SPECIAL EVENT | October 3–6

This week, Tibetan Buddhist monks from the Tashi Kyil Monastery will create a sand mandala, a process that takes several days. 

After an opening ceremony at 9:30 am Tuesday, the monks at The Fralin will painstakingly place colored sand in an elaborate arrangement that is specific to the Buddhist deity Avalokiteshvara. Known as Chenrezig in Tibetan language, this deity is considered to be the embodiment of pure compassion. As the monks create The Fralin mandala, they will focus their minds on cultivating compassion and reducing suffering for all living beings.

Visitors are welcome to watch the creation process.

This event is co-sponsored by the Fralin Museum of Art and the UVA Tibet Center.

THU | October 5 @ 5 pm

Mandalas and Meditation | Gallery Talk with Michael Sheehy

Michael Sheehy, Ph.D., is the Director of Scholarship at the Contemplative Sciences Center, Research Assistant Professor in Tibetan Buddhist studies in the Department of Religious Studies, and affiliated faculty at the Tibet Center at the University of Virginia. As lead for the Contemplative University, an international digital publishing platform, he facilitates interdisciplinary collaborative work to document historical contemplative practice traditions, develops pedagogical resources that foster human flourishing, and synthesizes research in the contemplative humanities and sciences.