Shortly before Seattle welcomes the Dalai Lama, Everett will honor Tibetan culture in its own way next week.
From Tuesday to Friday, Buddhist monks plan to build a sand mandala in the lobby of the Monte Cristo building in downtown Everett.
The ornate circular sand paintings are a traditional way of representing a Buddhist deity. If all goes according to plan, making the mandala will take four days, two monks and millions of grains of brightly colored sand.
While the event neatly precedes the Dalai Lama’s April 11 arrival in the Pacific Northwest, organizer Lobsang Dargey said that was pure coincidence. He had intended to have the mandala created for other reasons.
“It kind of blesses the whole area,” he said.
Dargey was exposed to the creation of mandalas during his time as a Buddhist monk. The 34-year old businessman, who renovated the Everett Public Market building, said he practiced as a Buddhist monk from age 13 to 26.
Making a mandala is very complicated, he said.
Sand is funneled through the narrow end of a metal penlike instrument, and the brightly dyed grains are carefully arranged in geometric patterns, creating characters, Buddhist icons and other traditional designs.
Together, the designs represent a Buddhist deity, with the Everett pattern set to symbolize the god of compassion. The final result looks a bit like a circular quilt exported from Central Asia.
While the creation of mandalas dates back thousands of years, it is a relatively new process in the United States.
The Dalai Lama, as part of his ongoing campaign to keep Tibetan culture alive, allowed the first construction of a mandala in the West in 1988 to be open to the public. Since then, designs have been made from New York to Cleveland to Everett, where one was installed about 15 years ago, also in the Monte Cristo building.
Judy Tuohy, executive director of the Arts Council of Snohomish, helped Dargey organize the Everett event.
“We’re just thrilled we’re able to offer this cultural diversity to the community in a way that’s educational but an art form,” Tuohy said.
Organizers selected the Monte Cristo building as a venue for a few reasons. It had enough room to hold the pattern, which could stretch about five feet across. It also gave spectators a good place to view the process, which will be open daily to visitors.
“Go up on the mezzanine and look down for the best viewing,” Tuohy said.
The creation process begins with a short ceremony on Tuesday held by the two monks, who are being flown in from the North American seat for the Dalai Lama, Namgyal Monastery in Ithaca, N.Y. The monks plan to chant prayers for peace, prosperity and healing, making hand gestures to the accompaniment of cymbals, drums and flutes.
Then, from Wednesday to Friday, for about seven hours a day, the two monks will create the mandala, funneling the sand into its proper place. Shortly after it’s done, they deconstruct the design, disposing the sand in a nearby body of water, Dargey said.
Mandalas draw their names from a Sanskrit word meaning “circle,” which also translates to “house” or “palace.” Also used by Hindus, mandalas can represent a number of ideas, and often underscore the idea of impermanence. That idea is fully realized when the fragile design is taken apart.
The destruction of the mandala also is meant to release the positive energy and spirit of the deity that the design represents, Dargey said.
“It brings good energy, peace and harmony,” he said.
Reporter Andy Rathbun: 425-339-3455 or e-mail arathbun@heraldnet.com.
Watch the process
Sand mandala opening ceremony, noon Tuesday; daily construction, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; closing ceremony 4 p.m. Friday; Monte Cristo building, 1507 Wall St., Everett, 425-257-8380
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