Buddhist monks from Raleigh’s Kadampa Center visited Elon to build a sand mandala, a fleeting gift with lasting lessons of kindness and understanding.
By Sarah Collins ‘18
It took the better part of three days to complete and just a few minutes to brush away.
Two Buddhist monks from the Kadampa Center in Raleigh, North Carolina, spent much of the week creating an intricate mandala in the Numen Lumen Pavilion before a Sept. 18 closing ceremony ended with both men sweeping the gorgeous patterns of sand off a center table in the building’s Sacred Space.
The monks used fine, richly colored sand created by pounding marble. They then placed the sand using chak-pur, funnel-shaped tools that distribute miniscule amounts of grain. The duo began their work Wednesday and, upon completion, blessed and brushed the sand into bags for students and faculty to keep.
“It’s a practice in impermanence,” said Truitt Center intern Emily DeMaioNewton, who helped with the visit. “It’s a reminder to appreciate what we have in a time when students are so stressed and focused on other things.”
The mandala’s circular pattern represented the palace of the mind, according to Kadampa Center outreach coordinator Elise Strevel.
“The monks first build the center of the mandala, the piece that represents perfect compassion and wisdom,” Stevel said. “They slowly work their way outward, building four gates that represent the pathways to achieving that center goal.”
Geshe Sangpo, one of the monks who helped create the mandala, completed his training at a young age and, as a ritual specialist, has even practiced for the Dalai Lama. “Making the mandala is difficult,” he said, “But I enjoy it the whole time. It is a feeling of compassion.”
DemaioNewton, the Truitt Center intern and an Elon sophomore, has a personal relationship with the monks. After her family moved to Raleigh two years ago, she enjoyed many Sunday teachings at the Kadampa Center and even invited the monks into her home.
“The monks are the kindest people I’ve ever met,” she said. “When you talk to them, you can feel that they’re entirely present in that moment.”