Mandala of Compassion

The Buddhist monk with the kids is Venerable Ngawang Chojor and we got a special viewing of him building the Mandala of Compassion here in Portland a few weeks ago. The kids were great at such a quiet event, they were so interested in what he was doing they just sat and watched for 15 minutes. The message of the Mandala of Compassion is supposed to give us the important elements that can make us a happy and a caring person. The fact that he built the mandala here is supposed to give a special blessing for the area and for the people who live where it is constructed. Through the power of the Mandala the negative energy of the area is removed and positive energy established.

Sand painting is an ancient Tibetan art form. Until 1989, the creation of Mandalas was a secret practice. Then the Dali Lama opened the practice to teach all people the main message behind the Mandala itself. The creation of a sand mandala begins with an opening ceremony. Monks consecrate the site and call forth the forces of goodness through chanting mantras accompanied by flutes, drums and cymbals. The construction of the mandala begins with the drawing of the design on the base. The artists measure out and draw the architectural lines using a straight-edged ruler, compass and ink pen. Once the diagram is drawn, in the following days you see millions of grains of colored sand painstakingly laid into place. The sand, colored with vegetable dyes, is poured onto the mandala platform with a narrow metal funnel which is scraped by another metal rod to cause vibration for the grains of sand to trickle out of the end. The two funnels symbolize the union of wisdom and compassion. The mandalas are created whenever a need for healing of the environment and living beings is felt. When finished, to symbolize the impermanence of all that exists, the colored sands are swept up and poured into a nearby river or stream where the waters carry healing energies throughout the world.

This is the really special part. Lama Chojor saw the boys watching quietly and interested in what he was creating. He drew! them into the Mandala. Have a close look at the white sand on the red line close to the bottom of the Mandala. The one on the left is Alyosha and the one on the right is Luka. The Mandala of Compassion is made to inspire people to live with a compassionate spirit for the sake of all beings and to help end suffering for all. I think my boys are on the road to being compassionate. It was beautiful.