The Venerable Lama Losang Samten to Create Tibetan Mandala at Villanova University
Villanova, Pa — The Venerable Lama Losang Samten will visit Villanova University Sept. 9 – 13, 2024, to create a sand mandala, a Tibetan Buddhist tool for meditation and contemplation. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences presents the weeklong event in partnership with the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, which will host the installation in the Driscoll Hall Atrium.
The Ven. Samten will create a Medicine Buddha mandala, a sacred design that represents the healing power of wisdom and compassion. The mandala is depicted in vibrant colors and has intricate designs that reflect the complexity of the universe and the interdependence of all life. The opening ceremony is set for Monday, Sept. 9, at 4 p.m., and on Friday, Sept. 13, at 10:30 a.m., the Ven. Samten will supervise the ceremonial destruction of the mandala.
“We are honored to welcome Venerable Samten to Villanova,” says Adele Lindenmeyr, PhD, William and Julia Moulden Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. “His presence at Villanova provides all members of our community a with rare opportunity to participate in a sacred healing practice that will deepen their understanding of meditation and its healing power.”
“We are delighted to host the sand mandala in Driscoll Hall, the home of Villanova Nursing, as a demonstration of the power of compassionate care,” says Donna S. Havens, PhD, RN, FAAN, Connelly Endowed Dean and Professor, M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing.
The Ven. Samten will work on the mandala from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day in the atrium of Driscoll Hall, with a break for lunch. The public and campus community are welcome to access the livestream and visit. Expert Villanova faculty, including co-organizers Julie Klein, PhD, professor and chair of the Philosophy Department; Stephanie Wong, PhD, assistant professor of Theology and Religious Studies; and Davey Tomlinson, PhD, assistant professor of Philosophy; have assembled interpretive materials and invited scholars to provide a multi-faceted glimpse into Tibetan Buddhism and culture.
The Ven. Samten, a renowned Tibetan scholar and a former Buddhist monk, was born in Chung Ribuce, in central Tibet. In 1959, he and his family fled to Nepal and later moved to Dharamsala, India. In 1985, he earned the highest degree awarded by Namgyal Monastery, the monastery of the 14th Dalai Lama, in Buddhist Philosophy, Sutra, and Tantra. In 1994, Samten received an Honorary Doctorate of Divinity from Trinity College in Hartford, Connecticut, and he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Art from the Maine College of Art in 1995. He taught Tibetan Language at the University of Pennsylvania from 1994–1997. His work was recognized with a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2002, and in 2004, he was awarded a Pew Fellowship in the Arts.
View the full schedule of events and additional information.
About Villanova University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences: Since its founding in 1842, Villanova University’s College of Liberal Arts and Sciences has been the heart of the Villanova learning experience, offering foundational courses for undergraduate students in every college of the University. Serving more than 4,500 undergraduate and graduate students, the College is committed to fortifying them with intellectual rigor, multidisciplinary knowledge, moral courage and a global perspective. The College has more than 40 academic departments and programs across the humanities, social sciences, and natural and physical sciences.
About the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing: The M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing at Villanova University is a nationally recognized, premier nursing program, committed to its Augustinian Catholic values and the tireless pursuit of academic and clinical excellence in nursing and nursing education. Founded in 1953, the College is designated a Center of Excellence in Nursing Education by the National League for Nursing. The College is committed to a teacher-clinician-scholar model, offering undergraduate, graduate, doctoral and health care professional development programs that prepare students to assume positions as productive, ethical and socially responsible practitioners and leaders at the forefront of modern health care. For more, visit villanova.edu/nursing.