Thangka painting
The painting on the easel, lower right, is a copy of a design by the current Dalai Lama, which is a variation on the theme showing a mandala or cosmogram, depicting three levels of meaning. The outer level represents the world in its divine form; the middle level, a map pointing toward enlightenment, and the secret level represents the perfect balance of body and mind - Nirvana. The ‘painting’ is made with coloured sand. And is destroyed soon after completion. All the sand is collected and placed in an urn. Half is given to the audience for healing purposes, and the rest transported to a nearby body of water and thrown in. The waters carry the healing blessing to the ocean, and then on to the rest of the world for further healing and the dissemination of universal goodness.
Thangka painting
The painting on the easel, lower right, is a copy of a design by the current Dalai Lama, which is a variation on the theme showing a mandala or cosmogram, depicting three levels of meaning. The outer level represents the world in its divine form; the middle level, a map pointing toward enlightenment, and the secret level represents the perfect balance of body and mind - Nirvana. The ‘painting’ is made with coloured sand. And is destroyed soon after completion. All the sand is collected and placed in an urn. Half is given to the audience for healing purposes, and the rest transported to a nearby body of water and thrown in. The waters carry the healing blessing to the ocean, and then on to the rest of the world for further healing and the dissemination of universal goodness.