoolers from the College's Nursery School. The monks were putting the final touches on a Medicine Buddha mandala when the preschoolers arrived for a short visit. After watching the monks, the children entertained the visitors with a rehearsal for their upcoming Halloween concert.

Seven monks from the Tashi Kyil Monastery have spent the week creating the sand mandala in the College's chapel. They have worked from 10 a.m until 7 p.m. each day, painstakingly placing millions of grains of colored sand. The monks chose the rocks, smashed and pounded them into sand and colored them while at their monastery in India.

The monks are from Tashikyl, a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Dehra Dun, India. A Buddhist cultural center in Indiana is hosting them for a tour of the United States The monks, who are from a monastery in Dehra, Dun, India, are on the last leg of a U.S. tour designed to share the Tibetan culture, promote peace, and raise much needed funds for their monastery. Their next stop is in Washington, D.C.

Tibetan Monks close week at Randolph with special ceremony

The Buddhist monks visiting Randolph's campus this week will finish their sand medicine mandala today. The closing ceremony is scheduled to begin at 3 p.m. in Houston Memorial Chapel. The monks, who are from a monastery in Dehra, Dun, India, are on the last leg of a U.S. tour designed to share the Tibetan culture, promote peace, and raise much needed funds for their monastery.

See local media stories here:

http://www2.newsadvance.com/news/2011/oct/27/buddhist-monks-work-complete-medicine-mandala-rand-ar-1416292/

http://www.wset.com/story/15862287/buddhist-monks-create-mandala

Monks begin mandala demonstration at Randolph College

Seven monks from the Tashi Kyil Monastery have begun building a sacred sand painting in Houston Memorial Chapel.

More than 100 people attended the opening ceremony Monday afternoon, when the monks consecrated the space with deep chanting and music.

Following the opening ceremony, the monks began measuring and drawing a design on the 5' x 5' wooden frame.

Throughout this week, they will position millions of grains of sand to build a Medicine Buddha mandala, a sand painting said to have healing powers.

The public is invited to all events during the monks' visit:

Every day, the monks work from 10 a.m. through 7 p.m. in the chapel. Tibetan artifacts will be sold in Caldwell Commons.

At 7 p.m. Tuesday, Suzanne Bessenger, a Randolph College Religious Studies professor, will deliver a lecture titled "Mandalas and Meaning."

At 3 p.m. Friday, the monks will hold a closing ceremony, where they will consecrate the completed mandala, sweep up the image, and pour the sand into a nearby creek.

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For more information, read our previous blog post.

Monks to make sacred mandala at Randolph College

Seven Buddhist monks from India will share the sacred, healing art of colorful sand painting at Randolph College this month.

During the week of October 24, the monks will create a Medicine Buddha sand mandala in Houston Memorial Chapel at Randolph College. From 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., the chapel will be open so members of the Randolph community and the general public can watch the sacred art.

During the week, the monks will live in a residence hall on campus, said Suzanne Bessenger, the religious studies professor who invited the monks.

“It’s an opportunity for students to interact with a culture and lifestyle that isn’t all that accessible to them in the United States,” said Bessenger.

The monks are from Tashikyl, a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Dehra Dun, India. A Buddhist cultural center in Indiana is hosting them for a tour of the United States.

From September through November, they are traveling the country to share their culture and their religion through workshops and demonstration programs.

Bessenger learned through a friend that the monks had about a week-long gap in their schedule. She worked with other groups in the college to invite the monks.

She asked the monks to demonstrate the mandala, a sacred Tibetan Buddhist art form that creates a beautiful five-foot square painting from colorful sand. Specifically, they will create a Medicine Buddha mandala, which promises healing.

The opening ceremony will be held Monday, October 24, at 12:40 p.m. The monks will consecrate the chapel using chanting and the music from sacred horns. Then they will begin the exacting task of forming the detailed artwork with millions of grains of sand.

Mandala Demonstration at Randolph College

Opening Ceremony: Monday, Oct. 24, 2011, 12:40 p.m.
Closing Ceremony: Friday, Oct. 28, 2011, 3 p.m.
Open for public viewing 10 a.m. - 7 p.m. daily.
Location: Houston Memorial Chapel

When they complete the artwork, they will hold a closing ceremony at 3 p.m. Friday, October 28. They consecrate the mandala and then dismantle it—symbolizing the impermanence of all that exists. They will sweep up the colorful sand and pour it into the James River, allowing the healing energy to be carried through water to the rest of the world.

However, they will save out some sand from the mandala made at Randolph College so they can carry it and its healing energy the following week when they participate in the Aids Walk in Washington, D.C.

Randolph College’s current quality enhancement plan is titled “Bridges Not Walls,” emphasizing the College’s ability to build bridges between cultures and help students develop intercultural competency. Bessenger said the monks mandala demonstration is a great opportunity for the College to practice its “Bridges Not Walls” ideals.