Sand Mandala

Sand Mandala

 

One day I watched a Buddhist monk patiently

conceive and construct  a sand mandala,

carefully selecting grain after grain and,

with great concentration, create a work of wonder.

 

It was a process I’ll never forget;

each grain of sand selected with a stylus,

and its worth determined by its size and

texture and color and fitness for the design.

 

After several days of incredible focus

and labor, the work was completed and

the monk announced that the following day

he would take his creation to a sacred spot

 

and empty this circle of sand, meditate

and move on to his next project, accepting

without question, the impermanence of the

product of his skill, concentration and patience.

 

One day I watched each wave at Folly Cove Landing

slowly and with great concentration grind

pieces of granite on the shore into grains

of sand that will, in time, become a lovely beach .

 

This, too, I thought, will take a long time,

in that, like the mandala, each grain must

be a perfect fit, one matched with hue and tone

to create a pattern of harmony and peace.

 

Then one day the wind will scatter the sand

and the sea will engulf the shore and

no more will this circle of sand exist –

disbursed and annulled by its maker’s hand.

 

Marty Luster

Click here for photo of the monk working on the mandala.