The Blessing of the Medicine Buddha

Impermanence. Such is the meaning of the ceremony held by the delegation of monks from Drepung Gomang. Today at the Central Khurul the dismantling of the Medicine Buddha sand mandala took place.

Many people gathered to behold this act. Having given everyone the opportunity to bow once more to the temple of the deity built from sand, the monks proceeded directly to the ceremony itself.  First a special prayer of praise to the Medicine Buddha was recited.

Then came the process of dismantling itself. Everything according to the canons. According to the clergy, it does not matter how many days and how much effort were spent building the mandala, it does not matter how beautiful it turned out - here one thing is important: one must not become attached to anything.

With a light movement of the hands the mandala was destroyed in a matter of seconds. The gathered sand was divided into two parts, one of which was taken by the monks to a local body of water (Kolonsky Pond), where they performed the appropriate ritual and consigned the sand to the water. This is an offering to the Nagas and the Masters of the locality. The second part of the sand was distributed to the faithful after the conclusion of today’s prayer service.

Despite the fact that the mandala has ceased to be a palace of enlightened beings, the sand, even the tiniest grain, possesses the blessing of the Medicine Buddha. And this powerful energy will surely be directed for the benefit of all living beings.