Bhutanese Monks Create Sand Mandala at Nebraska Union Center

September 28, 2004

Source: Kuensel Online/Daily Nebraskan

http://www.kuenselonline.com/article.php?sid=4552

On September 28, 2004 the Daily Nebraskan reported, "[Kezang] Dorjee, a Buddhist monk sponsored by the Drukpa Mila Center in Boulder, Colo., worked to finish his mandala in the northwest corner of the Nebraska Union for the completion and blessing ceremony today at 2 p.m. The mandala, Sanskrit for 'circle,' is a Buddhist tradition dating back many centuries. Buddhist monks create the mandalas to represent the cycle of life and death. Normally, the circular pieces are carved in wood or painted. However, Dorjee’s mandala has been created in the tradition of Bhutan, a country about half the size of Indiana, situated between China and India. The Bhutanese traditional mandala is made with crushed marble and the artist’s bare hands. 'The sand mandalas symbolizes impermanence,' said Amy Blake, vice president of the Drukpa Mila Center. 'Nothing in the world is permanent, and that is why the sand mandala is so special.'"