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Monks from India use colorful artistry for meditation, health
By LINDA M. LINONIS
NEW CASTLE, Pa.
Artistry, concentration and skill from the hands of Gajang Tsawa monks guide granule upon granule of pummeled, crystalized rock into an intricate design called a mandala.
The monks of Gaden Jangtse Monastery in south India created the colorful form as they worked on it for some five hours Friday at Spiritual Path Church, 2041 Moravia St. Ext.
Visitors to the church watched the process in silent awe as four monks used “chang bung” metal tools; each had an open end and the opposite side had increasingly smaller holes for the granules to pass through. The monks’ tapping the tools to release granules was like a form of music in the church.
The Rev. Karen Heasley, Spiritual Path founder and pastor, said this is the second visit by the monks to the church. They visited in November. “It’s to educate people about other religions and cultures,” she said. The monks’ previous visit attracted some 100 people; she expected that many or more this time.
“The feedback was positive. People said it was an uplifting experience for mind, body and spirit,” the Rev. Mrs. Heasley said.
Today, visitors to the church will have the opportunity to view the mandala, which focuses on healing, one of many designs. The monks also will offer a presentation on the mandala and karma.
Geshe Dorji Wang Chuk, the leader of the monks, said the title geshe is similar to professor. Geshe is a Tibetan Buddhist academic degree for monks.
A monk for 30 years, Wang Chuk said he entered when he was 10 years old. “Monks came to visit my village, and after being with them, I felt a calling and knew I wanted to join,” he said. At first, he said, his father resisted. “When he realized I was strong of heart about it, he gave permission,” Wang Chuk said.
The monk is on his seventh trip to the United States; the tour centers on sharing information about Tibetan Buddhism, culture, arts and music. Jeffery Beach, the monks’ driver and practicing Buddhist, said the group has traveled 19,000 miles in 27 states.
Wang Chuk said the mandala is a “meditation teaching tool.” “It helps relax your mind and focus on the objects,” he said.
That concentration also is employed by the monks who create the mandala out of colored granules of minutely crushed rock — so fine they’re barely there. Wang Chuk said they study up to three years to memorize the multitude of mandala designs and learn the technique to use the special tools.
Wang Chuk said the monks crush rock to very fine granules then color them. The granules are dyed blue to symbolize the sky; green, the root of a tree; red for fire; yellow for earth; and white for energy. “We also blend those main colors together for other shades,” he said.
The granules are blessed in a ceremony, he said. Granules may be placed “on your head to heal the mind, in the mouth to benefit your speech and by the heart to help your body,” he said.
The healing mandala created by the monks featured a “varja” symbol (Buddhist ritual object) in the center for compassion along with a lotus flower for love and kindness. The colors and design are mesmerizing; every look at it reveals something else.
The monks will dismantle the mandala on Sunday after a purification ritual. “The dissolution is part of the process,” Beach said, noting it reflects “nothing in life is permanent.”
Wang Chuk said granules from the mandala will be put in bags for people to take home. “They can use it as a reminder to meditate,” he said, adding it will reinforce that positive energy.