by Almas Thanzi
Have you really noticed that everything in the peripheral world is changing? As quickly as the waves or as slowly as an unseen seed buried deep down the layers of earth blooming into a magnificent tree, even the most rigid things undergo change. Similarly, our inner world of thoughts and emotions are in the same state of incessant change. To recognize this state of impermanence and attain the state of 'Nirvana' or enlightenment is the foremost objective of Buddhism.
Siddhartha Gautama, who later became to be known as “The Buddha,” lived during the 5th century B.C. Gautama was born into a wealthy family as a prince in present-day Nepal. Although he had a comfortable life, Gautama was moved by suffering in the world. He decided to give up his luxurious lifestyle and embrace poverty. When this didn’t satisfy him, he promoted the idea of the “Middle Way,” which means existing between two extremes. Thus, he sought a life without social indulgences. After six years of searching, Buddhists believe that Gautama found enlightenment while meditating under a Bodhi tree. He spent the rest of his life teaching others about how to achieve this spiritual state or nirvana.
Gautama Buddha, through his teachings to his disciples, venerated the idea of "all things shall pass" clearly underlying that the only unabating thing in the cosmos is constant change.
Buddhism has revealed a universe of transience of artistic, philosophical and metaphysical ways. One such medium of transience is the archaic art of mandalas, which is widely considered as the offspring of artistry and Buddhist philosophy. The practice of making mandalas exists throughout Buddhist traditions worldwide, but sand mandalas are unique as they are made of millions of fine grains of coloured sand. At first, the site of the ritual is blessed with music and chants. A high-ranking priest chooses the location and the design, and over the course of several days or weeks, monks will painstakingly create the mandala, sometimes wearing masks so that their breath does not disturb the sand as they work.
After spending long hours or days this ceremony is concluded with the demolition of the mandala, which signifies the Buddhist belief in the impermanence of life. The sand from which the mandala was made will be cast into flowing water in order to disperse the healing and purifying power of the mandala to the world. Sometimes, a part of the sand used in the design will be distributed to the laity by the monks, further throwing light on the Buddhist belief in sharing its blessings with all.
Metaphorically, the geometric pattern of the mandala is symbolic of the spiritual universe. It is a microcosm of the world within and the outer world. Though the creation of mandalas is a laborious task which requires unflinching devotion for hours, releasing grains of sand into intricate symbolic patterns. The end result is a visual treat to both our eyes and mind. To learn that these beautiful artwork created with utmost care and precision is only to destroy it ritualistically breaks any artist's heart a bit. But the whole purpose of the mandala is not to evoke artistic appreciation. Rather, it is to call the community into a sublime experience with meditation and the whole purpose of the ceremony is to reiterate the teachings of Buddha that nothing is permanent and hence the philosophy, "all things shall pass.”
The sand grains signify that everything in the world shall return to dust and dissolve with universe. This idea strengthens all the weak ends of Humanity’s discourse with the universe. Thus the Buddhist missionaries crystallize a profound message on the impermanence of life and that the politics of permanence is a sham. Hopefully, this message will be revived through the art of mandalas and it will dawn upon the world to create an awareness among the proud humans drunk in materialistic world.
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