Sacred Sand Mandala in progress

The Gaden Shartse Buddhist Monastery is here in Aspen and they are making a Sacred Sand Mandala.
A Mandala is a religious art form that used to be only used in religious ceremonies and the public was not allowed to see them. But in recent years The Dalai Lama has permitted mandalas to be seen by the public to help them learn about Buddhism.
It is a beautiful art form that only lasts a few days on average. Once done, the sand mandala is swept away and some is placed in water (dissolution ceremony) to help spread its positive wishes.
Here are my pictures from Day 2 of creating. There will be more...

Monk Preparing

Monk at Work

Add blue

Notice that there is a relief/height dimension to it too.

Adding Yellow

The next blog will likely show a full table mandala. Amazing.