The Sacred Art of Sand Mandala

Sand Mandalas

  Mandala means literally “that which extracts the essence.” There are many different types of mandalas used by Tibetan Buddhists. They can be created in either two or three dimensions. On the tour the monks create two-dimensional sand mandalas. These are the most creative and labor-intensive, requiring incredible amounts of concentration.

Each sand mandala is a cosmic diagram that represents the dwelling place or celestial mansion of a deity. The Menla mandala, for example, represents the dwelling of the Medicine Buddha, who embodies the perfection of the physical and mental health of all beings. There are multi‑layered symbolic images throughout the ‘palace,’ where iconography, placement, and color all have significance. Additionally, to the learned Tibetan Buddhist monk, the mandala represents his vision of the entire universe.

According to Tibetan Buddhist history, the purpose, meaning and the techniques involved in the spiritual art of the sand mandala creation were taught by Buddha Sakyamuni in the 6th century B. C. in India.  Mandalas are created for rituals of initiation and for meditations; it is also created to purify the environment and its inhabitants to promote harmony in the world.

In the past, sand mandalas were made with the powdered results of the grinding of precious stones‑ turquoise, lapis lazuli, coral, powdered gold and silver, and many other cherished and priceless materials. Today white stones are ground and dyed with opaque water colors to produce the bright tones found in the sand paintings.

Depending upon the mandala, it can take between 3 days to 2 weeks to complete. Most of the ones created on the tour are completed in 3 to 5 days. Upon completion of the mandala there is a very special ritual to bless the mandala and it is then ritually dissolved. As a lesson in impermanence the blessed sand is swept up into a pile then small portions are offered to those present. The rest of the sand is taken to a body of water where, after a short ceremony, it is poured into the water to bless and purify the surrounding environment and all sentient beings living there.