Mandala

Today I have a pleasure of witnessing the opening ceremonies for a Tibetan Mandala. There were 8 monks from a school in the south of India who came to San Diego to create this masterpiece from chalk and sand. The particular mandala they are creating here is one for prosperity and good economic times, right now the exact name escapes me but I'll get it at some point. The ceremonies kicked off with the youngest monk explaining to us that in order to create this mandala each monk had to memorize over 90 pages of scripture. The design is an exact replica, from memory, of an ancient mandala. More on it's history later. After a brief introduction all 8 monks came out some with instruments, the chanting began. I felt a tingle down my spine as the lead monk started out. His chant sounded like a digery do, it was ominous yet pleasing to the ear. The other monks chanted softly for about twenty minutes then they all began to play their instruments. It sounded like chaos, nothing melodic, nothing meshing together. Then I figured it out, first the bell rang, then the drum then the small horns and with the small horns at the end the large horns kicked in, then the bell, immediately followed by the drum as if they were one sound, then the rest. More chanting proceeded. Once they asked the spirits if this was a suitable spot to build the mandala, and got their answer, they began to make it.
From a blank black table they drew 4 large circles using a large compass, presumably representing the 4 cardinal directions, and took out the chalk line and began making marks. About 30 min later they had a plethora of lines each intricately placed using compasses, and each from the memory of the 4 monks.

Later this evening I got the opportunity to come back to the museum and see the progression. They had begun to place the sand, working from the center out. I can't quite make out what it is yet but I will do some research and give a detailed explanation later. I know each symbol stands for something, but what, I don't remember.

I asked myself, why are they doing this. Answers,
1- raise awareness of Tibet and it's occupation by China.
2- raise some money for the school back in India.
3- as a tool for meditation (most important)
4- to symbolize their dedication to Buddha