In a quiet pavilion were two sand mandalas created by Tibetan monks from the Dzongkar Choede Monastery in southern India in 2009. This group of disciplined monks fashioned two amazingly complex and colorful sand mandalas, one representing healing and the other compassion. While I did not understand the intricate symbolism, I certainly appreciated the beauty and harmony of the whole. In creating a sand mandala the monks begin by sketching out the geometric designs and then, using a funnel, tubes and scrapers, as needed, they apply the colored sand to the design. This process generally requires several weeks from start to finish. It is traditional to ritualistically dismantle such a mandala as an expression of the impermanence of all things. However, a special dispensation was obtained to leave these particular mandalas in place as a source of blessing for the sanctuary and its mission.
I have been writing about some of the individual shrines and spaces within the Paleaku Peace Gardens, but probably the most breathtaking of all was the view that greeted me as I stepped through the entrance into the garden proper.