Month: September 2020

When you entered the art gallery at SUNY Plattsburgh, you could hear a rhythmic sound of the monks carefully placing the sand and rice on the table before them. It’s quite mesmerizing.

There was an endless stream of people who would watch or sit the monks’ work. It was hard not to.

The monks spend a few days, in this case, 10 days, creating the mandala on a particular “merit.” By experiencing the mandala, it’s believed that you acquire the merit. 

As I was doing the story, I was surprised that after the monks spend days making the mandala that they would ultimately destroy it by distributing the sand. You can watch the full story by clicking on the video below.

History of Mandalas

Sand mandalas represent a Buddha’s divine place of residence and the mandalas are representatives of these dwellings. According to the Namgyal Monastery Institute of Buddhist Studies, the mandalas are meant for religious use and are not meant to be viewed as a piece of art. Mandalas have in the past been kept private, but it wasn’t until recently that the Dalai Lama allowed them to be made public as a way to teach about Tibetan culture.

“We believe in impermanence in this life. Whatever is here in this life, whatever you see has its limits and will go away one day.”

Ever since I experienced that moment, I sometimes think about the impermanence in life. Often times, I just dismiss it and go on.

This time is different.

One thing we can take away from this moment in history is that the pandemic has changed many people, their thoughts, perspectives, and in some instances who they are. Nothing is permanent.