Sand Mandala

Tenzin Norbu, a monk from Namgyal Monastery, demonstrates the creation of a Sand Mandala at the University Art Museum in the Fine Arts Building, during Family Weekend. Acting as cultural ambassadors from the exiled personal monastery of His Holiness the Dalai Lama in Dharamsala, India, the monks of Namgyal Monastery Institute of Buddhist Studies have become especially well known for the creation of Sand Mandala exhibitions in museums and galleries throughout the world. Millions of grains of sand are painstakingly laid into place on a flat platform over a period of days before ultimately being dismantled in order to release and disseminate the deity's blessings into the world to benefit all sentient beings.