For Immediate Release
Contact: Maureen Miller (614) 247-2462

COLUMBUS, OH – A Bhutanese monk will travel from the Drukpa Mila Center based in Boulder, Colorado to create a sand mandala, a meditational tool used by Buddhists to advance a higher level of religious understanding, in the World Media and Culture Center in Hagerty Hall from Feb. 8 – 11. The colorful sand mandala is typically 3 feet in diameter, and will be constructed by Kezang Dorjee, a Bhutanese monk in the Drukpa Kagyu tradition. Dorjee will work approximately 20 hours over a three-day period to create the mandala by placing colored sand, pinch by pinch, onto a flat surface. This is the first time a Bhutanese sand mandala will be created in Ohio.

The creation of the sand mandala is the focal point of the Himalyan cultural weekend, which also will feature special screenings of Tharchin (The Liberated), a film that focuses on the Buddhism of Bhutan as seen through the eyes of a novice monk. The weekend of events is sponsored by the East Asian Studies Center, with additional support from the Film Studies Program, the Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures, the Foreign Language Center and the World Media and Culture Center. All events are free and open to the public.

The art of making the sand mandala is a skill that selected monks are taught over a period of months to years, depending on their specialization. During the teaching process monks learn the appropriate Buddhist texts that describe proportion and patterns of the diagram as it relates to deity, and how to incorporate these elements into the design of the sand mandala.

From memory Dorjee will create the mandala of “The Wheel of Dharma,” which signifies the teachings of the Buddha and the Buddha himself. The color palette of the intricate design will center on five colors of Buddhist significance: red, yellow, blue, green and white. Each color symbolizes a principle of Buddhism and carries significant meanings and lessons regarding the Buddhist conceptual universe. Once the mandala is completed, the elaborate sand diagram will be swept up and destroyed, a process meant to remind the viewer that life is fleeting and temporary.

A complete schedule of events during the Himalyan Cultural Weekend include:
The Making of a Sand Mandala in the World Media and Culture Center, adjacent to the Crane Café in Hagerty Hall.

• Thursday, February 7, 11 am-4 pm
• Friday, February 8, 10 am-3:30 pm
• Saturday, February 9, 10 am-2 pm

A small reception will take place Monday, February 11 at 5 pm for the conclusion of the mandala creation process. Dorjee will give a brief talk about how these types of mandalas are constructed and dispersed in the monasteries in Bhutan.

Tharchin screenings will take place on OSU campus in Hagerty Hall 180 (HH 180) at the following times:

• Friday, February 8, 4-6 pm
• Saturday, February 9, 2-4 pm
• Monday, February 11, 6-8 pm

Hourly parking is available in the Ohio Union Parking Garage, 1780 College Road.  Hagerty Hall is located on the Oval directly across College Avenue from the parking garage at 1775 College Road.

For additional information, please contact Ariana Maki (maki.4@osu.edu) (614) 208-8221 or the East Asian Studies Center (easc@osu.edu) (614) 688-4253.