PUBLICATIONS Inside Illinois Vol. 21, No. 17, April 4, 2002

Photo by Bill Wiegand

Monk artists in residence Tenzin Shakya (left) and Geshe Lobsang Kunga painstakingly create a mandala dedicated to the Medicine Buddha. Each morning at 10 a.m., the monks, who are from the from the Drepung Goman Monastery in India, begin their work with 15 minutes of chanted prayer.

They invite the public to join them in their meditation and observe them at work in the Krannert Art Museum, where the mandala will be on display after it is finished. The mandala is seen as a microcosm embodying the various divine powers at work in the universe, and it serves as a collection point for the gods and universal forces. In Tibetan Buddhism, a mandala is used as an aid to meditation. The monks will work on the mandala until April 7.