A mandala is a visual representation of the sacred Buddhist universe, which is used in meditation and initiation rites. The creation of a mandala is believed to benefit all beings, and the time and space it requires is consecrated through prayer, ritual music, and performance.
A team of monks-in residence created this colored sand mandala at the museum in 1991 over a period of four weeks. While sand mandalas are intended to be ephemeral, the MIA preserved it in order to honor the 1.2 million Tibetans who lost their lives to political-religious persecution during the 20th century.
The museum thanks the Tibetan American Foundation of Minnesota for bringing the Gyuto monks to Minnesota and for their efforts to preserve Tibetan cultural traditions.