The Sand Mandala

Paul Cotter
9 hours ago
2 min read

Tibetan Buddhist monks from the Drepung Gomang Monastery create a sand mandala from tiny grains of colored sand.

They worked grain by grain, meticulously tapping each bit of sand, laboring patiently for a week. And when they were finished, they did what most of us would find unthinkable: They destroyed their week's worth of hard work.

These are Tibetan Buddhist monks from the Drepung Gomang Monastery. When Bonnie and I lived in Southern California, I was invited to spend a week with them, watching and photographing as they created a sand mandala — an intricate piece of sacred art formed from millions of grains of colored sand. It was an extraordinary thing to witness.

In all my life, I’ve never been in the presence of such sustained clarity, focus and peace.

The monks worked slowly and diligently, wearing masks so their breath would not disturb a single grain of sand. They approached their task the same way they approached their morning chanting and their daily meditations – with pure, unbroken concentration.

At the end of the week, the monks had created a beautifully complex and colorful piece of art filled with spiritual significance. But they took no time to admire it. Instead, they held a dissolution ceremony where they erased their work with graceful geometric swirls of a brush. Some of the sand was scooped into small bags and given to the audience as blessings. The remaining sand was taken to the beach and poured into the ocean as a gentle reminder that all things are impermanent.

A Tibetan Buddhist monk from Drepung Gomang Monastery poses with photographer Paul Cotter. — I'm joined by one of the monks who befriended me during the week I spent photographing them.

I try my best to remember the lesson these kind monks tried to teach us: It doesn’t help to become overly attached to the things we own or the things we create. This can be a difficult lesson to put into practice, but whenever I’m able I try to release my grip on things. When I do, it's a liberating feeling, like pouring the sand back into the ocean.

To learn more about sand mandalas and see more of my photos from the week spent with the monks, check out this four-minute video I created on YouTube.

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