Thursday, May 31, 2007
The mandala................
The Mandala Sand Painting
A Sacred Art by the Tibetan Lamas of Drepung Loseling
From all the artistic traditions of Tantric Buddhism, that of painting with colored sand ranks as one of the most unique and exquisite. In Tibetan this art is called dul-tson-kyil-khor, which literally means "mandala of colored powders." Millions of grains of sand are painstakingly laid into place on a flat platform over a period of days or weeks. When finished, to symbolize the impermanence of all that exists, the colored sands are swept up and poured into a nearby river or stream where the waters carry the healing energies throughout the world.
The most common substance used in the creation of dul-tson-kyil-khor is colored sands. Other popular substances are powdered flowers, herbs or grains, and also powdered and colored stone. In ancient times powdered precious and semi precious gems were also used. Thus lapis-lazuli would be used for the blues, rubies for the reds and so forth.
Formed of a traditional prescribed iconography that includes geometric shapes and a multitude of ancient spiritual symbols, the sand-painted mandala is used as a tool for re-consecrating the earth and its inhabitants.
The subject of a Tibetan sand painting is known in Sanskrit as a mandala, or cosmogram, of which there are many types. In general all mandalas have outer, inner and secret meanings. On the outer level they represent the world in its divine form; on the inner level they represent a map by which the ordinary human mind is transformed into enlightened mind; and on the secret level they depict the primordially perfect balance of the subtle energies of the body and the clear light dimension of the mind. The creation of a sand painting is said to effect a purification and healing on these three levels.
Every tantric system has its own mandala, and thus each one symbolizes a particular existential and spiritual approach. For example, that of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara symbolizes compassion as a central focus of the spiritual experience; that of Manjushri takes wisdom as the central focus; and that of Vajrapani emphasizes the need for courage and strength in the quest for sacred knowledge.
The most common substance used in the creation of dul-tson-kyil-khor is colored sands. Other popular substances are powdered flowers, herbs or grains, and also powdered and colored stone. In ancient times powdered precious and semi precious gems were also used. Thus lapis-lazuli would be used for the blues, rubies for the reds and so forth.
Formed of a traditional prescribed iconography that includes geometric shapes and a multitude of ancient spiritual symbols, the sand-painted mandala is used as a tool for re-consecrating the earth and its inhabitants.
The subject of a Tibetan sand painting is known in Sanskrit as a mandala, or cosmogram, of which there are many types. In general all mandalas have outer, inner and secret meanings. On the outer level they represent the world in its divine form; on the inner level they represent a map by which the ordinary human mind is transformed into enlightened mind; and on the secret level they depict the primordially perfect balance of the subtle energies of the body and the clear light dimension of the mind. The creation of a sand painting is said to effect a purification and healing on these three levels.
Every tantric system has its own mandala, and thus each one symbolizes a particular existential and spiritual approach. For example, that of the bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara symbolizes compassion as a central focus of the spiritual experience; that of Manjushri takes wisdom as the central focus; and that of Vajrapani emphasizes the need for courage and strength in the quest for sacred knowledge.
Wednesday, May 30, 2007
Tuesday, May 29, 2007
Monday, May 28, 2007
Sunday, May 27, 2007
Saturday, May 26, 2007
Friday, May 25, 2007
Thursday, May 24, 2007
Tuesday, May 22, 2007
Monday, May 21, 2007
Sunday, May 20, 2007
Saturday, May 19, 2007
You want answers?...........................
A lot of folks can't understandhow we came to have an oil shortage here in our country. Well, there's a very simple answer.Nobody bothered to check the oil.We just didn't know we were getting low.
The reason for that is purely geographical.Our OIL is located in: Alaska California Coastal Florida Coastal Louisiana Kansas Oklahoma Pennsylvania and TexasBut ...the DIPSTICKS are located in Washington,
DC Any other Questions?
Friday, May 18, 2007
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
Tuesday, May 15, 2007
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