The Tibetan sand mandala is a form of religious art produced by Tibetan monks. The exact origin of the sand mandala is uncertain although there are references to sand mandalas in The Blue Annals, a history of Tibetan religious history dating back to the fourteenth and fifteenth century. The monks originally created these pieces of art using finely ground stone of different colors. In more recent times the monks typically use ground white stones which are then dyed various colors. The sand is painstakingly applied to the painting using small tubes and scrapers. Sand mandala’s typically include geometric shapes and angles with Buddhist icons and deities portrayed in the painting. This extremely detailed process can take weeks to complete with many different monks working together on the same sand mandala. Once the work is complete, a ceremony and official viewing of the piece is held, after which the mandala is destroyed. The traditional destruction of the sand mandala is meant to represent the transitory nature of material life.
I choose the Tibetan sand mandala because this form of art has always fascinated me. I think I first saw a sand mandala in a movie and I was impressed at the intricate patterns that the monks could create using sand. Also, the fact that after spending weeks creating one of these, they just sweep it up. That’s environmental art at its finest, kind of a shame tho…
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Notice the classic geometric shapes and Buddhist religious symbols interwoven in the painting
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Here we have two monks working on a sand mandala, often as many as four monks will be working on a painting at the same time. These next two photos illustrate the incredible detail in the mandala and skill of the monks in using sand as a medium.
And…its gone. All that work just gets swept away!
Works Cited:
http://serendip.brynmawr.edu/exchange/node/10269
mikemeeks 
Fascinating blog! I have never heard of sand mandala before. I cannot imagine how much patience has to go into creating these. With having chronic tremors in my family, there is no way I would ever have a steady enough hand to complete these. This artwork almost is like an oxymoron since it defeats the traditional aspect of art where it is an expression preserved forever. I do, however, understand the monks point of view for destroying these mandalas. It is very true that life around us is always changing. Thank you for sharing this art style!
I’ve seen sand mandalas somewhere on the internet before, they are amazing. I didn’t know they were swept up once finished though. I can’t imagine destroying something I worked so hard on, I can’t even throw away sketches that turn out good. This was a really interesting blog, great job!