We went to the Hammer museum at UCLA to check out the sand mandala that four highly respected Tibetan monks created over a two week period. When we arrived the monks were in the middle of a Puja which is a ritual of prayer and meditation offered in this case for compassion for all beings in the presence of the elaborate sand mandala they created with different colored sands. The room was rather small and quiet except for the chanting monks. I was in awe as would anyone who views this mandala up close at the details, colors and design. The murmur of prayer of the monks and the splendid devotional mandala helped me feel connected to their petition for compassion in the world. When they complete the mandala, after the two weeks, the sand painting is carefully brushed into containers, a symbolic gesture of impermanence. The day we visited was the final day and the monks were going to disperse the collected sands of the mandala in the ocean and offer it as a blessing. We didn't join some of the participants/viewers at the beach but I left the Hammer with a sense of respect and awareness of one important goal we as humans should strive for.
