Kids & Family
Watch as Tibetan Sand Mandala is created at Glencairn Museum
'Sacred art' and ages-old technique demonstrated ahead of and during Sacred Arts Festival, April 24-28.
Glencairn Museum invites individuals and families to get up close and personal with one of the Museum’s most popular “sacred arts” artisan crafts this April: the building of a traditional Wheel of Life Tibetan Buddhist sand mandala.
The Venerable Lama Losang Samten, a Tibetan Buddhist monk who has been demonstrating the making of a sand mandala at the Museum’s annual spring Sacred Arts Festival for several years, returns to Glencairn’s Great Hall Wednesday through Sunday, April 24-28. Donations welcome April 24-27; included in Sacred Arts Festival admission ($10 adults, $8 seniors/students with ID, FREE for Museum members & children 3 & under) April 28.
Losang explains how this mandala pattern connects to our spirituality: “The Wheel of Life mandala is basically about dealing with our emotions: how to overcome difficulties which, very often, are in our mind. Training the mind, doing mind exercises, is very important. And patience. Patience is my mantra.”
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Using small tubes, funnels and scrapers called chak-pur, Losang deftly sifts colored fine sand onto areas of the mandala to develop the intricate, brilliantly hued design. Working from 1 to 4:30 each day, Losang patiently builds the mandala over five days, explaining the time-consuming process to visitors. At 4:00 on April 28, Sacred Arts Festival guests may participate in the ritual dismantling of the mandala and even take home some of the colored sand.
Losang was the first Buddhist given permission by the Dalai Lama to make Mandalas in the West. For more information on Losang Samten visit http://losangsamten.com/.
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As a reminder, Glencairn’s Sacred Arts Festival is held Sunday, April 28, from 1 to 5pm. Festival admission is $10 adults, $8 seniors/students with ID, FREE for Museum members and children 3 and under. It includes all festival demonstrations and access to the galleries and the tower as well as the Museum’s cell-phone audio tour inside and outside the castle.
Please note: No strollers or backpack-style baby carriers allowed in the Museum and no wheelchairs permitted beyond the first floor.
Photography for private use is permitted. No drones, flash, tripods, selfie-sticks or videography.
Glencairn Museum is at 1001 Cathedral Road, Bryn Athyn 19009.
For more information, visit www.glencairnmuseum.org or call 267.502.2990.