Venerable Lama Losang Samten will visit Villanova University from September 9-13, 2024, to create a sand mandala, a Tibetan Buddhist tool for meditation and contemplation. The College of Liberal Arts and Sciences is presenting the week-long event in partnership with the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing, which will display the installation in the Driscoll Hall Atrium.
Venerable 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 scheduled for Monday, September 9th at 4pm, and on Friday, September 13th at 10:30am Venerable Samten will oversee 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 offers all members of our community a rare opportunity to participate in a sacred healing practice that will deepen their understanding of meditation and its healing power.”
“We are thrilled to display the Sand Mandala in Driscoll Hall, 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 in the M. Louise Fitzpatrick College of Nursing.
Venerable 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 watch and attend the livestream. Experienced Villanova faculty members, including co-organizers Julie Klein, PhD, professor and head of the philosophy department; Stephanie Wong, PhD, assistant professor of theology and religious studies; and Davey Tomlinson, PhD, assistant professor of philosophy; have compiled interpretive materials and invited scholars to provide a multi-faceted look at Tibetan Buddhism and culture.
A renowned Tibetan scholar and former Buddhist monk, Venerable Samten 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 received 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 in 1995, he was awarded an honorary doctorate of arts from the Maine College of Art. From 1994 to 1997, he taught Tibetan language at the University of Pennsylvania. His work was recognized with a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts in 2002, and in 2004 he received a Pew Fellowship in the Arts.
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 relentless pursuit of academic and clinical excellence in nursing and nursing education. Founded in 1953, the college has been designated a Center of Excellence in Nursing Education by the National League for Nursing. The college follows a teacher-clinician-scientist model and offers baccalaureate, master’s, doctoral and health professional development programs that prepare students for positions as productive, ethical and socially responsible practitioners and leaders at the forefront of modern health care. For more information, visit villanova.edu/nursing.
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 students in every college of the university. Serving more than 4,500 undergraduate and graduate students, the college strives to instill in them intellectual rigor, multidisciplinary knowledge, moral courage, and a global perspective. The college has more than 40 academic departments and programs in the humanities, social sciences, and natural and physical sciences.
