By Stephanie Prince
Between November 4 through November 10, 2019, Sakya Monastery of Tibetan Buddhism was very fortunate that our Resident Artist, Venerable Lama Migmar, single-handedly created a sand mandala of Avalokiteshvara (Chenrezig in Tibetan). The public were invited to view it each day as the creation progressed. Lama Migmar diligently, patiently, and expertly accomplished this task with great precision and detail, and with meditational and artistic acumen.
The first day was a mathematically precise process of laying out a grid in red chalk to guide the shape of the mandala. The lines were created by string, covered in chalk and pulled taut. White chalk was used over that to create an outline of the design. Then he started laying sand from the inside of the mandala outward using a traditional instrument, a kind of funnel with ridges, called a chak-pur. (more…)