Constructing a Sand Mandala

By Alaine Perconti

Tibetan monks have traveled to Miami University to perform one of their important rituals, the construction of the sand mandala to bless campus and the people on it. 

A mandala is a Tibetan Buddhist tradition involving the pouring of sand into a circular design.  Each mandala is created to serve a certain purpose. At Miami University, the monks said the mandala’s purpose is to bring wisdom to the students and faculty.  

The construction process involves a ritual opening ceremony followed by the drawing of the lines.  The next step is the pouring of the sand into the design.  

The closing ceremony ends with the deconstruction of the mandala, and some of the sand is distributed to the audience.  The rest is spread into a flowing body of water to allow the healing powers to spread.

The monks are constructing the sand mandala in the great room of MacMillian Hall all week.  The finished mandala will be displayed from 11 a.m. to noon on Friday before the closing ceremony begins.  Anyone is welcome to observe the creation and closing ceremony.

Alaine Perconti, a sophomore journalism/marketing double major, has been photographically documenting the construction of the sand mandala. Enjoy Perconti's images in a slide show edited by Abigail Diss, sophomore journalism/history double major.