Last weekend I was made aware that six Buddhist monks would be visiting Rochester, New York, so I had to look into this.   The monk’s mission while in Rochester (as well as other  U.S. cities) was to promote peace to our nation’s youth in hopes of reducing violence.  Plus, whenever the monks visit, they make a beautiful sand mandala – after it is finished, they destroy it!   It’s so hard to believe that this whole piece of art is made of sand by hand.

     Here are a few photos of the mandala project:

Monk carefully places sand into mandala. Photo by Frank Pruzenski (18-70mm Nikkor)

A macro shot to show the detail. Photo by Frank Pruzenski

Even closer.   Photo by Frank Pruzenski

More close-up detail. Photo by Frank Pruzenski

     Though this was not the final product (below), it was still a stunning display of a beautifully detailed piece of art.

Photo by Frank Pruzenski (8mm fisheye lens)

     The next day the monks would be completing the mandala and then, oddly enough, tearing it apart and dumping the sand used to make the mandala into the Genesee River.  Well, I suppose a sand sculpture wouldn’t hold up very well during long-distance travel, right?

The monks end their day’s work with a chant in preparation of the mind for meditation.

     The word Mandala means “Circle” in Sanskrit, which is a common language used by Buddhists.  The mandala crafted last weekend is called a Peace Mandala.  Each type of mandala has a different spiritual meaning, and the meaning behind this mandala is more than welcomed in Rochester, New York.