THE HUFFINGTON POST
By Antonia Blumberg
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpPWSKa00uLJ7ZBoTYvdEHfxVtlVo5DsIxw1isZGOv9_DxIoO52K71mNRPjNLmfztwXMfSE0Y5WLoe9isInNxeERJQKsqwYzf4KJEkcI8dI9DZ0r-kJYZWwuxVGRe0YOY5aBQ2ZfmcXPU/s1600/o-SAND-MANDALA-900.jpg) |
Tibetan Monks from the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery complete a Chenrezig Sand Mandala
in Salisbury Cathedrals Chapter House on October 3, 2013 in Salisbury, England. |
In Buddhist tradition, a mandala is a sacred image that graphically
represents the universe and is intended for use during meditation. Typically circular in shape, a mandala has a
central point -- called a "seed" or "drop" -- toward which all energies are thought to converge. Buddhist monks frequently create mandalas out of paper, cloth or as three-dimensional models -- but occasionally they use bowls of colored sand, which must be delicately placed in a painstaking process that can take weeks. Once completed, the sand mandala is said to represent the fleeting nature of life and is shortly thereafter destroyed by the same monks who labored over it.
We are blown away by the intricacy of these ephemeral mandalas and thought we'd take a closer look...
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjroCGo9aLkLsdGVMOCVRCxzd1KSofQ1gRRINEwtl_LCIQwHMraBL77E14L4Rc4O8jwV6YWmH_zpvmWhjhCiSwurxDTFpZFlW6m2nfgXFPeEGj1BusioxoWbqx0OddsWcCeG-bSDzfVCEg/s1600/o-SAND-MANDALA-900-1.jpg) |
A Tibetan Monk from the Tashi Lhunpo Monastery, helps complete a Chenrezig Sand Mandala in Salisbury Cathedrals Chapter House on October 3, 2013 in Salisbury, England. |
Comments