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High in the Himalaya mountains, Tibet became an independent kingdom in the seventh century, when the great king Songtsen Gampo defeated the armies of nearby China under the Tang dynasty. As his empire grew along the trading route known as the Silk Road, the king was introduced to Tibet’s southern neighbor, India. Liking what he saw, Songtsen Gampo borrowed the Indian system of writing, laws and its religion, Buddhism for his own country. Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha, was born in India and started a faith based on peace and right action. Although Tibet already had a religion of nature worship called Bon, King Songtsen Gampo hoped that Buddhism’s nonviolent teachings would help bring stability to his government. The two faiths began to mingle and make themselves felt in every aspect of Tibetan life.
In the Tibetan Sand Mandala Program, students will learn about many aspects of Tibetan culture. They will look at photos of the mountainous region and its amazing architecture, such as the Potala Palace. They will get to listen to Tibetan fables, including stories of the Yeti (Abominable Snow Man) while sipping spicy Chai tea (a Himalayan speciality before it became a popular American drink). They will hear Buddhist monks singing in Multiphonic Chant, in which one person creates three notes simultaneously, and if there is Internet access they can practice simple Tibetan sentences.
They will study the origin and design of other Tibetan handicrafts, including prayer flags. (A prayer flag craft with an appropriate theme of students' choosing, such as “nature” or “peace,” can be added to this program). And they will learn about Buddhism and the history of Tibet, including the life of its current exiled ruler, the Dalai Lama, through the wonderfully-illlustrated biographies of children’s author Demi.
Before coming up with their own mandalas, students will look at examples of this beautiful artform and learn about its characteristic design and the meaning of some of its common symbols. (Intricate mandala coloring pages, suitable for colored pencil work, are included with this program’s handout.) They will see how Tibetan monks create – and dismantle – actual sand mandalas and use some of the same techniques to make their own permanent versions. This class can inspire a quiet, meditative mood in students(!), and the work they produce is lovely.
Read more about this Tibetan Sand Mandala project in the November/December 2005 issue of Home Education Magazine.
Copyright © 2008 Kathy Ceceri
