Tibetan Buddhist monks return to the Jepson Center Sept 13-18 to create sand mandala painting
The Tibetan Buddhist monks of Drepung Loseling Monastery return to the Telfair Museums’ Jepson Center in Savannah Sept. 13-18 to create an exquisite sand mandala painting as part of a weeklong residency.
Programs related to the monks’ residency include a variety of free activities for all ages. Their previous visits to Savannah attracted hundreds of interested onlookers & participants.
The monks undertake a spiritual art form which involves painstakingly placing millions of grains of sands on a flat platform over the course of the week. The monks have created mandala sand paintings in hundreds of museums, art centers & colleges, universities in the United States & Europe.
On Tues. Sept. 13, the mandala sand painting begins with an opening ceremony, during which the lamas consecrate the site through chanting, music & mantra recitation & draw the outline of the mandala. On the following days, they will lay down the colored sands, this year creating the Akshobya Mandala, also known as the “Unshakable Victor” for conflict resolution & peace.
Visitors may watch the monks at work during normal museum hours in the Jepson Center Atrium Wednesday through Saturday.
On Sun. Sept. 18, the mandala will be destroyed as a metaphor for the impermanence of life. The sands are placed in an urn, with half distributed to the audience at the closing ceremony. The remainder will be carried to the Savannah River then dispersed to the ocean for planetary healing.
Funding for this program is provided by the City of Savannah’s Department of Cultural Affairs.
Full Schedule
Tues. Sept. 13, 5-7PM. FREE Opening ceremony: the monks begin with a ceremony and chants, after which they draw the mandala. Admission is free.
Sept. 14-17, 10AM-5PM Mandala sand painting: visitors may watch the monks create the mandala sand painting in the museum atrium during normal daytime museum hours, other than lunchtime (1-2PM). Admission is free.
Thurs. Sept. 15, 6PM FREE Lecture: “Meditation: A Tool for Conscious Living” by the Tibetan Monks of Drepung Loseling
For the first time at the Jepson Center, the monks will present a lecture on meditation as an important technique for quieting the mind and establishing an inner basis of clarity and well-being. Meditation is designed to relax and better understand the processes that make up people’s lives. The monks will discuss meditative techniques aimed at strengthening important inner qualities and eliminating inner negativities and habitual patterns. Admission is free.
Sat. Sept. 17, 1-4PM Free Family Day: Hands on activities include community sand painting sessions @ 2PM & 3PM in which children may participate in the creation of a sand painting using the tools of the monks. Admission is free.
Sun. Sept. 18, 2-3PM Closing ceremony: Chants, destruction of the mandala & procession to the river. In a moving closing event with polyphonic chants and music, the monks ritually destroy the mandala. Afterward, sand is distributed to the audience. At 3PM, the public is invited to join the monks for a procession to the Savannah River to release the mandala to the ocean to spread healing throughout the world. Admission for members is free; non-members pay $5.
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