BRATTLEBORO-River Gallery School of Art welcomes Tibetan monk Lama Tenzin Yignyen to Brattleboro, where he will create the Avalokiteshvara sand mandala — the mandala of compassion.
Lama Tenzin will construct the mandala at the Brattleboro Museum & Art Center, 10 Vernon St, Wednesday through Saturday, April 8–11. The public is invited to stop in and witness the creation in progress, Wednesday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free, and all are welcome.
On Saturday morning, April 11, there will be a closing ceremony, beginning at 10:30 a.m., when the mandala will be ceremonially swept up — a powerful reminder of the impermanence of all things.
Organizers say this mandala symbolizes love, generosity, wisdom, and appreciation. Lama Tenzin has been creating sand mandalas for more than 40 years.
“The Mandala is a reflection of our inner self — our inner positive qualities. It presents us with opportunities to cherish those qualities and a means to rid ourselves of negative qualities, so we may be happy and peaceful,” said Tenzin in a news release. “The message of the Mandala includes all the important elements that can make us a happy and caring person. The construction is considered a blessing for the area and for the people who live where it is constructed.”
This is the third year River Gallery School is welcoming Lama Tenzin to Brattleboro — a tradition they say is “grounded in the belief that art and community bring people together and cultivate compassion.”
Venerable Tenzin Yignyen is a Tibetan Buddhist monk known internationally for his intricate mandalas. Trained at Namgyal Monastery in India, he was ordained by the Dalai Lama in 1976 and later earned the monastery’s highest degree, Master of Sutra and Tantra.
Lama Tenzin served as a visiting professor of Tibetan Buddhism at Hobart and William Smith Colleges for more than 20 years, and now travels widely creating sand mandalas and teaching about Tibetan Buddhist philosophy and sacred art.
For more information, rivergalleryschool.org or call 802-257-1577.
This Arts item was submitted to The Commons.