Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/03/10
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Phong, The photos are stunning and very interesting. If you are interested in Tibet and Tibetan Buddhism, can I recommend "The Land of the Sherpas" by Ella Maillart. It's a travelogue by the famous explorer/traveller relating her travels in Tibet in the early 50s. The photos are all taken on her Leica - and there are if I recall correctly there are about 50 of them. She had been using Leicas since the early 30s. Some of her photos are amazing see http://www.ellamaillart.ch/ Yours, Peter Phong wrote: > A mandala is a painting made with extremely fine colored sand > typically done by Tibetan monks who received mandala training > as part of their religious training. It is a Tibetan buddhist > tradition rich with symbolism echoing the sacred texts. The > making of a mandala is a devotional ritual, culminating in the > dismantling of the mandala and disposing the sand into a nearby > stream or river, the act of which symbolizes the impermanence of life, > a fundamental belief in the buddhist teaching. I have always thought of > this not unlike the old Zen calligraphy masters who burnt the > scrolls after they are done with the art work. (Imagine burning > the negatives from your Leica ! ) > > The mandalas are constructed with great precision, > using very simple tools to dispense the fine sand grains. > They demand all the concentration and steadiness their makers can > muster. When finished, they have a three-dimensional feel to them, which > when added to the intricate geometric patterns makes them look like > a finely embroidered carpet. > > This past week, three Tibetan monks spent several days constructing > a mandala at MIT, here in Boston. I spent some time with them > during the process, and here are some photos. > > Comments, criticisms, etc. very welcome and appreciated as usual. > Otherwise, I hope you enjoy the photos. > > http://www.phongdoan.com/Photography/Mandala/ > > - Phong > > > -- > To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html > - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html