I was in my Art History class and my teacher showed us this video called, "Mandala: World of the Mystic Circle." Yes, the name sounds 'hippy-dippy,' but the context of the film was very interesting. They showed an exclusive revealing process of how Tibetan monks made these transient sand mandalas. It's an incredible process, extremely intricate and aesthetically astounding.
Some of the speakers are pretty unbearable to listen to, but through this video I actually found out that Uma Thurman's father, Robert A.F. Thurman, is an author, scholar, and former Tibetan Buddhist monk, he is also the Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies at Columbia University. Apparently, he is also close friends with the Dalai Lama... it did seem as if his left eye was unmoving and unblinking. It just so happens that he lost it in a jack lifting accident in 1961 and has an ocular prosthetic. A pretty badass man, I must say.
The monks make these mandalas with small funnel shaped tubes that are tapped with another weighted object to stream the sand accurately into place. It is an interesting thought, but after they are finished with it, after working on it for days, they brush all of it up, and let it flow back into a body of water. Think about it.
Regardless, here is a short clip of these Tibetan monks creating this crazy mandala:
The monks make these mandalas with small funnel shaped tubes that are tapped with another weighted object to stream the sand accurately into place. It is an interesting thought, but after they are finished with it, after working on it for days, they brush all of it up, and let it flow back into a body of water. Think about it.
Regardless, here is a short clip of these Tibetan monks creating this crazy mandala:
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