Tibetan Sand Painting

This is a documentary I created with a couple of friends of mine. It was a rare opportunity. The program ended up going on PBS national. It is now in the private collection of the University of California library, and it is available for purchase through the University of California. With the producer's permission, I'm happy to share it with you all.

About the film

Sand Painting: Sacred Art of Tibet (26 minutes)

Monks from Namgyal, the Dalai Lama's personal monastery, create the mandala of Kalachakra, the most sacred of the Buddhist sand paintings. The mandala is seen as a picture of a perfect universe, a palace where deities live, and it serves as a tool for meditation. The camera stays close as fine streams of colored sand pour from the tips of narrow cones and the design takes form: a flaming sword, a lotus blossom, a chariot drawn by mythical animals. Lobsang Samten explains the meaning of the ancient symbols and tells his own story of life in exile, and of his commitment to keeping the sacred arts of Tibet alive.

Producer and director: Sheri Brenner, Berkeley Media
Narrator: Lauren Jones
Featuring: Lobsang Samten
© 2002 Berkeley Media