Join eight Tibetan monks from Tashi Lhunpo Monastery during their residency at Harewood as they create an intricate sand mandala and offer an introduction to the arts, dance and music of a Tibetan monastery.

From the dedication ceremony in the Gallery on Monday 28th October through the week see how the monks painstakingly place millions of grains of coloured sand into a design symbolizing a beautiful palace for the Buddha – a form of meditation in the Tantric tradition of Tibetan Buddhism.  In a moving final ritual on the morning of Sunday 3rd November witness the destruction of the mandala as the meditation is completed.

In the mornings in the Servants’ hall you will find opportunities to try your hand at mandala-making, prayer flag printing and butter sculpture – as well as learning a few words in Tibetan from some of the monks.  You can catch performances of the majestic dances from the monastery’s New Year festival on the Terrace in the afternoons (or in the Servants’ Hall in case of wet weather), and you may also find something to take home with you from the monks’ shop which has various items for sale from their home in India.

Schedule

Mon 28th Oct 

• 11.30 – 12.30: Mandala Dedication Ceremony (Gallery)
• 12.30 – 4.00: Construction of mandala (Gallery)

Tue 29th Oct 

• 10.30 – 4.00: Construction of mandala (Gallery)
• 11.00 – 12.30: Drop-in workshop (Servant’s Hall)
• 2.00: Performance on the Terrace

Wed 30th Oct 

• 10.30 – 4.00: Construction of mandala (Gallery)
• 11.00 – 12.30: Drop-in workshop (Servant’s Hall)
• 2.00: Performance on the Terrace

Thu 31st Oct 

• 10.30 – 4.00: Construction of mandala (Gallery)
• 11.00 – 12.30: Drop-in workshop (Servant’s Hall)
• 2.00: Performance on the Terrace

Fri 1st Nov 

• 10.30 – 12.30: Construction of mandala (Gallery)
• 11.00 – 12.30: Drop-in workshop (Servant’s Hall)

Sat 2nd Nov 

• 10.30 – 4.00: Construction of mandala (Gallery)
• 11.00 – 12.30: Drop-in workshop (Servant’s Hall)
• 2.00: Performance on the Terrace

Sun 3rd Nov 

• 11.00 – 12.00: Destruction of the mandala (beginning in the Gallery)

About Tashi Lhunpo Monastery

Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, founded in Shigatse, Tibet, by the 1^st Dalai Lama in 1447, has now been re-established in exile, and there are currently 400 monks studying Buddhist philosophy in Bylakuppe Tibetan settlement, near Mysore in South India. The Tashi Lhunpo Monastery UK Trust was set up in 2003 to raise awareness of the Tibetan situation and to support the monastery in India by fund-raising.  This Trust has been organising cultural tours since 2001, and the monks have performed in theatres, art centres and village halls all over the UK and Europe.

Buddhism and Harewood

Harewood has a long-standing connections to the Himalayas and to Buddhism. The Himalayan Garden here is home to the Harewood Stupa, a Buddhist monument built in 2004 by monks from the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. It is the only one of its kind in the UK.

The current Earl of Harewood, David Lascelles, was instrumental in the commissioning of the Harewood Stupa. After visiting Bhutan in 2002 he invited Lama Sonam Chophel, a master-builder of stupas, to build an Enlightenment Stupa at Harewood. The construction took place over three months in the summer of 2004 and the stupa was formally consecrated the following year in a ceremony presided over by the distinguished Lama Baso Karpo, also from Bhutan. Since its construction, Harewood has welcomed many eminent Lamas from India and Nepal to visit, make offerings and lead prayers at the stupa.

You can visit the Harewood Stupa throughout the open season here. It is located in the Himalayan Garden close to the Lakeside Path.

Autumn Adventures at Harewood

From pumpkin painting and wildlife safaris to outdoor cinema screens, we’ve got an amazing lineup of family-friendly autumn events this October Half Term.

Check it out