Tibetan Monks - Part II - Deconstructing the Mandala

On Friday evening, April 23rd, we were treated to a performance by the Tibetan Monks of some ritual songs and dances with the monks wearing traditional costumes for some dances. There was a Snow Lion dance with 2 monks inside the large lion which was a lot of fun to watch. They also played their long brass and copper horns that telescope out from about 4 ft. to about 10-12 ft, shorter horns, a drum on a short pole, cymbals & bells. They also do a form of throat-singing where they can sing 3 notes at one time. Several ceremonial songs and rites were performed, as well as a demonstration of their form of debate between senior monks and more junior monks. Unfortunately, we were prohibited from taking photos during the performance.

Following this program, several hundred of us crowded around the mandala (which took the monks 5 days to complete) for the deconstruction ceremony. To demonstrate the impermanence of the universe and life, the monks performed a ceremony to dismantle the mandala. They wear their large golden yellow hats and beautiful brocade outer robes as they surround the mandala. Then one monk uses his finger to draw segments in the mandala, dividing it so it looks like an orange slice. Then the monks use a wide brush to sweep all the sand into the center of the table. They put small amounts of sand in little plastic bags to give out as souvenirs. The last pile of sand is placed in a small cup. Then everyone went outside to the bay where they poured the last of the sand & some tea used in the ceremony into the bay as we all watched. It was a beautiful event & we were so glad to have been able to see this firsthand.