Join Us for a Unique Experience

September 18-23, 2024

From September 18-23, 2024, monks from Namgyal Monastery Institute of Buddhist Studies, a Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Ithaca, N.Y., are constructing a mandala out of different colors of sand on Ithaca College’s campus. This mandala is 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.  

Follow us on @icphil.rel on Instagram for regular updates and behind the scenes.

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.

Mandala Live Stream

We are providing a livestream of the creation of the mandala for individuals who are unable to join us on campus for this event. The livestream is available between 9:00 a.m. and 4:00 p.m. each day from Wednesday, September 18, through Monday, September 23.

Each day, beginning at 3:00 p.m. EST, the monks will do ritual chanting followed by leading a meditation session.

VIEW HERE

Featured Events

Follow us @icphil.rel on Instagram for regular updates and behind the scenes.

Mandala Construction • September 18-23 • 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 18-23 the monks will pause their work at 3:00 p.m. for chanting, followed by a brief meditation session. At 4 pm every day, IC community groups will offer a walking meditation. All are welcome.

Opening Ceremony • Wednesday, September 18 • 10:00 a.m. • Business School Upper Atrium

IC will formally kick off the event with a brief ceremony, led by President Cornish and representatives from Namgyal Monastery.

Public Talk • Imagining Worlds: Buddhism, Mandala, and the Ecological Crisis • Wednesday, September 18 • 6 p.m. • Klingenstein Lounge


Jane-Marie Law, associate professor of Asian studies at Cornell University, will deliver a talk on the intersection of Buddhism and environmentalism. She has previously worked on the ways in which religious communities participate in conversations surrounding sustainable living and ecological healing.

SLI credit if you RSVP at least 24 hours in advance. 

Refreshments will be provided.

Religion Roundtable Discussion • Thursday, September 19 • 12-1:00 p.m. • Klingenstein Lounge

This year's religious roundtable will feature a community discussion on the relationship between religion and the current ecological crisis. Juan Arroyo, assistant professor of politics at IC, will kick-off the conversation with a brief presentation on Pope Francis' landmark environmentalist encyclical Laudato Si': On Care for Our Common Home (2015).

SLI credit available if you RSVP at least 24 hours in advance.

Refreshments will be provided.

Seva with IC Eco Reps• Friday, September 20 • 7:50 p.m. • in front of the Campus Center Dining Hall

In South Asian religious traditions, selfless service, known as Seva (or Sewa), refers to acts of service performed without any expectation of reward or recognition. These services are carried out for the benefit of others or society as a whole. By serving others, one is seen as indirectly serving God, making Seva an essential practice in leading a life devoted to spirituality and the betterment of others. This event offers you the chance to work with Eco Reps to donate the excess food from the Campus Center Dining Hall. For more information about this weekly event, follow Eco Reps on Instagram @sustainability4ic.

Film and Discussion • Friday, September 20 • 6 p.m. • Klingenstein Lounge

Join us for a screening of director Ron Fricke's visually stunning Samsara (2011), to be followed by a discussion with professors Rachel Wagner and Eric Steinschneider from the Department of Philosophy and Religion.

SLI credit available if you RSVP at least 24 hours in advance.

Refreshments will be provided.

Mandala Open House • Sunday, September 22 • 2:00–4:00 p.m. • Business School Upper and Lower Atrium

This event for all ages, curated by Ithaca College students Nandini Agarwal, Joey Kwasnicki, Shyla Mishra, Prakriti Panwar and Bambi Rinard, allows you to design, sketch, stitch, and color a mandala while learning more about Buddhist traditions and religious symbols.

Dissolution Ceremony • Monday, September 23 • 4:00–6:00 p.m. • Business School Upper Atrium and Muller Chapel

Upon completion, the mandala will remain on display until 4:00 p.m. on Monday, September 23, 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.