Tibetan Sand Mandala

I was lucky enough to get to see this Sand Mandala created by four Tibetan monks from the Tashi Lhunpo Monsastery this week. They started creating the masterpiece to celebrate the 75th Anniversary of the Dalai Lama's birth on Tuesday 29th June at the Mitsuo Aida Museum in Tokyo. By Sunday 4th July morning they had almost finished.



Just the finishing touches before it was complete.





After the mandala was complete prayers were said and a mask dance was performed and a final ceremony before the sand was brushed into a small urn.



Finally the sand was taken the nearby Sumida river and scattered into the water to symbolise the Buddhist doctrinal belief in the transitory nature of material life.