Lobsang

An ESOL student this term is also a Tibetan Buddhist monk whose specialty is mandalas. Lobsang is from Tibet.  He has lived and taught in India for 23 years.  He has lived and taught in Massachusetts and New York.  Now he is living in Portland and working at a Buddhist temple.

He teaches about Tibetan Buddhism and how to appreciate every day that we are alive.  He tries to explain emptiness, impermanence, and reincarnation, but these are concepts that take many years to understand, and Lobsang is still learning English!

Lobsang creates mandalas out of colored sand.  He explained that the colors white, yellow, red, and blue are God's colors.  The mandala is God's house.  It is an offering that the monks make to God.  When the mandala is finished, all of the sand goes into the ocean.

When Lobsang and his fellow monk work together to create a mandala, it takes five days.  They pray.  They work on the mandala.  They meditate. They pray.  They chant.  They continue this way until the mandala is complete.