The Healing Mandala

Sorry to have been gone so long, gang, there has been a lot going on.  As some of you know, our area of South Carolina suffered devastating flooding over the course of about two weeks and it will be years before a full recovery is final.  A number of our friends were badly affected by the flooding and we have been trying to offer assistance to our community where we could.  The way the people of South Carolina have handled this catastrophe has been truly remarkable and I am extremely proud of our state.   Unfortunately, across our state, our country and the world we have seen an increase in acts of senseless, brutal violence.  Some has been related to simple crime, some to poverty, some to persecution, some to political objectives and some to religious ideas.  Whatever the reason, in my opinion there is absolutely no justification for outright savagery and those who engage in such activity are unquestionably wrong no matter what explanations might be given.  Those of us who are saddened and outraged by the profoundly sub-human behavior we have seen have offered up our prayers for a saner, safer world.  I believe that prayers work and I do not think that they necessarily have to be of a certain content or theological orientation.  When humankind joins in solidarity in their hopes and desires, an undeniable force can be felt.  It was with that belief in mind that we recently visited a group of people attempting to bring about healing in a unique way. Buddhist Monks from the Loseling Institute, a monastic site housing 2,500 monks in Atlanta, Georgia, were in Columbia this week to pray for healing and to construct an incredible "Healing Mandala".    For those who are not familiar with mandalas, they are symbols that take varying forms and are used in awide range of philosophies and religions.  Historically, the term arose from Sanskrit, (the ancient language used in Hindu and later integrated into Buddhism) and is a symbol generally considered to represent the universe.  Use of mandalas for meditation, prayer, self-discipline and countless other practices have spread across the world and have been incorporated into virtually every religion  and into an extensive range of psychological evaluation techniques.  Like so many things, we tend to "over-complicate" in our modern societies and it is refreshing to see the approach taken by the simple but profoundly inspiring monks.  As Buddhism evolved and extended far beyond the borders of India, so, too, did the mandala.  In the mid-seventh century Buddhism came to Tibet following the conversion of the Emperor and over the next seven centuries enormous forces shaped the  development of Buddhist practices - including the development of the "sand mandala".  The center of Tibetan Buddhism, the Dreprung Monastery with it's Loseling department in Lhasa at one point housed as many as 15,000 monks.  Following the overthrow of the Tibetan government by China, the order moved to India and the Loseling Institute was formed in the United States.  I won't spend a lot of time here trying to explain all of the esoteric aspects of oriental philosophy - or how the mandala is used in meditation or "centering" but let me quickly add that the idea behind the creation of an incredibly beautiful but  exquisitely ephemeral work of art that serves as both an inspiration for positive thought and a reminder of the impermanent nature of all things is astonishingly powerful. This mandala was created at "Gallery 80808" in Columbia and was made possible by the wonderful artist Heidi Darr-Hope.  Heidi does amazing work with cancer survivors in South Carolina and throughout the country and is a truly inspiring artist.  The mandala we saw created before our eyes was a "Healing Mandala" - one of a number of designs used by the monks.  In creating one of these remarkable works   of art, the monks lay out the design using simple architectural drawing tools and white crayon pencils but the overall design is constructed from memory.  With fine grains of colored sand and other organic materials, an unbelievably beautiful work of art evolves over the course of several days.  At each step of the development process, prayers, chants and exhortations are used to firmly establish the sacred nature of this effort.  During the composition the monks constantly pray for those among whom they are working and there is a palpable sense of holiness in the area around them. At the completion of the mandala a beautiful, elaborate ceremony is held in which the forces of the universe are invoked to assist in bringing comfort to the world.  (It is of great interest to note that following the terrorist attacks on the world trade center in 2001, the Dali Lama ordered the creation of a "Healing Mandala" to bring about healing in a   world in the throes of sorrow and anguish.)  The ceremony begins with a  series of astonishing chants that seem altogether "other-worldly".  I took some videos of the ceremonies and hope to be able to refine them so I can add them here.  If I can, you will hear some of most incredible sounds that can be made by a human voice.  Although there were only two monks participating in these ceremonies, I could swear that I heard a "third" voice.  Very mysterious!  At the end of the chants the mandala is swept into a single pile and portions of the sand are distributed to those attending the ceremony.  We were fortunate to be able to get a small container-full for our son and for another friend.  The remaining sand is taken to a nearby body of water for a final ceremony.  On this occasion, we made the short trip to the Congaree River which is not far from the gallery and which has returned to it's more gentle levels after being nearly fifteen feet above flood stage only a few weeks ago.  After another series of prayers and chants, a bottle of milk is poured into the water - symbolizing the nurturing power of the earth and the universe.  Flowers are cast into the water to represent the transient beauty we experience in nature.  Finally, the remaining sand is slowly poured into the flowing water to represent the return to nature of our efforts.  The monks who brought this beautiful creation and their wonderful spirits to Columbia spoke no English but were quite comfortable among the exceptionally diverse group of people who came to see them work.  They were very considerate of everyone but, especially attentive to the young children.  They did not hesitate to make themselves available to the kids (and grown-ups) for "photo ops" and many took advantage of the opportunity. I was glad to be able to get a photo of Linda with one of the monks - although she will probably fuss at me for the candid shot.  This was an incredible experience for a number of reasons.  It was really heartwarming to see so many people interested in the work of these talented and humble people and for them to come together to appreciate and honor these gentle souls.  The artwork was truly amazing and if you ever have the opportunity to see a mandala being created I hope you will take advantage of it.  You will not be sorry.  Finally, their message was inspiring and reaffirming.  While the impermanence of life, art and nature was underscored we were reminded of the redemptive power by which we are surrounded.  I'll get the video added soon but I don't want to delay putting the post out.  See ya.