Tibetan Mandala Sand Painting

[Full Otto]

For the past week our local college ( St. Joseph's ) was hosting a group of Tibetan monks from the Drepung Gomang Monastery (est. 1416) in South India
They have been creating the sand script as well as having a few ceremonies that the public was invited to.
Thursday my daughter and I were able to go to the closing ceremony where they "dissolve", as they put it, their creation



Considering the tools and time that would be hard for me to do. Here's a group of high school students giving it a try



They called it an "antidote to attachment" as nothing is permanent in this life. They should know that first hand, part of the reason for these tours are to bring attention to their plight over there.

Not the best pictures but here's a few of the ceremony.





After it was piled up they placed some in a vase and then placed four spoons in the remaining inviting everyone to take some, and use it as they saw fit as a blessing
We then all went down to the park where they poured the contents of the vase into the river "restoring the earth"




They invited everyone to dine with them but that was later than we could do. I was content to have experienced what I did.

[alismith]

Cool. I bet that was an entertaining experience.

[NAPOTS]

I have a lot of respect for people who are very observant of their faith (as long as they aren't isis or taliban types. It doesn't bother me as a Christian to see that among different religions I think because I respect their level of dedication and understand how difficult maintaining that deep of a commitment is.

[Full Otto]

I suppose most there came more for the novelty of it. This sort of thing doesn't happen here in Bugtussle
I think we left with a better understanding of what we experienced

I came away with that along with this meditation bowl along with my bit of sand

[tank_monkey]

I'll take Buddhists over Muslims ANY day of the week. You have the (arguably) "least violent" major religion and the 'Most violent" major religion coming from different sections of the same general region (Middle East & Near East).

That's fantastic! What an amazing design made of SAND!!!!!

BTW, Does anyone know the religions represented in the center? I see Buddhism at 11 O'clock, Christianity at 12:00 o clock, Judaism at 4:00 oclock, Islam at 7. I wonder what the others are? Taoism? Shinto?

Actually 5 o clock looks like Madame Cleo's Psychic Network to me and 10 o clock looks like the Order of the Jedi Knights, but what do I know! hahahaha

[alismith]

I suppose most there came more for the novelty of it. This sort of thing doesn't happen here in Bugtussle
I think we left with a better understanding of what we experienced

I came away with that along with this meditation bowl along with my bit of sand

Now, that is really neat. It's pretty good when you can make that bowl "sing." It's not as hard as it looks. The harder part is keeping it singing once it gets started.

[Full Otto]

I have gotten it singing pretty good but you're right about maintaining it.
I'm wondering also if keeping it at a lower level is part of the meditation. It really starts vibrating in your hand maybe keeping it a slow constant is the key
Not sure right now I'm at the parlor trick stage I guess. This winter in my shootin' shack along with my peace pipe I'll achieve enlightenment.

BTW, Does anyone know the religions represented in the center? I see Buddhism at 11 O'clock, Christianity at 12:00 o clock, Judaism at 4:00 oclock, Islam at 7. I wonder what the others are? Taoism? Shinto?

They said which ones were which but I sure can't remember much more than you came up with
I don't believe the center one is a religious one. According to the pamphlet in general they have an outer, inner and secret meaning. The inner level represents a map by which the mind is transformed into the enlightened mind
Now if the center is the same as what they call the inner level....beats the shit out of me

[tank_monkey]

They said which ones were which but I sure can't remember much more than you came up with.

Here's what I got starting with the hands of a clock:

12 O'clock: Christianity
1 O'clock: Hindu
2 O'clock: Six pointed star specifically generic in that many religions use a version of it (even Christianity and to a greater degree Mormons) but it does not mean the Star of David to those religions
3 O'clock: Bahai' - the 9 pointed star
4 O'clock: Menorah - an obvious symbol of Judaism that isn't used by any other major religion
5 O'clock: Jainism - the Ahimsa Hand
6 O'clock: Shintoism - the Torii Gate
7 O'clock: Taoism - the Yin and Yang
8 O'clock: Islam - the star and crescent
9 O'clock: Beats the fuck out of me ...... it looks like a compass
10 O'clock: Sikhism - The crossed swords aka the Khanda
11 O'clock: Buddhism - the Wheel of Dharma

Well I think I got 11 out of 12. I wish I knew what the last one was.

[Full Otto]

Using this one I'd say "Native Spirituality"
Not exact but close enough



I believe it's Native American from a quick search

[tank_monkey]

Poor Jainism. LOL. They've been a religion in SE Asia for 2600 years and now they can't use their standard logo because people are so stupid that they confuse it with WW2 ...



Lol, it looks like a 'Sieg Heil" hand to lots of folks ...... bwahahahahahaha. Try wearing THAT on a T-Shirt in the U.S. You'll get a lot of weird looks.

[Full Otto]

On a side note:
I don't know if anyone remembers a thread I had several years ago about the different old bridges around here.
The one they're on is one I mentioned in it and how they were going to restore and relocate it from further up stream
This is it before they moved it