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Buddhist monks from the Drepung Loseling monastery conduct the opening ceremony for Tibet Week at Emory University in the student center. The ceremony includes deep throatal chanting, which is intended to "lift the human spirit to the level of God," according to Geshe Lobsang, director of the Loseling Institute and religion faculty at Emory. |
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An Emory student activist group watches the proceedings. Atlanta is the North American seat of the Drepung Loseling Monastery. The monastery itself has a long history: Founded in 1416 in Tibet, it was devastated after the Chinese communist invasion in 1959. A number of monks escaped to India, where the international headquarters are today. There has been an Atlanta location since 1991, and their mission is to help preserve Tibetan culture through education. They offer workshops, classes and retreats on language, meditation, philosophy and practice. |
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The Loseling monks prepare to create a mandala, or sand painting. |
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The act of creating the mandala is a way of getting in touch with "fundamental goodness, what we call buddha-nature," says Lobsang. |
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There is also a community mandala, which will be created by passers-by in the student center. Here Candace Chan, 20, a senior at Emory, learns how to lay white sand in the predesigned pattern. |
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The center of a mandala is always a symbol of an enlightened value. For the community mandala, the value is wisdom: appropriate for a university community. All around the center, a mantra to the Buddha of Wisdom is repeated: Om Ah Rapa Tsa Na Dhi. |
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Three days later, the community mandala is nearly complete: dozens of hands have worked on it. |
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Lopsang (center, hand extended) explains to students the symbolism of the mandala the monks have created. Eventually, the sand will be blessed, and swept into a local stream, to symbolize the impermanence of life. |
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Self-taught folk artist Chris Hubbard stands in front of his art car creation, The Heaven and Hell Car. |
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Although Hubbard lives in Athens, Georgia, he travels around the country showing his cars and "off the car" artwork at art car events and folk galleries. Pictured here, his work is on display at street festival in East Atlanta. |
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Hubbard believes that "all religion is really the same." His artistic influences include Howard Finster, the celebrated Georgia folk artist who worked with religious imagery. |
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Passers-by stop to admire Hubbard's handiwork. |
