DATE: Sunday, September 14, 1997            TAG: 9709120197

SECTION: PORTSMOUTH CURRENTS     PAGE: 09   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY IDA KAY JORDAN, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   47 lines

BUDDHIST LAMAS WILL CREATE SAND PAINTING

A mandala, according to the dictionary, is a circular design containing concentric geometric forms, images of deities and other objects, symbolizing the universe or wholeness in Hinduism and Buddhism.

A mandala of sand will be created by nine Tibetan Buddhist lamas in the main gallery of the Portsmouth Arts Center starting at 2 p.m. today and continuing for a week.

Over the course of the week, the lamas will painstakingly lay millions of grains of sand to create a painting of a mandala called ``Avalokiteshvara'' to symbolize compassion.

After a ceremony consecrating the sand at 2 p.m. today, they will begin work. The lamas will work 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, except from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m., to create the mandala.

On Saturday, a closing ceremony will begin at 3:30 p.m. The mandala will be destroyed as a metaphor of the impermanence of life. The lamas will carry the sand down Court Street to Crawford Bay, where it will be placed in the river to be swept away to the ocean and spread around the world as a healing blessing.

The creation of the mandala is part of the art center's exploration of the mystical world of Tibet and the Himalayas.

Other activities also have been planned for the week:

``Religious Life and Persecution in Tibet,'' a discussion by the monks at Trinity Episcopal Church, corner of High and Court streets, 7:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Nine multiphonic singers and musicians from the Drepung Loseling Monastery will perform ``Sacred Music/Sacred Dance for World Healing'' at Willett Hall at 7 p.m. Friday. Jointly sponsored by the Portsmouth Community Concert Association, the performance will feature traditional instruments, such as the 10-foot-long dunchen trumpets, and elaborate costumes. Tickets, priced from $10 to $15, are available at Willett Box Office.

A workshop to teach participants how to create their own personal mandalas will be held at the arts center from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday. The workshop will be led by Philip Sugden, the artist whose work is on display at the center.

The exhibit, ``Visions from the Fields of Merit,'' which also features photographs by Carole Elchert, will close on Sept. 21.

The arts center, located in the 1846 Courthouse at the corner of High and Court streets, is open 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday and 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday. For information, call 393-8983.

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