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Winter 2006 Departments
Exchange
Prerequisite
Extended Family
Foundation News
Alumni Association News
Zip 01003
Books Received
Alumni Photos
Features
Why You Should Love Polymers
Where There's Spark
Falling for Shelburne Falls
Where Are They Now?
Lessons in the Sand
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Feature
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Lessons in the Sand
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—Hannah L. Drake ’06
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photos by Elizabeth Unterman ’07 |
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TWENTY-FOUR HOURS; 1,440 MINUTES. THAT'S how much time Tibetan monks spent in the Fine Arts Center - www.umass.edu/fac/ - over the course of four days last November constructing a traditional white mandala. One by one they painstakingly placed millions of tiny grains of sand until they formed a work breathtaking to behold.
Constructing mandalas, part of ancient Tibetan Buddhist tradition, is more than 2,000 years old. Each monk must learn how to construct mandalas as part of his training.
At the dismantling ceremony, the speaker told viewers that part of the spiritual purpose of the mandala is a lesson in selflessness and letting go. And how: At the ceremony, the monks sliced their hours of symmetrical work, blurred their geometrical creation, swept it into a pile, and tossed it into the campus pond in order to share the energies with the rest of the world.
Monks believe that this act reminds us that life is impermanent. It keeps changing from moment to moment, and it’s important for people to learn how to let go. The dismantling ceremony (bottom left) involves inviting the Buddhist energies to bless the mandala through powerful invocations. Monks in prayer with deep, vibrating voices intone ancient ceremonial songs, inviting forces of goodness to bless the mandala with healing energies. This particular mandala, called the white mandala, brings energies for long life and success. |
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Lessons in the Sand
Lessons in the Sand: more images
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