The sand mandala in the library lobby is almost completed, and I have been visiting the library every day to note how it has been becoming larger and more detailed, and I think the process is simply amazing. I had the opportunity to talk to the monks for a while on Wednesday, and there were a lot of things they mentioned that stood out in my mind. The mandala itself has a representation of a Buddha in the center, and then each of the four colors that surround it represent another Buddha, each of which is a specific type of Buddha. They said that they have gone through many years of study to learn how to make the mandala, how to keep focusing on its creation, and to learn the chants that have been constantly playing in the library since they began the mandala. They also teach at their monastery so they said they only leave about twice a year to go to other places and do things like make a mandala. I was amazed at the amount of focus they have, because at one point when I was watching, a group of about 20-30 people suddenly walked in and surrounded the mandala area, which obviously significantly increased the noise level there, but the monks said that they focus only on the mandala and that part of their years of education was dedicated to learning how to focus completely on just one thing without being distracted.

Talking with the monks was very interesting, and I learned a lot about the mandala and the ceremonies that accompany it. I think that asking the monks to make a mandala in our library was an excellent idea, because it has really brought awareness of Buddhist mandala creation and aspects of the religion to the general campus population. I’ve seen so many people walk into the library just to print out a paper and then stand transfixed at the mandala site. I’ve also heard even more people talking about it across campus and people generally agree that it is an amazing work of art and religion.