Click any section
of the mandala (above) to view in detail.
This version of the
mandala was created by Losang Samten on January 29th–March 8th,
2008 at Calfornia State University, Chico. The Wheel of Time Mandala,
sometimes referred to as the Kalachakra Mandala is a vital part
of the peace practices within the Dalai Lama's . Losang Samten was trained within that setting
and was given permission by His Holiness to create this sacred painting.
Mandalas, which have been around for millennium, speak to the depths
within us that yearn to experience greater happiness and freedom.
As circular representations of spiritual truths, they are intended
to impart peace and healing to all beings as well as to the planet.
At the Dalai Lama’s request in 1988 Losang Samten was sent to create
the Kalachakra Mandala at the Museum of Natural History in NYC.
This was the very first mandala created as a cultural offering in
the Western world, opening a great door for Tibet.
“The Kalachakra takes everything into account: the body and the
human mind,
and the whole external aspect…….We firmly believe in its power to
reduce conflict
and we believe it is capable of creating peace, peace of spirit
and therefore peace in the world.”–The Dalai Lama- 2007 Recipient
of the Congressional Medal of Honor
Sand Painting is traditionally from the monasteries of Tibet, used
during sacred rituals and inspired by the teaching of impermanence.
The sand is blessed through chants and prayers. The sand painting
master, adept in the wisdom of “emptiness”, evokes the sense of
great bliss and inner peace through meditation. This intention is
essential to the construction process as every moment and movement
is performed as an offering.
In the tradition of the Namgyal Monastery, Losang creates this artwork
using the long narrow metal funnels called chakpu. The movement
of one chakpu against the other causes the sand to flow, creating
a meditative sound. For the Buddhist practitioner this sound suggests
the approach of higher consciousness, the teaching of interdependence
and emptiness. The presence of both chakpu is necessary for this
purpose; one symbolizing wisdom, the other compassion; a recurrent
theme in Buddhism.
The colored sand is then delicately applied into remarkable and
richly symbolic patterns. The Kalachakra Mandala, sometimes referred
to as “The Wheel of Time”, is one of Tibetan Buddhism’s most complex
works of sacred art. This virtual floor plan for a multi-leveled
palace houses five separate yet interrelated mandalas. Each has
its own purpose to purify body, speech, mind, and then consciousness,
culminating in the ultimate tier of Great Bliss.
Within the center of this palace reside the deity Kalachakra and
his consort, Vishvamata. This sacred union and its representations
are seen everywhere throughout this particular mandala as repeated
affirmations of wholeness and completion.. Sun and moon, feminine
and masculine as well as pristine awareness with transcendental
knowledge, all have fully merged. Also residing in this palace are
722 manifestations of the Kalachakra deity. These serve to bless
the 722 chakras and channels of the initiate and viewer. The journey
of the practitioner through this visual scripture is said to trace
the progression toward the state of Awakening and Inner Peace.
Surrounding the palace and its grounds are the protective forces
of the 5 Elements: Earth, Water, Fire, Wind and Space. The outermost
circle of the mandala represents the holding environment for all
that that takes place within its embrace. Compassion and Wisdom
have united and loving-kindness prevails in this cosmic setting.
A Dismantling Ceremony is held at the completion of this beautiful
creation. The participants are then invited to help brush the sacred
sand into the center of the mandala, which is a profound affirmation
of the impermanence of all things. Each person is invited to take
a small amount of the sand and the remainder is ritually poured
into a nearby body of water as a great blessing.
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