Life is transient, only art lasts forever?
1,2,3 - Construction of the Medicine Buddha sand mandala.
4,5,6 - The dismantling process symbolizes the Buddhist belief in the transience of life and the ideal of nonattachment to the material world.
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Mandala, a Sanskrit word that means “circle,” is a sacred diagram created in sand or paint. It symbolizes the pure, perfected universe, and provides a visual framework for establishing feelings of peace, well-being and wholeness. Composed of millions of grains of dyed sand, the mandala is believed to have a positive effect on all who see it as each particle personifies goodness. Created by Buddhist monks and nuns, the mandala is part of initiation ceremonies — accompanied by other ritual art objects, costumed dancers, music and chanting — that grant the initiate the privilege to study and practice the teachings of a sutra or tantra, sacred texts that are guides to visualizing a particular deity.
