On Friday, Feb. 8th, I took the kiddos out of school early to take a family field trip.  We loaded up the old VW and headed to Niceville.  The Tibetan monks of the Drepung Loseling Monastery were doing a weeklong mandala at the Mattie Kellie Arts Center on the campus of Northwest Florida State College.  A beautiful arts facility that I never knew existed.

We had the pleasure to go watch the monks create with drakpurs and sand a lovely piece of art.  The mandala is a sacred cosmogram that much thought and effort go behind.  The mandalas consist of three layers: the outer, inner and secret.  The outer layer stands for the world in its divine form.  The Inner layer is the ordinary human mind as it is transformed into the enlightened mind.  The secret layer depicts the primordially perfect balance of the the subtle energies of the body and the clear light dimensions of the mind.  In Tantric Buddhism, the mandalas are swept away after completed and destroyed as a metaphor for the impermanence of life.  The sand is usually dumped into a body of water so its healing properties can disperse as far reaching as the water flows.

The children had a wonderful time as they got to contribute to a mandala of their own.  The monks are on hand to work on their own mandala and answer any questions you may have.  Also taking donations and selling their wares to help maintain their existence.  I would recommend this viewing to anybody who hears of this in their town.