October 24th, 2005 - Tibetan Monks
We are so blessed to have a baby who is fascinated by the world around her in a quiet, thoughtful way. Today, instead of a lunch break, I took Maggie to see the Tibetan Monks who are in town for a week creating a mandala at the Paine Art Center. We spent about 45 minutes watching the process as well as walking around the Center (an 1800s mansion). Maggie was only fussy when we got back to the car and she had to get in her car seat! She watched the monk working for quite a while without being distracted by others in the room (no much anyway).
Unfortunately, not a lot happened while we were there. Although I suppose that’s part and parcel of a sand mandala–it’s a very slow process. Most of the work the monk did was drawing out the upcoming designs. Some larger sections (maybe 2″x2″?) had been colored in. He used the tip of a protractor to draw outlines for the designs. While that was interesting to see, seeing it done for 16 squares wasn’t as fun as seeing and hearing the sand being placed. We did get to see a little bit of that, but not enough to satisfy me.
Today was a free day at the Paine. I’d love to see the finished work on Sunday, but I don’t think I want to pay $6 to see it (and to see it dispersed when it’s done). Maybe if Maggie were along, but she’s going on vacation with Daddy.
I missed the oncampus chanting that was at the same time. But there’s another one scheduled later in the week. I also plan to attend an educational session in the library one day. There’s a whole series of events around town during their visit.