Nepalese Buddhist Monk Decorates Beckley Art Gallery - Beckley, Bluefield & Lewisburg News, Weather, Sports

Nepalese Buddhist Monk Decorates Beckley Art Gallery

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For an entire week Wongdue Sangpo has created a great mandala for peace in the center of the Cynthia Bickey Art Gallery.

The Beckley community has come to see the Nepal Buddhist monk at work.

"I don't think we've even had anyone like him in West Virginia," said Karen Lilly the Gallery Director.  She has described Sangpo has a man who creates peace around him.

Creating peace is said to be Sangpo's mission with his artwork.

"The sand mandala is about love compassion, harmony and living peace. That's what he teaches all of us," said his translator and nephew Suraj Gurung.

Gurung is a Mountain State University student who has been studying here in West Virginia. He got his uncle to come to Beckley for the exhibit.  

"He came to the University of Minnesota because they invited him to do the mandala, and since I'm here in Beckley I invited him here," said Gurung.

Sangpo creates the sand mandala then at the end of the week he sweeps it up with a broom and puts it into the closet water source. The ceremony is supposed to represents the fleeting moments of life to symbolize flowing sense of peace to all man kind.

The final ceremony will take place at the gallery at 2:00 p.m.