Essence of the Circle
“The Tibetan art form of sand painting is an ancient and sacred practice intended to uplift and benefit not only every person who sees it, but also to bless the environment. It is referred to as a mandala of colored powders. The Sanskrit term mandala is the name for this circular representation of spiritual truths. The Tibetan name is kyil-khor meaning essence of the circle.”
From the web page of Losang Samten, who created this center panel of the Kalachakra Mandala in the new Ohio Union of the Ohio State Campus this week.
We all helped dismantle the panel this afternoon…
[youtube=://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WlaETxfOG4g&w=640&h=480]
…and scattered the sand into Mirror Lake to bless the campus.
Here is a time-lapse video of an entire Kalachakra Mandala.
[youtube=://www.youtube.com/watch?v=habE5EwI-2k&w=854&h=480]
Description of the above design from the International Kalachakra Network
- Wheel of Time, Werner Herzog’s documentary about the annual Kalachakra initiation in Bhod Gaya
- Sand Painting: The Sacred Art of Tibetan Buddhism, DVD narrated by Losang Samten which explores the symbolism and rituals within the Kalachakra tradition