In sand art, monks seek peace

For the past three days, Shyam Purdy and Mohini Colacilli observed the painstakingly precise artistry of visiting Tibetan monks creating a spiritual masterpiece.

''What do you feel like around these fellows, if not peace?'' said Purdy, 52, owner of the Yoga Warehouse in Fort Lauderdale, Saturday afternoon. He wore a serene smile as he watched the monks at work on the final phase of a multicolor sand painting mandala in the upper lobby of the Amaturo Theater at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts.

The nine monks from the Drepung Loseling Monastery have been touring the eastern United States since January. They spent three days in South Florida and about 24 hours in all creating the mandala -- Sanskrit for ''world in harmony'' -- in a public exhibit to bring healing and peace.

Following an opening ceremony Thursday that included chants and prayers to bless the area, the seven-by-seven-foot table and the tools, the head lama laid out the blueprint for the Amitayus Mandala, which represents the Buddha of longevity.

It took him three hours to complete the complicated geometric design using string and chalk as well as compasses and straight-edge rulers.

Over the next two days, the monks alternated filling in the outlines of the design with finely ground marble dyed from flowers and herbs in rich, sparkling palettes.

Using the chakpur, a ribbed copper funnel, they delicately spread millions of grains of sand over the intricate designs.

Their faces inches from the table, the monks manipulated the sand that oozed out of the chakpur as a baker would ice a cake. Their left hand steadied the instrument as their right hand scraped over the ridges with a thin metal tool, a thurma, to produce the vibrations that expelled the proper amount of sand. There is no adhesive on the table, and even the slightest movement or breath could blow the sand from its pattern.

This meticulous technique produced its own rhythmic hum. The slight scraping of metal on metal drowned out the recorded musical chants playing at a nearby table, where other monks collected money for cultural and religious items on sale.

Onlookers stood outside the roped-off area, mesmerized by the maroon-robed artists and their creation. Some photographed the area that included a shrine to the Dalai Lama.

''It's meditation in action,'' said Tsepak Rigzin, spokesman and translator for monks. ``When it is done, it is a visual teaching of Buddha.''

Monks train for more than three years to learn about the mandala. But upon its completion, the spiritual art does not last.

Late Saturday afternoon, the mandala was consecrated through prayer and then swept into a heap at the center of the table with symbolic brooms. Part of the sand was distributed to the audience in bottles or bags, and the rest was taken to the New River.

The monks led a procession to the river, just outside the performing arts center. They dropped the sand into the water with prayers for world peace and for healing energies to be dispersed.

''It is very difficult work and requires a lot of stamina,'' said Tenzin Dhondup, 36, who is on his third tour of the United States and who participated in creating a mandala near the World Trade Center site in New York City after Sept. 11, 2001.

''It does hurt your back, but you feel satisfied at the end because a lot of people have visited and seen it,'' he said. ``We pray for permission to destroy it. That is a symbol of the impermanence of life.''

Geshe Jinpa Wangpo, head lama, said the art provides a healing touch and that the purpose of the tour is to bring good energy, as well as to create awareness about human rights abuses in Tibet and to raise money for the monastery in India.

The monks are not trying to convert others to their beliefs, but they are willing to explain and engage in debates about Buddhism.

''Skeptics can appreciate this as wonderful art,'' Rigzin said. ``Our purpose is to share an ancient, exquisite art of Tibet. This is one way to generate peace and harmony, and underlying that is the art. At least you can carry a memory of beautiful art. People appreciate the patience and intricacies.''

Saturday night, the monks concluded their visit with a sold-out theater show, Sacred Music, Sacred Dance for World Healing.

''I love the art,'' said Colacilli, 38.

``The intention is not just to create something to satisfy the ego but it is done with the intention of healing.''