Tibetan Monks Mandala-Days 2 & 3
August 27th, 2011
The Tibetan Monks from the Drepung Gomang Monastery continue to create the sand Mandala for Peace in downtown St. Louis at Macrosun. The beauty of the mandala emerges as the Monks carefully place individual grains of colored sand into the design. A special metal tool called a chakpur has a small opening at the narrow end. There are ridges along one side of the chakpur which is filled with a colored sand. By rubbing the sand filled chakpur with an empty one, a vibration is created that causes the grains of sand to fall onto the sand mandala.
An intricate design of contrasting colored sand is placed on the solid sand background. Each ring of images has similar themes and meanings. (More on this later) The details are amazing.
Saturday the Monks will be at the Festival of Nations in Tower Grove Park in St. Louis. They will perform a Snow Lion Dance at 11 am at the main stage. They will also continue to create the sand Mandala for Peace in downtown St. Louis.
