Buddhist monks draw beautiful circles in the sand only to destroy once finished

CULTURE MAP
By March De Luna

On Sunday (August 23) it was all swept away, as the monks dismantled the mandala, dispersing the colored sands to symbolize the impermanence of life.

TEXAS---Watching Tibetan Buddhist monks from the Drepung Loseling Monastery create a visually-stunning mandala from millions of grains of colored sand is a study in patience — and the beauty of art. CultureMap contributor Joel Luks captured the monks in action at Asia Society Texas Center’s Louisa Stude Sarofim Gallery earlier this week as they first drew an outline on a wooden platform and then painstakingly laid the colored sands in an intricate pattern using a traditional metal funnel called a chakpur to create the spiritual and ritual symbol in Indian religions.[link]