HOUSTON, TX--(Marketwired - Aug 13, 2015) - In a scene reminiscent of season three in "House of Cards," Tibetan Buddhist monks from Drepung Loseling Monastery will construct a mandala sand painting and perform special ceremonies August 20-23 (2015) in Asia Society Texas Center's Louisa Stude Sarofim Gallery. During this ritual, millions of grains of sand are painstakingly laid into place in order to purify and heal the environment and its inhabitants. Guests will be able to view the monks' progress in person and online through Asia Society Texas Center's website.
Opening Ceremony
Thursday, August 20 at 12 pm: The mandala sand painting begins with an opening ceremony -- the lamas consecrate the site and call forth the forces of goodness through chanting, music, and mantra recitation. The lamas then begin the painting by drawing an outline of the mandala on a wooden platform. In the following days, they lay the colored sands using a traditional metal funnel called a chakpur.
Community Activity
Saturday, August 22 from 10 am to 6 pm: Guests are invited to take part in the art by contributing to a separate community sand painting. Instructions will be given on how to use the chakpur to fill in the design with sand.
Closing Ceremony
Sunday, August 23 at 3 pm: The monks will dismantle the mandala, sweeping up the colored sands to symbolize the impermanence of life. Half of the sand will be distributed to the audience at the closing ceremony, while the remainder will be deposited into a natural body of water.
Gallery Hours and Admission
The exhibition and its related events are free and open to the public. The gallery will be open during the following times for the public to watch the monks create the mandala:
Thursday, August 20, 12 pm - 6pm (Opening Ceremony starts at 12 pm)
Friday, August 21, 10 am - 6pm
Saturday, August 22, 10 am - 6pm (Community mandala activity throughout the day)
Sunday, August 23, 10 am - 6pm (Closing Ceremony starts at 3 pm)
About Mandala Sand Paintings
This artistic tradition of Tantric Buddhism, painting with colored sand, ranks as one of the most unique and exquisite. Millions of grains of sand are painstakingly laid into place on a flat platform over a period of days or weeks to form the image of a mandala. To date, the monks from Drepung Loseling Monastery have created mandala sand paintings in more than 100 museums, art centers, and colleges and universities in the United States and Europe.
Mandala is a Sanskrit word meaning sacred cosmogram. These cosmograms can be created in various media, such as watercolor on canvas, wood carvings, and so forth. However, the most spectacular and enduringly popular are those made from colored sand.
In general, all mandalas have outer, inner, and secret meanings. On the outer level they represent the world in its divine form; on the inner level they represent a map by which the ordinary human mind is transformed into enlightened mind; and on the secret level they depict the primordially perfect balance of the subtle energies of the body and the clear-light dimension of the mind. The creation of a sand painting is said to effect purification and healing on these three levels.
About Asia Society Texas Center
With 11 locations throughout the world, Asia Society is the leading educational organization promoting mutual understanding and strengthening partnerships among the peoples, leaders, and institutions of Asia and the United States. Asia Society Texas Center executes the global mission with a local focus, enriching and engaging the vast diversity of Houston through innovative, relevant programs in arts and culture, business and policy, education, and community outreach. www.AsiaSociety.org/Texas
Contact Information:
Contact:
Rose Rougeau
Senior Director of Communication & Audience Engagement
713.208.1045 (cell)
