During September and October 2010, Tibetan Buddhist monks of the Mystical Arts of Tibet created a mandala of colored sand at Drepung Loseling Monastery in Atlanta. Their work was marked at each stage with ceremony, chanting, and meditation. They worked for weeks to complete the mandala of Avalokiteshvara (the Buddha of Compassion). The mandala was created to prepare, open, and invite benevolent sacred energies for the visit of the Dalai Lama to Emory University in Atlanta. The Dalai Lama is thought to be a reincarnation of Avalokiteshvara.
On October 12, 2010, under the guidance of His Eminence Rizong Rinpoche, the 102nd Gaden Throne holder of the Gelug lineage in Tibetan Buddhist traditions, the mandala was "closed." After prescribed chanting, music making, and meditation, the mandala was circumambulated three times by His Eminence, who was preceded by the Spiritual Director of DLM bearing incense. At a signal from His Eminence, the monks swept sand into tiny packets that were distributed as a blessing to those present for the ceremony.
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