By Lisbeth Cheever-Gessaman

The East met the South when Tibetan monks from the Drepung Loseling Monastery completed work on a sand mandala, then performed a closing ceremony on Tuesday, September 25, at Elizabeth on 37th. The visually striking mandala, created to utilize energies for global healing, was painstakingly fashioned by the monks using traditional metal funnels called chakpur. Millions of grains of colored sand are formed and manipulated into hundreds of intricate circles, lines and symbols sacred to Tibetans, creating the intricate mandala.

Upon completion of the mandala, the closing ceremony was performed by the monks, consisting of traditional chants and mantra recitations. The mandala was meticulously dismantled symbolizing the transitory nature of material life. After the destruction of the mandala, the sands were swept into an urn, which was used later that evening at a private water ceremony to complete the cycle. Additional packets of the sand were distributed among the closing ceremony spectators as blessings for personal health and well-being.

Proceeds from the event help to support more than 3,000 monks at the Drepung Loseling Monastery in India, and further serve to protect the endangered Tibetan culture.

For more information or to make a donation, visit www.drepung.org.