Monks of the Drepung Gomang Monastery

Sacred Arts Tour 2016

to create Sacred Sand Mandala

in Studio San Giuseppe Art Gallery,

Mount St. Joseph University

Monday, February 15 through Thursday, February 18, 2016

The Art & Design Department, the Art Education Association with the Student Government Association, and Studio San Giuseppe Art Gallery of Mount St. Joseph University are immensely excited to host the creation of the Chenrezig (Avalokiteshvara), the Bodhisattva of Compassion, Sand Mandala by the Monks of the Drepung Gomang Monastery in Studio San Giuseppe Art Gallery.

The monks will be working on the Mandala in the Gallery:

Sunday:          Opening Ceremony:  4:00 p.m., in SSG, following the Reception of the

MSJU Art & Design Faculty Exhibition.

Monday:         Chant and begin creation of Mandala, 9:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.*

Tuesday:        9:30 a.m. – approximately 8:00 p.m.*

Wednesday:   9:30 a.m. – approximately 8:00 p.m.*

Thursday:      Completion of the Mandala 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

                        Final Dissolution Ceremony  TBA: noon – 1:00 p.m.

                        Dispersal of sands of the mandala in the Ohio River follows immediately

*The monks will take lunch and dinner breaks Monday – Wednesday.

Tuesday and Wednesday evenings the monks will be in the Gallery after the dinner break: exact times will be posted in SSG.

This entire event is open to the public.

See campus map at: https://www.msj.edu/contact/contact-us/campus-maps1/

Parking is free and open except for all reserved spots.

Tibetan sand painting is an ancient art form of Tibetan Buddhism.

“Mandala” is a Sanskrit word meaning cosmogram or “world in harmony.” The sand mandala is carefully constructed from dyed sand particles as a vehicle to generate compassion, to realize the impermanence of reality, and to create a social/cosmic healing of the environment. The purpose of the construction of the Chenrezig (Avalokiteshvara), the Bodhisattva of Compassion, Mandala is to encourage every one of us to generate a compassionate heart for the benefit of all sentient beings. See http://www.gomang.org/chenrezig.html

                   

The Opening Ceremony for the mandala construction will take place at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday February 14, in Studio San Giuseppe Art Gallery, following the Reception of the MSJU Art & Design Faculty Exhibition. Geshe Lharampa Tsewang Thinleythe tour leader, and the tour monks will chant powerful prayers for peace, prosperity, and healing in traditional overtones - the chant master intoning a full chord of three notes. Their chants will be accompanied by delicate hand gestures, cymbals, drums, horns, and flutes.

Geshe Lharampa Tsewang Thinley will deconstruct the completed mandala in the Closing Ceremony onThursday February 18, and the sands immediately dispersed in the Ohio River after a short journey by car down Anderson Ferry Road. Mandalas are destroyed at the end of the ritual as a symbol of the impermanence of all phenomena, and to spread the healing energy of the Mandala to all of creation.

The monks of Drepung Gomang are presently on tour in the United States of America to share the compassion and wisdom of Tibetan Buddhism, to demonstrate the artistic accomplishments of the people of Tibet, and to generate funds to insure the survival of the Tibetan culture. Drepung Gomang Monastery uses all donations and proceeds from the sale of Tibetan crafts and jewelry to house, feed, and educate everyone wishing to study at this monastic center of higher learning, including orphans and refugees fleeing Chinese-occupied Tibet. The monastery is working to establish a Food Foundation Fund, which will help the monastery provide a continuous food supply to the student monks in years to come. 

SACRED ART TOUR USA 2015-2016

Information about Drepung Gomang Monastery and their North American tour is available on their website: http://drepunggomang.org/

Studio San Giuseppe is a nonprofit art gallery located in the Dorothy Meyer Ziv Art Building on the campus of Mount St. Joseph University, Delhi and Neeb roads in Delhi Township, 15 minutes west of downtown Cincinnati. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM, Saturdays and Sundays 1:00 – 5:00 PM.  Admission is free.  For more information, call Studio San Giuseppe at 513-244-4314. Note: The “MSJU Art & Design Faculty Exhibition” will come to a close on Thursday, February 18, 5pm.

Mount St. Joseph University is a Catholic, non-profit college of 2,400 students located in Cincinnati, Ohio; Mount St. Joseph University offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in interdisciplinary liberal arts and professional curricula.