Special Community Event

The Monks of Drepung Loseling Monastery Return

Tuesday, December 13th - Friday, December 16th from 11:00am - 7:00pm
Drop by to witness the monks create the sand mandala

Held at Stormwater Studios
413 Pendleton Street, Columbia, SC 29201

“The Mystical Arts of Tibet, a Drepung Loseling Monastery Touring Production is a universal expression of the human subconscious... it transports you.”

The Washington Post

For the past 30 years, the Mystical Arts of Tibet tours by the monks of Drepung Loseling Monastery have crossed the globe to offer these authentic, sacred Tibetan arts to enchanted audiences in major cities and smaller communities alike. Endorsed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Richard Gere, these events are part of a tradition that dates back 2,500 years.

News-Tibet-Monks-best

The touring monks of Drepung Loseling Monastery

“The production by the monk artists of Drepung Loseling Monastery is both highly professional and beautiful and expresses the purity and sophistication of the Tibetan sacred performing arts. I am deeply honored to be associated with it.”

– Richard Gere

https://www.mysticalartsoftibet.org/

Healing Mandala - Sand Painting – Live “Exhibition”

From all the artistic traditions of Tantric Buddhism, that of painting with colored sand ranks as one of the most unique and exquisite. Millions of grains of sand are painstakingly laid into place on a flat platform over a period of days or weeks. The sand-painted mandala is used as a tool for healing and re-consecrating the earth and its inhabitants.

Both the opening and closing ceremonies are not to be missed. Mark your calendars.

Opening Ceremony
Tuesday, December 13th 11:00am - Noon
The monks will consecrate the gallery space at Stormwater and call forth the forces of goodness through chanting mantras. The construction of the mandala begins with the drawing of the Medicine Buddha Mandala.

Closing Ceremony
Saturday December 17th
11:00 - Noon
The mandala will be open for final viewing

Noon - 1:00pm
Sand mandalas are deconstructed shortly after their completion. This is done as a metaphor of the impermanence of life. The sands are swept up and placed in an urn; to fulfill the function of healing, half is distributed to the audience at the closing ceremony, while the remainder is carried to a nearby body of water, where it is deposited. The waters then carry the healing blessing to the ocean, and from there it spreads throughout the world for planetary healing.

Buddhist Sand Mandala
On Thursday, October 29th, 2015, We hosted A Tibetan Evening - a preview opening

“Tibet: Magical Land of Spiritual Wonders”

This exhibition of twenty-one stunning color images taken by some of the world's foremost photographic artists, includes works created by students curated from Healing Icons traveling exhibition Sometimes Words Are Not Enough.

Completed Mandala

Daily Tibetan Bazaar

Sales of merchandise raise funds for the 3,500 Drepung Loseling monks residing in the refuge community in India.

Noon Lectures/Workshop

All Lectures/Workshops are held at Stormwater’s neighbor, the Cathy Novinger Girl Scout Leadership Center - 1107 Williams St, Columbia, SC 29201.
Lectures are approximately one hour in length, followed by a question/answer period.

The experiential Mindful Mandala Workshop is approximately one and a half hour in length. All materials are supplied but please bring your own lunch  Preregistration is required. Pay what you can: suggested amount $75.

Register Now for the Mindful Mandala Workshop

12/14 Wednesday Noon Workshop

Lunch and Learn – Mindful Mandalas

Cathy Novinger Girl Scout Leadership Center
1107 Williams Street, Columbia, SC 29201

Heidi Darr Hope and Pamela Meriwether have revamped an ancient practice for new times, our times. Creating a mandala is a restorative journey that trusts and supports a willingness to open into the playful intuitive mystery of the creative process. Here is where your intuition comes out to play, where you reconnect with your heart and gut instincts. All materials are supplied.  Just bring your lunch. This workshop will give you a glimpse into our self-paced eCourse, Mindful Mandalas.

12/15 Thursday Noon Lecture

The Symbolism of the Sand Mandala, Delivered by a member of the Drepung Loseling Monastery

Cathy Novinger Girl Scout Leadership Center
1107 Williams Street, Columbia, SC 29201

The Mandala is a sacred cosmogram, a two-dimensional geometric figure that represents an understanding of the universe. It is used as an object of contemplation. It depicts the pure nature of the world in which we live as well as how we can live most effectively. By creating a sand Mandala, we bring the creative energy of that sacred dimension into our lives and attune ourselves to this natural perfection.

2/16 Friday – Noon Lecture

Opening the Heart: Arousing the Mind of Universal Kindness, Delivered by a member of the Drepung Loseling Monastery

Cathy Novinger Girl Scout Leadership Center
1107 Williams Street, Columbia, SC 29201

The eighth century Indian master Shantideva said, “The mind of universal kindness is like the magical elixir that turns base metals into gold. It transforms an ordinary person into one on the path of growth and happiness.” Love and kindness are mental archetypes that all beings possess. The more we strengthen them, the more beneficial we become to others and ourselves.