Public Invited to Mandala Events at Ithaca College

Public Invited to Mandala Events at Ithaca College

A variety of public events are planned as Tibetan Buddhist monks from Namgyal Monastery Institute of Buddhist Studies return to Ithaca College September 17-22 to construct a mandala (geometric religious diagram) out of colored sand in the upper atrium of the School of Business, located in the Dorothy D. and Roy H. Park Center for Business and Sustainable Enterprise.

This mandala is dedicated to Chenrezig, the bodhisattva (highly advanced spiritual being) of compassion. Tibetan Buddhists traditionally recognize Chenrezig as the patron of Tibet and view the XIV Dalai Lama as an emanation of Chenrezig in the physical world.

Everyone is welcome to visit the atrium at any time from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. daily to witness the construction of this beautiful ritual object. At 3:00 p.m. each day, the monks will pause their work to lead a brief session of chanting and meditation.

For more information, visit https://www.ithaca.edu/tibetan-buddhist-mandala.

Mandala Events
Opening Ceremony
Wednesday, Sept. 17, 10 a.m., Upper Atrium, School of Business
Join us for a brief opening ceremony, led by President La Jerne Terry Cornish and representatives from Namgyal Monastery.

Death Café
Thursday, Sept. 18, noon-1 p.m., Clark Lounge, Campus Center
How would you like to be remembered after you are gone? What do you want done with your body? Join us for a community discussion on death, dying, and ecology facilitated by Michelle Menter, executive director of Greensprings Natural Cemetery Preserve, Tompkins County's leading provider of eco-burial services.

Andean Ecologies, Cosmologies, and Fictions
Thursday, Sept. 18, 6 p.m., Handwerker Gallery
The mandala is an excellent example of a cosmogram, a geometrical figure that purports to provide a map of the universe. Concurrent with the mandala construction, the Handwerker Gallery is hosting an exhibit entitled Section as Cosmogram: From the Heavens to the Earth ( Aug. 28 through Oct. 1). José Ibarra from Penn State University will deliver a gallery talk, which is especially recommended for visitors to the mandala who are interested in cross-cultural perspectives on the world-as-cosmogram.

"Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring"
Saturday, Sept. 20, 6- 8 p.m., Park Hall Auditorium
A screening of Kim Ki-duk's critically acclaimed 2003 film, followed by a discussion led by religious studies professor Eric Steinschneider.

Open House
Sunday, Sept. 21, 2-4 p.m., Upper and Lower Atriums, School of Business
An event for all ages, curated by Ithaca College students, at which participants will be invited to design, sketch, stitch, and color a mandala while learning more about Buddhist traditions and religious symbols.

Dissolution Ceremony
Monday, Sept. 23, 3 p.m., Upper Atrium, School of Business, to Muller Chapel Pond
Upon completion, the mandala will remain on display until 3:00 p.m. on Monday, September 22, when a dissolution ceremony involving the gathering up of the sand will occur. The public is invited to join the procession that will carry the sand to the Muller Chapel pond. The ritual pouring of the sand into a body of water, in addition to formally dismissing the mandala-deity, powerfully expresses the Buddhist doctrine of impermanence and is believed to spread the karmic merit accumulated by the construction of the mandala to all sentient beings.

A reception in Muller Chapel will directly follow the ceremony.

For more information, contact Eric Steinschneider, associate professor of philosophy and religion, at [email protected]; or Diana Dimitrova, director of international student and scholar services, at [email protected].