Tibetan Buddhist Sand Mandala Closing Ceremony Nov. 17

Submitted by Students for a Free Tibet

Students for a Free Tibet will mark the end of a week-long sand mandala creation with a closing ceremony from 4-5 p.m Saturday, Nov. 17, in Mullins Library's Helen Robson Walton Reading Room. The closing ceremony will feature a lecture by invited guest lecturer Geshe Yeshi Topgyal and Geshe Thupten Dorjee of the University of Arkansas on the significance of the sand mandala. Since coming to the University of Arkansas, Geshe Dorjee has brought in monks for a sand mandala four times and it has been four years since the last event like this. In light of China's current occupation of Tibet, very few communities outside of Tibet have seen the mandala made in real time in person.

Between Nov. 12 and 17, the venerable Geshe Yeshi Topgyal will be constructing a sand mandala for the benefit of all sentient beings in the Mullins' Helen Robson Walton Reading Room. All students are encouraged to stop by throughout that week to witness the sand mandala construction process, a process that is seldom seen firsthand by westerners. The sand mandala is a practice dating back thousands of years in Tibetan history. Each part of the mandala, incuding its geometry and colors, is laden with symbolism that acts as a roadmap to spiritual perfection for Tibetan Buddhists.

This event is supported by the Student Activities Fee as a funded event by the Associated Student Government and is free to all currently-enrolled University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, students who pay the student activities fee. For questions about the event or for accommodations due to disability please contact Students for a Free Tibet, Olivia Fredricks, ofredric@uark.edu, 501/422-8333.