Creation and Destruction of Sand Mandalas

"QUANTUM SHOT" #240

Art Reflecting the Sanctity & Transience of Life

Sand Mandalas are the sacred ancient tradition of highly detailed art, practiced by Buddhist monks in Tibet. With a rare dedication and utmost care they spend days constructing an intricate masterpiece out of many-colored grains of sand - then they sanctify it and (quite philosophically) demolish in a similarly prayerful & dedicated fashion. Read a Wiki article to learn more.

Medicine Buddha Mandala, built by the Namgyal Monastery monks in Moscow in May 2002

(image credit: centre.smr.ru)

It all starts with the void... the empty canvas:

Then the "master plan" is etched on the blue surface:

Traditionally, finely ground colored stones were used, not dyed sand.

Extreme care is needed, and lots of time - weeks ot it, even if the mandala is created by a team of monks! Mandala construction is often seen as a two-dimensional representation of a three-dimensional environment - somehow altering the "world-lines" of our real world, enhancing the harmony and definitions within.

(image credit: Oleg Bartunov)

Some mandalas (such as Mandala Kalachakra the "Wheel of Time")show as many as 700 various deities inside their intricate pattern.

Cups of various mandala offerings:

Close to finishing:

(images courtesy: Ackland Art Museum and Sergey Maximishin)

There is also a site which shows the 30-day creation of a five-and-a-half foot Medicine Buddha sand mandala in Ackland's Yager of Asian Art (by the Ven. Tenzin Thutop and the Ven. Tenzin Deshek - two Buddhist monks from the Namgyal Monastery in Ithaca, New York). The Mandala was created from February 26, 2001 through March 21, 2001 as part of the exhibition Buddhist Art and Ritual from Nepal and Tibet. (This exhibition and its related programs have ended now)

Another mandala creation (day-by-day process) can be observed here

The Kalachakra Sand Mandala:

(image credit: Wikipedia)

Mandala dedicated to the world peace and cooperation between countries (Mandala Kalachakra)

(image credit: Oleg Bartunov)

(Almost) Natural Ritual of Destruction

After sanctification of Mandala, the monks proceed to demolish it. The de-construction at times seem highly structured (every deity is demolished in certain order) and sometimes chaotic (if mandala is placed in high-traffic areas, people who pass by and bystanders are encouraged to step on random parts, introducing an element of chance). Plus exposure to the elements adds to its decay.

(image credit: Sergey Maximishin)

Finally all the sand is deposited in a body of water. "This process symbolizes the transience of life and the ideal of non-attachment to the material world".