WASHINGTON, USA, January 12, 2001: Four Buddhist monks, exiled from Tibet by Chinese rule, belonging to a 20-man team from a branch in Atlanta of their monastery, began to lay out a seven-foot work of symbolic art in 20 colors of sand a “healing mandala” for the pain of the attack on the Pentagon. “For at least 13 centuries,” said Lobsang Tenzin, leader of the monks’ group, “the Tibetans relied highly on spiritual practices, spiritual rituals as a way to bring a certain resolution to conflicts and it is our legacy that in these difficult times we can offer to America.” The artists will work in relays through January 27, depositing the sand from little funnels and holding ceremonial chants twice daily. The mandala symbolizes the whole universe, and also a palace where deities live.
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