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Non-Permanence, Impermanence

The issue of non-permanence is something I find fascinating (and sometimes frustrating) in many areas of Life.  After all, nothing stays the same. 

One of my favorite examples of non-permanence is the Sand Mandala. 

Groups of Tibetan Buddhist Monks have been visiting Lily Dale over the years.  And one of the things they do while they are here is construct a mandala design out of different colors of sand.  Each intricate design is painstakingly created from hours of patient work by the Monks - extremely time-intensive and exacting.  It is a working meditation, a blessing, and a work of art. 

I had the opportunity to get a taste of the level of difficulty the construction of the Sand Mandala presents.  Six years ago, they had a small mandala off to the side where we regular Joes & Jills could give it a try.  It was in tribute to the 125th Anniversary year of Lily Dale symbolized by a beautiful swan.  Using long narrow metal ridged cones filled with colored sand, the idea was to tap and rub a stick along the cone's exterior ridges to encourage small amounts of the colored sand to funnel down and sift gently into the design.  It was reminescent of using a long pastry frosting tube but instead of squeezing out too much frosting, I tapped out too much sand - POOF!  Thankfully, I had done it off to the side so I didn't effect the swan design, whew!

Anyway, back to the subject at hand: Non-permanence...  Immediately after the Monks finish creating the Mandala, they do special prayers and ceremony to deconstruct the Mandala.  Yes, you read that correctly - they destroy the art.  All of those beautiful hours and amazing perfection - gone. 

The sands are swept up in a specific order and placed in an urn.  Half of the sand is distributed to the audience at the closing ceremony, while the remainder is carried to a nearby body of water, where it is deposited. The waters then carry the healing blessing to the ocean, and from there it spreads throughout the world for planetary healing.

Bottomline:  This mandala exercise is done to as a metaphor of the impermanence of life. To remind oneself of change. To enjoy beauty and the moment of NOW while you have it. To give the best of yourself to each situation no matter the outcome.


Update: I just found a link if you would like to read more about the process of the Sand Mandala:  http://www.mysticalartsoftibet.org/Man-Proc.htm#top

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