A mandala is a colorful, geometric diagram of a visionary realm entered and journeyed through during meditation. The Mystical Arts of Tibet, featuring the Tibetan Monks from the Drepung Loseling Monastery, created this mandala with colored sand over the course of four days (May 2–5, 2019). It is a mandala of Avalokiteshvara, the embodiment of Buddhist compassion. The creation of this mandala accompanied the exhibition, Awaken: A Tibetan Buddhist Journey Toward Enlightenment.

The mandala remained in place until August 3, 2019, 11:00 am, when the monks returned to destroy it through a ritual that symbolizes the transience of life central to Buddhist philosophy.