Buddhist Art Marks Transient Nature of Life

THE CAMBODIA DAILY
By Michelle Vachon

Buddhist monks from northeastern India design a sand mandala at Wat Ounalom in Phnom Penh on Friday. (Siv Channa)

CAMBODIA---As a new exhibition of Buddhist art opened Friday morning at Wat Ounalom, four Indian monks were already hard at work on an elaborate mandala—perhaps the art form that best reflects Buddhist teaching about the impermanence of life. By the time the exhibition closes Tuesday night, the monks will have created a multicolored 1.5-square-meter design out of sand. Then they will hold a ceremony to obliterate it. The Buddhist exhibition is part of the Festival of India organized by the Indian Embassy in cooperation with the Cambodian Ministry of Cults and Religion, and which also includes Indian classical dance performances featuring episodes from the epic tale Ramanaya. [link]