By Lama Migmar
Dates: Monday through Friday, November 4th through 8th, from 1:00-2:00 pm.
Location: Library
Free, donations accepted
This event will take place over five days in November, 2019. The Library will be open for viewing during the above times.
Mandala is a Sanskrit word meaning “cosmogram,” or “world in harmony.”
Sand painting is one of the oldest artistic traditions of Tibetan Buddhism. In Tibetan, sand mandala is called Dhultson Kyilkhor, which means “mandala of colored sand powder.”
In Vajrayana Tibetan Buddhism, it is said that wherever a Sand Mandala is created, all sentient beings and the surrounding environment are blessed. It is said that for children in particular, upon seeing the Sand Mandala, one is left with very positive imprints which will germinate as sprouts of peace as they grow older.
Join us as Lama Migmar shows us how this amazing process is done, talks to us about what Sand Mandalas represent, and how they are used as a meditational aid.
Venerable Lama Migmar was born in Kham (eastern Tibet) and studied Dharma at Kyegu Monastery, the largest and oldest Sakya monastery in the Kham region. He became a monk in 1983. He trained extensively in both sculpture and painting, and went on deity retreats. He was the primary disciple of his master Lobsang Thugje from 1987 to 1993; his master created the statues in His Holiness the Dalai Lama’s residence in Dharamsala. In 1996, Lama Migmar went to Nepal and worked Thrangu Monastery for several years. After that, he worked in Malaysia in both the H.H. the Karmapa’s center and in Thrangu Rinpoche’s center. Lama Migmar’s work is featured in Kagyu, Nyingma, Gelug, and Sakya monasteries throughout Kham; one monastery contains over 100 of his Shitro deity statues. He has lived in India, Nepal and Malaysia, and created extensive artwork in those locations. He came to Sakya Monastery in 2006, and is Sakya Monastery’s resident artist. He has completed many works, including a large thangka of the Sakya Lamdre lineage on the Southwest wall of the Sakya Monastery Shrine Room. In 2018, he unveiled a thangka of Chenrezi. Currently he is working on other Buddhist paintings and can be commissioned to create thangkas, statues, sand mandalas, and deity masks for Buddhist practitioners.