Indianapolis, Indiana: April 25 to May 3
SACRED
MANDALA OF
HEALING: A Reflection by Kanwal Prakash Singh
KP Singh with Dr. Kent Millard,
Pastor of St. Luke's United Methodist Church
It
was a joy to watch the Tibetan
Buddhist Monks from the Drepung Gomang Monastery in South India on
another
visit to Indianapolis
to create the sacred
Mandala of Healing in the Sanctuary of St. Luke’s United
Methodist
Church. The creation of this
beautiful Mandala was
one of their presentations during their several appearances and “Music
and
Sacred Dance Pageants” at St. Luke’s Church, community events, and at
IUPUI
Indianapolis.
The
Monks, as always, brought
their message and personal testimony of peace, compassion, non-violent
conflict
resolution to each event during their visit, including the creation of
a Sand
Mandala of Healing, and cultural performances featuring traditional
Tibetan
dancing, Buddhist chanting, and music. The
Monks’ presentations, while introducing us to Tibetan Buddhist
spirituality and
culture, also provide us a testimony of goodwill towards all living
beings and
echo affirmation of spiritual lessons and wisdom in other faith
traditions.
The
traditional sacred Mandalas
are a visual spiritual invitation to meditation, reflection, and
greater
understanding; they are visual tapestries for learning, spiritual
lessons and awakening,
and take us on pilgrimages of spirit to peace, healing, and enlightened
state of
being.
During
the long and patient
creation of the Sand Mandala of Healing over three days, we witnessed
matchless
devotion, inner joy, and humility; a sense of dedication and surrender
to a
higher Power as they laboriously filled the various elements of a
carefully
thought-out Mandala design with colored sands.
The Mandala created in the spacious Sanctuary of the
beautiful St.
Luke’s reflected grace, beauty, and an invitation to reflect on the
mystery of
life and its impermanent nature. The
beautiful Mandala, dedicated with prayers and chants, was dismantled at
the end
and the sacred “ashes” were carried in a processional for immersion in
a creek
near the Church amidst farewell prayers, music and chants.
Creating the
Mandala
In
their chants and in their
silence, the Monks are teaching us about the power of spirit,
reflection,
meditation, and respect for all Creation.
They personify deep devotion and dispassion about the
temporal attractions
and attachments; radiate pure joy and a deep sense of compassion for
all living
beings; and create a sacred space by their presence, music, dance, and
chants.
The
Sand Mandalas are spiritual
mosaics, beautiful works of art made from grains of colored sand. Each element of the
Mandala design: flowers,
birds, images of Deities, geometrical shapes, script, and motifs from
Nature,
our Universe, and imagination, and their inspired placement in vibrant
natural
colors into a carefully interwoven magnificent artwork, is rich with
symbolism
and spiritual message. It
evokes many
emotions, reveals much about our fascination with life, matters of
spirit, and
wonders and gateways to the worlds that we have not seen nor fully
understand.
The
Mandala is meditation and
prayer personified and visualized.
There
is something universal and unifying in its spiritual message and visual
representations. The
experience of
Mandala creation, formal dedication, and dismantling leaves us in awe,
blessed,
and deeply reflective about matters of faith, life and afterlife, and
our place
and response to this mystery.
The
Tibetan Buddhist Monks’
nationwide tour is sponsored by Friends of Drepung Gomang Monastery and
the Indianapolis
visit was sponsored by ITIM and co-sponsored
by St. Luke’s United
Methodist
Church,
IUPUI, Unitarian Universalist Church of Indianapolis, Indianapolis
Peace Institute, and NUVO
Newsweekly.
Finished Mandala
