Buddhist Monks Erase the Sands of Dalai Lama’s Time

Mandala dissolution ceremony is a careful deconstruction of the painstaking art honoring Tibetan leader's UCSB visit

Buddhist monks carry out their ritual dissolution of the Mandala of Compassion, an exacting work of sand art prepared for the Dalai Lama's visit to UCSB.
Buddhist monks carry out their ritual dissolution of the Mandala of Compassion, an exacting work of sand art prepared for the Dalai Lama’s visit to UCSB. (Michelle J. Wong / Noozhawk photo)

By Sonia Fernandez, Noozhawk Staff Writer | Published on 04.26.2009

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The day after the Dalai Lama’s visit to Santa Barbara on Friday, Tibetan Buddhist monks from the Drepung Loseling Monastery brought to an end the sand mandala they created in honor of their spiritual leader.

Click here to view Noozhawk's slide show
Click here to view Noozhawk’s slide show

Called the Mandala of Compassion, the work of art, at UCSB’s University Art Museum, was a tribute to the monks’ patron saint, Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Compassion. All the Dalai Lamas are seen as manifestations of this patron saint.

The dissolution of the sand mandala, created after five days of painstaking and exacting work by the monks, was meant to symbolize the Buddhist concept of nonattachment, as the monks ritually destroyed their work, mixing and mingling the colored sand they carefully distributed on their work space. After blessing the grains and anointing themselves with the sand, they offered samples to the crowd that had assembled to watch the dissolution ceremony.

A procession led by the monks followed the ceremony at the museum, with the throng following close behind.

The monks took a small urn filled with the sand to the ocean, continuing their prayers and chants. In the seaside ritual they poured the grains into the ocean to fully dissolve the work they had done, leaving no trace of it behind. In pouring the sand into the ocean, they said, they hoped that the water would take the sacred grains to touch shores all over the world.

— Noozhawk staff writer Sonia Fernandez can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address).

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» Realist on 04.26.09 @ 11:22 PM

Haven’t they learned about leaf blowers in Tibet yet? So much for ancient wisdom…


» cot on 04.27.09 @ 03:09 AM

Fascinating!  Well presented and beautiful photography.


» Impressed on 04.27.09 @ 05:11 AM

Wow this is like National Geographic, I have never seen this stuff in other publications here in town..Well LA times…


» Booda on 04.27.09 @ 06:20 AM

Yes, fascinating how Buddhists contribute nothing to the world and their philosophy of life is pretty much that we should all isolate ourselves in a cave, sit in a lotus position and detach ourselves from the world.


» Robert on 04.27.09 @ 06:50 AM

“A procession led by the monks followed the ceremony at the museum, with the throng following close behind.”

Like lemmings. These goofball monks are laughing all the way to the bank.


» Hilarious but sad on 04.27.09 @ 07:58 AM

Like the Pied Piper.

“He was wearing a coat of many colored, bright cloth, for which reason he was called the Pied Piper. He claimed to be a rat catcher, and he promised that for a certain sum that he would rid the city of all mice and rats. The citizens struck a deal, promising him a certain price. The rat catcher then took a small fife from his pocket and began to blow on it. Rats and mice immediately came from every house and gathered around him. When he thought that he had them all he led them to the River Weser where he pulled up his clothes and walked into the water. The animals all followed him, fell in, and drowned.”

And to think this is all George Harrison’s fault.


» Pied Piper on 04.27.09 @ 08:01 AM

“He sounded his fife in the streets, but this time it wasn’t rats and mice that came to him, but rather children: a great number of boys and girls from their fourth year on. Among them was the mayor’s grown daughter. The swarm followed him, and he led them into a mountain, where he disappeared with them.”


» DAVE PHILLIPS [Apple Valley, UT] on 04.28.09 @ 03:12 AM

“USA Today” [Monday - front section - April 27th] had a photo of the Dalai Lama serving food at Martin de Porres House of Hospitality homeless food line on Sunday [April 26th] in San Francisco.  Quote: “Me, too, homeless person.”  Well - respectfully - perhaps homeless in a political sense, without a country.  But likely not the type of homelessness where sleeping on a sidewalk grate to keep work is needed, nor wrapped in cardboard to stay warm.  The Dalai Lama’s fund raising organization is phenomenal, not to forget the huge sales from books, public appearances [e.g. twice at UCSB] & memorabilia.


» DAVE PHILLIPS [Apple Valley, UT] on 04.28.09 @ 03:23 AM

“CORRECTED VERSION” = = = “USA Today” [Monday - front section - April 27th] had a photo of the Dalai Lama serving food at Martin de Porres House of Hospitality homeless food line on Sunday [April 26th] in San Francisco.  Quote: “Me, too, homeless person.”  Well - respectfully - perhaps homeless in a political sense, without a country.  But likely not the type of homelessness where sleeping on a sidewalk grate to keep warm is needed, nor wrapped in cardboard as shelter from the elements.  The Dalai Lama’s fund raising organization is phenomenal, not to forget the huge sales from books, public appearances [e.g. twice at UCSB] & memorabilia.


» Hugo Santillanes on 04.28.09 @ 07:13 AM

Thank you for capturing this event! I was at the ceremony and was bummed about not being able to take pictures.Now I have something to share with friends and family . Great pictures and the narration was perfect thank you and Namaste…..


» Budddha Schmudda on 04.28.09 @ 04:56 PM

This must be a “sand by numbers” board that they take to every event. lol


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