Philadelphia Cathedral Presents "The Wheel of Life", A Mandala by Losang Samten

DATE: January 13 – February 3, 2008
VENUE: Philadelphia Cathedral, 3723 Chestnut Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104
HOURS: Monday – Friday, 10am – 4pm
OPENING: Sunday, January 13, 2008, 11:30pm – 12:30pm
CLOSING: Sunday, February 3, 2008, 11:30pm – 12:30pm
ADMISSION: Free
WEBSITE: philadelphiacathedral.org
PHONE: 215.386.0234

The Philadelphia Cathedral presents a mandala titled “The Wheel of Life” by the Venerable Losang Samten. Losang’s mandala, a circular sand painting, will be created over a two-week period beginning at noon on January 13, 2008. The mandala will remain in its completed state until noon on February 3, 2008, at which time the intricately painted, colorful sand mandala will be swept away in a communal ceremony and will be returned to the water in an acknowledgement of impermanence.

Losang Samten was born in Tibet in 1953 and escaped to India in 1959. He was ordained as a Buddhist monk in 1967. In 1975, while studying at the Namgyal Monastery, he entered an intensive training program in sand mandala painting. In 1988, the Dali Lama selected Losang to create a mandala at the Museum of Natural History in New York, NY, which introduced this ancient art form to an American audience. Losang has since created sand mandalas at many museums, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, NY and the Philadelphia Museum of Art, PA. Losang moved to Philadelphia in 1989 and founded
the Tibetan Buddhist Center. In 1995, Losang gave back his monastic vows and entered a lay practitioner’s life. Losang appeared as himself in Martin Scorcese’s 1997 film “Kundun”. In 2002, the National Endowment for the Arts awarded Losang the National Heritage Fellowship in recognition of his accomplishments as a mandala painter. Losang received a Pew Fellowship in 2004. Losang continues to teach and practice mandala painting. He resides in Philadelphia.

Release Date: Wednesday, January 16th 2008