Tibetan Buddhist Mandala | Ithaca College

Thank You for Joining Us for an Unique Experience

September 17-22, 2025

From September 17-22, 2025, monks from Namgyal Monastery Institute of Buddhist Studies, a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Ithaca, N.Y., constructed a mandala out of different colors of sand on Ithaca College’s campus. This mandala was dedicated to Chenrezig, the bodhisattva (highly advanced spiritual being) of compassion, also known as Avalokiteśvara. Tibetan Buddhists traditionally recognize Chenrezig as the patron of Tibet and view the XIV Dalai Lama as an emanation of Chenrezig in the physical world.

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What is a mandala?

Mandalas are ritual objects found in Buddhist and other religious traditions. Typically geometric in design, they represent the realm of a celestial being, including his or her palace and divine retinue. In that sense, a mandala is a living deity manifest in a form perceivable by the human senses. Mandalas are also idealized representations of the universe. In ritual contexts, practitioners are initiated into the worship of a particular mandala-deity and will use the mandala to visualize the divine qualities associated with the enlightened being thought to reside therein.

The Making of a Sand Mandala

Eric Steinschneider, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Religion, shares the importance of the sand Mandala constructed by monks from Namgyal Monastery Institute of Buddhist Studies, a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Ithaca, N.Y.

Featured Events

Mandala Construction • September 17-22 • 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. • Business School Upper Atrium

Stop by the Business School Upper Atrium to watch as the monks construct the mandala.

Every day September 17-22 the monks will pause their work at 3:00 p.m. for chanting, followed by a brief meditation session. All are welcome.

Opening Ceremony • Wednesday, September 17 • 10:00 a.m. • Business School Upper Atrium

Join us for a brief opening ceremony, led by President Cornish and representatives from Namgyal Monastery.

Death Café • Thursday, September 18 • 12-1:00 p.m. • Clark Lounge

How would you like to be remembered after you are gone? What do you want done with your body? Join us for a community discussion on death, dying, and ecology facilitated by Michelle Menter, executive director of Greensprings Natural Burial Cemetery Preserve.

Refreshments will be provided.

Andean Ecologies, Cosmologies and Fictions• Thursday, September 18 • 6 p.m. • Handwerker Gallery

The mandala that will be constructed in the School of Business is an excellent example of a cosmogram : a geometrical figure that purports to provide a map of the universe. Concurrent with Mandala Week, the Handwerker Gallery is hosting an exhibit entitled Section as Cosmogram: From the Heavens to the Earth (dates: August 28 through October 1 , curated by David Salomon, Chair and Associate Professor, Department Art, Art History, and Architecture). During Mandala Week, José Ibarra from Penn State University will deliver a gallery talk entitled "Andean Ecologies, Cosmologies, and Fictions ." This event, scheduled for September 18 at 6 p.m. in the Handwerker Gallery, is especially recommended for visitors to the mandala who are interested in cross-cultural perspectives on the world-as-cosmogram.

Film and Discussion • Saturday, September 20 • 6 p.m. • Park Auditorium

Join us for a screening of the visually stunning South Korean film Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring (2003), to be followed by a discussion with Professor Eric Steinschneider from the Department of Philosophy and Religion.

Refreshments will be provided.

Mandala Open House • Sunday, September 21 • 2:00–4:00 p.m. • Business School Upper and Lower Atrium

This event for all ages, curated by Ithaca College students, invites all guests to design, sketch, stitch, and color a mandala while learning more about Buddhist traditions and religious symbols.

Dissolution Ceremony • Monday, September 22 • 3:00–5:00 p.m. • Business School Upper Atrium and Muller Chapel

Upon completion, the mandala will remain on display until 3:00 p.m. on Monday, September 22, when a dissolution ceremony involving the gathering up of the sand will occur. The campus community and members of the wider public are invited to join the procession that will carry the sand from the Business School Upper Atrium to the pond next to Muller Chapel. The ritual pouring of the sand into a body of water, in addition to formally dismissing the mandala-deity, powerfully expresses the Buddhist doctrine of impermanence and is believed to spread the karmic merit accumulated by the construction of the mandala to all sentient beings.

A reception in Muller Chapel will directly follow the ceremony. Refreshments will be provided and all are welcome to attend.