T.C. Palm
Shelley Owens, YourNews contributor
4:25 p.m. EST November 22, 2016

On Feb. 8 through 12, 2017, Tibetan monks sharing Mystical Arts of Tibet at The Lyric Theatre will bookend their performances with the creation and dispersal of a sand mandala at the Arts Council of Martin County, at 80 S.E. Ocean Blvd., in Stuart.

Monks from the exiled Drepung Loseling Monastery, home of the Dalai Lama, will perform sacred dance and song from their 2,500-year history at the Lyric on Feb. 10 and 11.

Before and after the performances, they will create a traditional sand-painted mandala, which they use as a tool for re-consecrating the earth and its inhabitants, said Kia Fontaine, the theater’s executive director.

“It’s painstaking work. They lay out the picture virtually a grain of sand at a time,” she said. “During the closing ceremony on Feb. 12, they will deconstruct the mandala.”

A monk from the Drepung Loseling Monastery creates a sand mandala to help purify the earth and inhabitants. (Photo: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)

Don’t think of it as a lost work of art, she said. It’s an act of connecting us all in peace.

What’s so beautiful about the mandala is its impermanence,” Fontaine said. “It is in the moment and reminds us to live in the moment.”

“They will give half the sand to those attending the closing ceremony and the remainder they’ll disperse in the St Lucie River,” she said. “The waters carry the healing blessing of the sand to the ocean, and from there it spreads throughout the world for planetary healing.”

The performance collaboration with the Arts Council is one of several planned in early 2017, Fontaine said. Performers the 3 Redneck Tenors and jazz flutist Nestor Torres will hold master classes for high school students nominated by their instructors.

“The hope is that some of the high school students will play or sing with the artists on-stage at The Lyric,” said Fontaine.

“The Lyric’s mission is to inspire and educate the leaders of tomorrow,” she said. “Arts and culture help make Martin County a great place to live. We want to make it a place where young people will return after high school and college.”

On Feb. 8 through 12, 2017, Tibetan monks sharing Mystical Arts of Tibet at The Lyric Theatre will bookend their performances with the creation and dispersal of a sand mandala at the Arts Council of Martin County. (Photo: CONTRIBUTED PHOTO)