Tibetan Buddhist Mandala | Ithaca College

Join Us for a Special Experience

September 22-27, 2026

On September 22-27, 2026, monks from Namgyal Monastery Institute of Buddhist Studies, a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Ithaca, N.Y., will construct a mandala out of different colors of sand on Ithaca College’s campus. This mandala is dedicated to Chenrezig, the bodhisattva (enlightened embodiment) of compassion, also known as Avalokiteśvara. Tibetan Buddhists traditionally recognize Chenrezig as the patron deity of Tibet and view His Holiness 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 used in Buddhist, Hindu, and Jain religious traditions. Typically geometric in design, they are understood to ritually constitute the realm of a divine or enlightened being, including his or her palace and retinue. A mandala is thus nothing less than a living deity, manifest in a form that is perceivable by the human senses. By extension, mandalas are idealized representations of the universe and of the human body. 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 22-27 • 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 22-26 the monks will pause their work at 3:00 p.m. for chanting, followed by a brief meditation session. All are welcome. No prior experience with meditation is necessary.

Opening Ceremony • Tuesday, September 22 • 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 • Tuesday, September 22 • 11:50-12:50 p.m. • Clark Lounge

Join us for a community discussion on matters related to death, dying, and impermanence, facilitated by IC student and certified death doula Madison VanDerLinde ('28, Religious Studies).

Refreshments will be provided.

IC Peace • Thursday, September 24 • 11:50-12:50 p.m. • Clark Lounge

All are invited to attend this roundtable discussion, facilitated by students in Professor Steinschneider's Peace and Nonviolence class, which considers how we might imagine and begin to collectively create futures conducive to the flourishing of the human and more-than-human world.

Film and Discussion • Saturday, September 26 • 2 p.m. • Hockett Hall, School of Music

Join us for a screening of the documentary film The Wisdom of Happiness (2024), followed by a community conversation.

Dissolution Ceremony • Sunday, September 27 • 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 Sunday, September 27, 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.