9 Jul
Ruth writes: It took four Tibetan monks eight days to make a Chenrezig Sand Mandala for the birthday of the Dalai Lama last week at Harbourfront Centre. They worked five hours each day on the first such mandala ever made in Toronto.
It took them only a few seconds to slice through their beautiful masterpiece as they dismantled it in front of a hushed crowd of onlookers on July 6. I think I can say all of us were deeply moved as they did this, and when they handed out little packets of the coloured sand afterwards to each of us. The mandala was a symbol of the impermanence of our existence and to watch it being destroyed will not be easily forgotten.
Here are some of my pictures of the ceremony of consecration and dismantling. We are indebted to Harbourfront Centre for hosting such a unique and profound ritual. The Dalai Lama is the religious head of Tibetan Buddhism.