When I was in college, I took an incredible course from the Venerable Tenzin Yignyen in the meaning and making of Tibetan mandalas. He taught us how to paint our own mandalas and build one together out of sand.
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| Our group sand mandala (based on Avalokiteshvara, the Bodhisattva of Infinite Compassion) |
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| dismantling it |
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| pouring it, and our intentions, into the lake to bless all beings who use the water |
It was a wonderful project. I wanted to find a way to share the experience with my kiddos in my art class. I focused on the ideas of symbolic imagery and the meditation of quietly drawing those things and pouring your thoughts and concentration into them. We started by brainstorming things that we thought were important and symbols that might represent them.
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| lovely, aren't they? I love kids. |
Then I put on some quiet music and all of the kids made these masterpieces. I was so proud of them!
The best part of projects like these is sitting in a circle and having the kids share their work and give each other supportive feedback. As a childhood-enthusiast and therapist, I think it is very valuable to periodically ask kids what their values are and record them. Not only is it an empowering and validating experience for them, it can really help ME to remember to simplify, be generous and kind, and to listen.
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