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 He came, he created, and he conquered the hearts and minds of The Masters School community. For five days in May, venerable Tenzin Yignyen, the world-renowned Tibetan Buddhist monk who studied with and was ordained by the Dalai Lama, took up residence in the Library’s McKnight Reading Room and created a beautiful work of art—a sand mandala. This vibrant cosmic diagram is made with brightly colored sand that represents the dwelling place or celestial mansion of a deity.
 Both the deity, who resides in the Mandala, and the Mandala itself are recognized as pure expressions of Buddha’s fully enlightened mind. Mandalas have been central to Buddhism for 2,500 years, but their construction took place in secret in monasteries and nunneries until 1989, when the first sand mandala was created in the American Museum of Natural History in Manhattan.
 Lama Tenzin was invited to The Masters School by history and religion teachers Ellen Cowhey and Laura Krier, who met him when they traveled to India last summer as members of a teacher education program sponsored by the Rubin Museum of Art. At The Masters School, all tenth graders are required to study world religions, which includes a unit on Buddhism. 
During his five days at the School, Lama Tenzin created the sand mandala from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. each day and met with upper and middle school students informally and in classes. On the final day, with the help of students and faculty, the sand mandala was dismantled, the sand collected in cups, and Lama Tenzin led a procession to the Hudson River. There, to symbolize the  impermanence and interconnectedness of the elements, Lama Tenzin ceremoniously spilled the sand into the river.
Lama Tenzin’s demeanor, teachings, and magnificent sand mandala left a lasting impression with The Masters School community.
photo by Anne Marie Leone
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