Looking Through the Mandala
VIEW EVENT DETAILSPublic Viewing and Sand Mandala Educational Workshop with Lopen Pema Gyeltshen, Secretary General of the Central Monastic Body of Bhutan
Registration 10:15am;
Workshop 10:30am,
Close 12:00nn
Age limitation: aged 10 and above
Language: English
(Can't make it today? Sign up for Session 1 on May 1, 2016)
Public viewing dates & hours (no registration required):
April 30 – May 4, 2016 (11:00-17:00, 15:30 praying session)
May 5, 2016 (11:00-15:30
Monks from the Central Monastic Body of Bhutan will display a spiritual and religious art "sand mandala" to our esteemed visitors. This is the highlight of Buddhist traditions that have been in practice for many centuries. It is Bhutan's living culture that has made the Kingdom a unique place in the eyes of the world.
The practice of Dharma is a path that cleanses all defilement such as attachment, anger and ignorance in the minds of all sentient beings. It is a method that liberates sentient beings from the cycle of samsaric suffering, leading them towards enlightenment. The path of Dharma avoids the harming of others and concentrates only on benefiting other beings.
According to the Vajrayana Buddhist tradition (which Bhutan follows), alleviating suffering is possible through the simple practice of making aspirational prayers and dedicating all positive actions for the happiness and benefit of all sentient beings. One such powerful means of liberation is the creation and dissolution of the Mandala. This simple yet visually beautiful practice leads the practitioner and all those participating onto the path of enlightenment through seeing, hearing, feeling and visualization.
The Mandala: description, type and meaning
Mandala is an integrated structure organized around a unifying center and demonstrating the impermanence of life. The Mandala represents the abode of the main meditation deity surrounded by other related deities that form the Mandala or Circle.
This particular Sand Mandala that is being displayed is the Mandala of Buddha Amitayus or Buddha of Boundless Life (Chinese: Amituofo), the Buddha of Longevity and one of the three deities associated with longevity in Vajrayana Buddhism.
The primary goal of this Mandala and associated practices is the accomplishment of complete enlightenment. Long life, life extension and deathlessness are the metaphors that are used in the meditation practice focusing on the visualized form of Amitayus. In Buddhism, deathlessness usually refers to ultimate state of enlightenment.
Public Viewing
It is the honor of the Asia Society Hong Kong Center to welcome Lopen Pema Gyeltshen, one of the top 3 members of the Central Monastic Body of Bhutan, together with other monks from the country, to our site to create a genuine Sand Mandala for the Consecration on May 5, 2016.
Allowing the Hong Kong audience to experience the creation of a Sand Mandala and the rituals that accompany it, the venue will be open to Asia Society Hong Kong Center visitors to view the process. Visitors are also welcome to participate in the daily blessing ritual at 15:30 every day during the program period.
Education Program
In conjunction with the program, the Asia Society Hong Kong Center will host an educational program to allow the public to gain a deeper insight into the Sand Mandala, including its philosophy, significance, rituals, materials and the techniques behind its creation. Lopen Pema Gyeltshen, one of the top 3 members of the Central Monastic Body of Bhutan, will lead the educational program for participants to learn about the philosophy, the significance, and the ritual of Sand Mandala. Within the workshop, participants will have the opportunity to experience hands-on sand and string mandala creation.
Lopen Pema Gyeltshen was the Director of Department of Antiquities and Sacred Objects, Central Monastic Body. In 1988, upon the command of His Majesty the 4th King Jigme Singye Wangchuck, he and a group of western educated Bhutanese students were placed into the Central Monastic Body as monks. He received his Master Degree in Religious Studies and Philosophy from Tango University, Bhutan. He was also the Professor and lecturer in Religious Studies and Philosophy at Tango University. In 2002, he completed his 3-year retreat. Currently, he is the Secretary General of the Central Monastic Body of Bhutan.
Event Details
Asia Society Hong Kong Center, 9 Justice Drive, Admiralty, Hong Kong