This past week, the Venerable Lama Losang Samten visited Villanova’s campus to create a sand mandala, which was hosted in the Driscoll Hall Atrium. Hosted by the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, the weeklong installation attracted students, faculty and community members.
The Ven. Samten was born in Chung Ribuce in central Tibet, and later moved to Dharamsala India where he earned the highest possible degree awarded by Namgyal Monastery in Buddhist Philosophy, Tantra and Sutra in 1985. By 1994, he received an honorary doctorate of Divinity from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, along with an Honorary Doctorate of Art from the Maine College of Art in 1995.
Familiar with the Philadelphia area, the Ven. Samten went on to teach Tibetan language at the University of Pennsylvania from 1994 to 1997. Eventually he was awarded a National Heritage Fellowship for the National Endowment for the Arts in 2002. From there, he was recognized for a Pew Fellowship in the Arts.
“We are honored to welcome Venerable Samten to Villanova,” Dr. Adele Lindenmeyr, Dean of Villanova’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, said in a statement from the University. “His presence at Villanova provides all members of our community with a rare opportunity to participate in a sacred healing practice that will deepen their understanding of meditation and its healing power.”
This visit, established through a partnership from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences and the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, aimed to highlight an intersection between Tibetan arts and culture as well as healing processes.
“We are delighted to host the sand mandala in Driscoll Hall, the home of Villanova Nursing, as a demonstration of the power of compassionate care,” Donna S. Havens, Connelly-Endowed Dean and Professor in M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, said in a statement.
Along with his own work on the piece, the Ven. Samten allowed for students themselves to contribute to the mandala, as many gathered to add sand.
“It was such a cool opportunity to be able to participate in such an amazing piece of art,” student Jenna Bellet said. “Having this experience inside Driscoll was such a treat.”
At the University, the Ven. Samten worked diligently on the mandala from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day. The mandala showcased various designs and vibrant colors that reflect the complexity of the universe, as well as the interdependence of all life on Earth. Serving as a Tibetan Buddhist tool for Meditation and Contemplation, the mandala was on display up until its ceremonial destruction this past Friday.
