CEDAR FALLS - An unusual, spiritual work of art, a sand mandala created from colored sand applied grain by grain, will take shape on the University of Northern Iowa campus, beginning Monday in the lobby of the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center.

Visible for centuries only in Buddhist monasteries, the Dalai Lama allowed them to be open to the public in 1988.

UNI will be hosting four visitors from the Tibetan Cultural Institute and the University of Arkansas who will construct the sand mandala, presented as an educational tool to the community and as an offering of peace and harmony.

Three of the visitors are monks, Geshe Thupten Dorjee, Gedun Pekar and Lama Agha; the fourth is Zoepa Gyatso. An opening ceremony is planned for 10 a.m. Monday.

Their visit is the result of UNI graduate student Pema Yangchen's desire to give something back to the university, before returning to the Tibetan community in India later this year, "in appreciation of the financial support and the great education I received."

Geshe Thupten Dorjee, one of the monks, is her uncle and he agreed to the visit, so she began working with university officials to bring the group to UNI from Arkansas.

Yangchen first came to UNI as a Fulbright Scholar in fall 2001. She was able to complete her master's degree in teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) and pursue her doctorate in education through a series of graduate tuition scholarships and assistantship stipends from the Graduate College.

This May she will receive her Doctor of Education Degree and will return to India to teach at the Dalai Lama Institute of Higher Education in Bangalore, India.

Mandalas are geometric patterns laid out with compasses and chalk lines and then filled in, grain by grain, with sand ground from white marble and colored. The sand is applied with small tubes, funnels and scrapers until the pattern is achieved. The mandala at UNI will be of Buddha Akshobhya, the Buddha generally associated with purification. He embodies the perfected state both of our consciousness and of the environment.

"The UNI community will benefit from this sand mandala construction event in several ways," said Yangchen. "First, it will introduce the community to the ancient art of Tibetan Buddhism. Moreover, having the opportunity to witness all the stages of a sand mandala construction will enhance audience appreciation for this unique and exquisite ancient art.

"Next, the sand mandala can be used as an alternative way for the UNI community and neighboring communities to learn about the basic values in Buddhist teaching. Therefore, this event will help promote religious understanding and harmony across all communities.

"Finally, with the tornado and flood season approaching, reminding us of the Flood of 2008 and the tornado that brought about immense damages not only to property but to life, the sand mandala confers healing effects and the blessings to our communities. The positive energy generated and accumulated from viewing this sand mandala will help develop compassion which in turn will contribute to the development of a more tolerant, compassionate, and caring community."

The construction begins with the opening ceremony and concludes with a ceremony where the mandala is destroyed and the sand is distributed to the audience. A procession is made to flowing water where the remainder of the sand is cast away to symbolize the transitory nature of life. The closing ceremony will be at 1:30 p.m. Sunday, April 19.

In conjunction with their visit, James Robinson, UNI associate professor of religion, will lead a discussion of the book "The World of Tibetan Buddhism: An Overview of its Philosophy and Practice" by the Dalai Lama on Thursday, April 16, 6:30 p.m. on the Gallery Level of the Gallagher-Bluedorn. The book is available at University Book & Supply.

All events take place at the Gallagher-Bluedorn Performing Arts Center; guests are welcome to visit whenever the lobby is open, but work will be taking place Monday through Saturday, April 13-18, at the following times: 9 a.m. to noon and 2 to 6 p.m., Monday, Wednesday and Friday; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m., Tuesday and Thursday; and, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2 to 5 p.m., Saturday.

Visit www.uni.edu/mandala for more information and a live web stream of the mandala construction.