SOUTH WATERFRONT
PORTLAND OREGON

Did you all make it by AiR yesterday?

I happen to be out of town at the moment, but a reporter at large (thanks Mike) described what he saw on his visit to the studio yesterday during the making of a traditional sand mandala. The artists were a group of seven monks from the Gaden Shartse Monastery in India. (see photos)

He are his comments:

…the whole thing is pretty cool. They fill those hollow metal rods
with colored sand then run the other rod over the top, causing minute
volumes of sand to come out of the tip, painting as they go. You can
see the tupperware containers in the background, all full of
different colors of sand. Tonight (Tuesday) at 7 they finish it and clean it
up, passing out small bits of it to those in attendance. #

I find it very interesting and quite an honor that monks from India were inclined to visit our artist in residence studio to recreate a traditional meditation piece… and thought I would do a bit more research into just what it is they were doing. Here is what I found.

Mandalas
The Tibetan mandala is a tool for gaining wisdom and compassion and generally is depicted as a tightly balanced, geometric composition wherein deities reside. The principal deity is housed in the center. The mandala serves as a tool for guiding individuals along the path to enlightenment. Monks meditate upon the mandala, imagining it as a three-dimensional palace. The deities who reside in the palace embody philosophical views and serve as role models. The mandala’s purpose is to help transform ordinary minds into enlightened ones.

The Sand Mandala
Mandalas constructed from sand are unique to Tibetan Buddhism and are believed to effect purification and healing. Typically, a great teacher chooses the specific mandala to be created. Monks then begin construction of the sand mandala by consecrating the site with sacred chants and music. Next, they make a detailed drawing from memory. Over a number of days, they fill in the design with millions of grains of colored sand. At its completion, the mandala is consecrated. The monks then enact the impermanent nature of existence by sweeping up the colored grains and dispersing them in flowing water.

How Mandalas Heal
According to Buddhist scripture, sand mandalas transmit positive energies to the environment and to the people who view them. While constructing a mandala, Buddhist monks chant and meditate to invoke the divine energies of the deities residing within the mandala. The monks then ask for the deities’ healing blessings. A mandala’s healing power extends to the whole world even before it is swept up and dispersed into flowing water—a further expression of sharing the mandala’s blessings with all.

That’s all for now folks. As always.. comments welcome.
HM

This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 6th, 2008 at 2:00 pm and is filed under Art & Design. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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