Tibetan Sand Mandala

One of the most mesmerizing works of art that i have seen are the Tibetan sand mandalas. These incredible works are so fine and intricate you can easily lose yourself in them. I had the great fortune to watch the Gaden Shartse Monastery monks create a mandala dedicated to Green Tara – one of the bodhisattvas. I spent some time watching as they painstakingly laid one grain of sand down after another and found myself drawn into the painting, as if i physically was being pulled down into the art. There’s something very seductive about losing yourself to something, which is not very Buddhist. The point is to be here now. Not lost. But it was very powerful and i was thankful that i had my camera with me to keep reminding me of the “here and now.”

The sand mandala is more than a piece of art though. It is a blessing and a prayer. The whole process is done with respect, sincerity, reverence, and awareness – from the first grain of sand laid to the final blessing and release of sand into flowing waters – this art is layered in spirit. The Gaden Shartse monks who created this spirited masterpiece are on a tour around the World to bring harmony and healing peace to Earth and her peoples. When i looked at their website, one of the first things i noticed were the words, “Sacred Earth Healing Arts.” And that’s exactly what it felt like witnessing this extraordinary event – sacred healing.

What i find so inspiring is here are a people who have been tortured, imprisoned, outlawed, and exiled – and they are giving us, the iPod nation who has every comfort in the World, healing blessings and good will. That is compassion. Yet i think it’s much needed because somehow, having a lot of material stuff makes you empty inside. The monks, conversely, are quite full with a rich spiritual life. What would it be like, to live a life so devoted and focused? I am drawn, like the sand mandala, into that question.

I thought of all this as i watched the mandala destroyed. Here was a lesson on impermanence. Do not cling, not even to beauty, for everything changes and nothing is still. The sand had been blessed and was now swept up into a small container to be released into a creek, releasing the blessings of healing into the World – for all of us and for the Earth.

Peace.

This links to a page with a time-lapse video of the creation of a mandala.
http://www.gadenshartsecf.org/tour/tour-programs/sand-mandalas/