Sand Mandala - Yamantaka Mandala - Day 11, Part 2

The last day of creation of the Yamantaka Mandala - Sydney, December 2008.

Day 11, part 2:

Sand Mandala Day 11

The free Tibetan national flag (banned in Tibet) flutters below the surf life savers flag on Bondi beach.

Sand Mandala Day 11

A monk returns unused coloured sand to their containers, ready to be used in the next sand mandala project.

Sand Mandala Day 11

A monk tidies up in preparation for the mandala dissolution ceremony.

Sand Mandala Day 11

A monk bundles up the chur-pak funnels and the compasses at the completion of the sand mandala of Yamantaka.

Sand Mandala Day 11

The monks chant before the dissolution ceremony gets underway.

Sand Mandala Day 11

Gen Lama holds a white silk kata scarf - in the Tibetan tradition it represents friendship, purity, goodwill, good fortune, harmony and love - he is about to offer it to one of the artists who invited the Gyuto monks to Bondi for the week.

Sand Mandala Day 11

The monks, led by Gen Lama, gather and chant around the mandala table to commence the dissolution/transformation ceremony.

Sand Mandala Day 11

The ghanta (Sanskrit) or dorje drilbu (Tibetan) bell, tantric instrument held in the left hand of monks as they chant - it represents the perfection of wisdom and emptiness.

Sand Mandala Day 11

The dorje (Tibetan) or vajra (Sanskrit), tantric instrument held in the right hand of monks as they chant - it represents compassion and the immutable state of absolute reality - the symbol of the dorje is used extensively in the mandala, especially in the circle of protection.

Sand Mandala Day 11

Gathered around the mandala table, the monks chant in the lead-up to the dissolution… The monk on the right raises his hand in a ritual gesture - his chant is very low, and as the the chanting rises and falls, he seems to guide the others.

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Day 1
Day 2
Day 4
Day 6
Day 8
Day 9
Day 10
Day 11 - Part 1
Day 11 - Part 2
Day 11 - Part 3
Day 11 - Part 4