Medicine Buddha Mandala in The Union Lumber Company Store

Buddhist Monks Bless Coastal Community

 

    If you have always wanted to witness this ceremony, you may now view it, Friday January 23rd. Mendocino TV will show the complete video of the creation and destruction of the mandala. Located at the rear of The Union Lumber Company Store. This movie will show at 5pm, 6pm & 7pm.There will be a $5 entrance fee.

A thrilling spiritual and cultural event was held in the heart of Fort Bragg. Tibetan Monks performed a blessing for our area with the ancient sand mandala ceremony. The venerable monks of Sera Jey Monastic University in Southern India brought with them the sacred practice of Tibetan sand mandalas to share with our community. They spent three days at the Mendocino Center for Spiritual Learning Gathering Place at the Company Store in Fort Bragg where they created, and subsequently destroyed, a Blue Medicine Buddha Mandala on Saturday, Sunday and Monday, December 27, 28, and 29.

The Medicine Buddha Mandala is a Tibetan Buddhist tradition involving the creation and destruction of mandalas made from colored sand. A sand mandala is ritualistically destroyed once it has been completed and its accompanying ceremonies and viewing are finished to symbolize the Buddhist doctrinal belief in the transitory nature of material life.

A mandala is thought to bring the manifestation of the healing energy of all enlightened beings to the area where it is being constructed. Simply viewing a mandala is believed by Buddhists to be enough to change one’s mind stream by creating a strong imprint in touch with the timeless ideal of all-encompassing compassion, as is represented in the mandala itself. As a result of this imprint, one may be able to find greater compassion, awareness, and a better sense of well-being.

The monks performing the ritual were;

Donations are appreciated by Sera Jey Monastic University, which provides education and support for monks and youth in India who are living in exile from Tibet. http://www.serajeymonastery.org/
All donations are tax-deductible. For more information, please contact Rev. Tanya Wyldflower at 964-1458 or Rachel Archuletta at racheletta@gmail.com