A List
3/8/99

SAND MANDALA TO BE MADE AT SLU GALLERY FOR FESTIVAL

CANTON - From Tuesday, March 23, through Friday, April 9, two monks 
from the Namgyal Monastery Institute of Buddhist Studies will be in 
residence at the Richard F. Brush Art Gallery at St. Lawrence University, 
creating a mandala, or symbolic geometric design, out of grains of colored 
sand. The event - which the public is invited to witness - is part of the 
University's Festival of the Arts, which this year focuses on the Tibetan 
Buddhist view of health and healing.
	The monks will begin each day at 10 a.m. with a meditation and chanting 
ceremony in the gallery. The completed mandala will be on view in the gallery 
from April 9 through April 17, when a ceremony will be held at noon to dismantle 
the work. That will be followed by a community walk to the Grass River, where 
the sand will be dispersed.
	A mandala is the home of a particular deity, who symbolically represents 
and embodies enlightened qualities, such as compassion. They may be constructed 
on a painted scroll, or with materials such as precious jewels, flowers, dyed 
rice, colored stones or sand. 
	While the monks are in residence, a number of related programs will take 
place, including:
	- Monday, March 22, at 7 p.m. in Room 123 of the Griffiths Arts Center, 
Daniel Cozort, associate professor of religion at Dickinson College in Carlisle, 
Pennsylvaniawill give a lecture on "Mandalas: Sacred Circles of Healing and 
Enlightenment."
	- Tuesday, March 23, at 7 p.m. in Herring-Cole, "Life Stories of the 
Monks," a discussion with the Namgyal monks.
	- Thursday, March 25, at 7 p.m. in Room 222 of the E.J. Noble University 
Center, "How To Draw A Mandala," a demonstration and workshop by the Namgyal 
monks. Attendance is limited to 20 people; registration is required in advance, 
by calling 315-229-5264.
	- Sunday, March 28, at 1:30 p.m. at the Canton Unitarian Universalist 
Church, 3 1/2 East Main Street, a discussion is scheduled with the Rev. Wade 
Wheelock, St. Lawrence Assistant Professor of Religious Studies Mark MacWilliams 
and the Namgyal monks.
	- Monday, April 5, at 4 p.m. in the Brush Gallery, a discussion on "Making 
An Altar: Its Meaning and Significance" will be led by the Namgyal monks. Attendance 
is limited to 20 people; registration is required in advance, by calling 
315-229-5264.
	- Wednesday, April 7, at 6:45 p.m. in the Brush Gallery, a Tibetan 
Buddhist "White Tara" meditation session will be led by one of the monks, 
Ven. Tenzin Gephel.
	- Friday, April 9, at 2 p.m. in Room 222 of the E.J. Noble University 
Center, a demonstration of "tormas," ritual butter sculptures, will be given by 
the Namgyal monks. Attendance is limited to 20 people; registration is required 
in advance, by calling 315-229-5264.
	The gallery welcomes individuals and groups for guided tours. For more 
information, call 315-229-5174, or visit their web site, at www.stlawu.edu/gallery.

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