By RADINA GIGOVA
Observer Staff
Oct. 25, 2007

Audio of Tenzin Chogyal, an exiled musician from Tibet, who opened the ceremony with his performance of the “Mantra for Compassion,” followed by the chant of the Tibetan monks
Observer Photos and Audio By Radina Gigova

Tibetan Buddhist monks from the Dalai Lama’s Namgyal Monastery in India built a sacred sand mandala at the National Cathedral.

The colorful ritual ceremony was intended to be part of the peace prayer practices at the Cathedral. It also commemorated the Dalai Lama on the eve of being awarded the Congressional Gold Medal, the nation’s highest civilian honor.

“This is a house of prayer of all people,” said the cathedral warden Rev. Cannon Henry Anderson as he welcomed the monks at the opening. “And people of many religious faiths and traditions have come to this holy place to experience peace.”

The mandala is a form of art, built as a mosaic from colored powders or ground precious stones. The piece represents geometric shapes and ancient symbols used as tools for meditation. Tibetan Buddhists believe that sand mandalas are a source of enormous spiritual energy, and those who create and decipher the intricate designs receive blessings.

The Namgyal monks built the mandala over three days, then released the sand into the Potomac river. The act was a symbolic expression of their prayer for peace to come back to earth.

The Namgyal monks believe that compassion for humans and all other forms of life, the earth and the self, is the avenue for peace.

The monks were exiled from Tibet after the Chinese invasion in 1949. They are now participating in various events as part of their Compassion Tour in the United States to help people learn more about their 2500-year-old teachings and culture.