As fascinating as it is to watch the monks from the Gaden Shartse Monastery patiently construct a “Buddha of Wisdom” mandala in the small gallery room at the rear of Sorrel Sky Gallery, it is just as interesting to watch the people who come to watch them.

Fresh out of the bustle and noise of downtown Durango, many are taken aback by the scene: the decorated table bursting with colors, the unassuming monks in their crimson robes, the hush and quiet of the room broken only by soft exclamations of surprise as the newcomers are struck by the intricacy of its construction, and by the realization that the mandala, this symbol of impermanence so painstakingly made, will be dismantled on Saturday and poured into the Animas River.

The quiet is broken, also, by the sounds of chakpur tools, the rolled copper funnels the monks use to place sand on the design. A small hole in the sharp end of the funnel serves as a spout. By scraping the ribbed funnel with another metal tool – think of a chisel but with the blade end held in the palm – vibrations are created that allow the sand to flow.

Read the full story at the Durango Herald.