Sand Mandalas

Who Arted: Weekly Art History for All Ages - A podcast by Kyle Wood

The Buddhist monks of Tibet who are known for their tradition of sand mandalas destroy the work after completing it. The word mandala comes from Sanskrit meaning “circle” but a mandala is not your average two-dimensional shape consisting of an outer boundary called the circumference made up of points all equidistant from a fixed center point. A mandala representation of the universe. While many people talk about Mandalas in reference to radial symmetry, mandala designs have spiritual significance beyond mere repetition. The act of creating a sand mandala is meditative. It requires monks to focus, to be calm, still and deliberate in their actions. And then, after completing the construction, they move on to a ritual deconstructing the piece. Even the deconstruction is a part of the artistic process with spiritual significance. Destroying the sand art is a reminder of the transitory nature of the universe. Who ARTed is an Airwave Media Podcast. Connect with me: Website | Twitter | Instagram | Tiktok Support the show: Merch from TeePublic | Make a Donation As always you can find images of the work being discussed at www.WhoARTedPodcast.com and of course, please leave a rating or review on your favorite podcast app. You might hear it read out on the show. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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