The Fowler Museum (The Eleanor Deutsch Seminar Room)
May 15-16, 2026
In conjunction with the LightFest 3.0 Symposium, Tibetan Buddhist monks from the Gaden Shartse Phukhang Sacred Harmony World Peace Tour will create a Medicine Buddha mandala over two days as a public offering. Using traditional methods and marble powder colored sand, the mandala is carefully constructed to symbolize healing, balance, and compassion.
The Medicine Buddha represents healing, compassion, and the alleviation of suffering in Tibetan Buddhism. His practice is associated with both physical and mental well-being, cultivating inner balance and peace.
During the ceremony, monks will bless the mandala, imbuing it with healing intention. Viewing the mandala is considered a spiritual practice, offering visitors an opportunity to receive blessings, reflect inwardly, and connect with a sense of calm and well-being.
Visitors are welcome to attend at any time during the two days to observe the process, ask questions, and learn about the mandala’s meaning and symbolism. This is a rare opportunity to witness a sacred art form that embodies mindfulness, patience, and the spirit of healing.
WORKSHOP
Tibetan Art as Healing: Mandala as Blueprint of Emptiness
May 16, 2026 2 pm – 5 pm
Led by Dr. Lobsang Tsering, this immersive workshop introduces the sand mandala as a meditative and creative practice. Participants will learn how the mandala is carefully designed with balance, symmetry, and flow, while also reflecting the Buddhist understanding of emptiness.
Through this process, the mandala can be experienced both as a visual structure and as a tool for contemplation, offering insight into harmony, space, and the interconnected nature of form.
Beginning with an introduction to the history and cultural significance of Tibetan sand mandalas, Lobsang will guide participants through the geometry, color systems, and symbolic structures that underlie their construction. He will also expand the two-dimensional surface into a three-dimensional understanding, describing how the mandala can be envisioned as an architectural form—an inhabitable, multi-layered space. Through hands-on practice with traditional tools, participants will engage in “meditation in motion,” contributing to a collective sand mandala and experiencing the principles of precision, patience, and impermanence. The workshop concludes with a traditional dispersal ceremony, emphasizing transformation, non-attachment, and the continuity between form and emptiness.
During LightFest 3.0, Dr. Lobsang Tsering will also present The Inner Microscope, a guided visualization meditation drawing on Buddhist visualization and concentration practices. IN a symbolic sense, these practices function as an “inner microscope,” developing the ability to observe reality through focused contemplation. The meditation will take place on May 15 at 4:30 pm at the CNSI and May 16 at 11:45 am at the Fowler Museum.
Workshop Program Details
-Introduction to the meaning and symbolism of the mandala.
-Demonstration and practice of traditional tools and basic sand painting techniques.
-Formation of small groups to create group sand mandalas.
-Short teaching on the purpose and meaning of the sand mandala dispersal ceremony.
-Group mandala dispersal ceremony led by Dr. Lobsang Tsering and the monks.
*registration is required for this workshop.
Tibetan Art as Healing is a part of the UNESCO International Day of Light at UCLA | LightFest 3.0: AI Tools for Microscopy in Medicine and Media Arts.
LightFest 3.0 brings together artists, scientists, medical researchers, and cultural practitioners to explore light across scales—from AI microscopy and spectroscopy to media arts, sustainability, and contemplative cultural practices.
Organized in conjunction with UNESCO International Day of Light, the two-day symposium examines how imaging technologies are transforming medicine, scientific research, and creative expression.