Rituals

I was reminded of the timelessness of rituals this week when I watched a group of Tibetan monks ritually create a sand mandala, then "de-create" it. All according to instructions from the Buddha himself, passed down through unbroken lineages. In typical American fashion, I had sandwiched in this ritual between other "errands" for the day. As the monks' ceremony went on, I realized I wouldn't make my previous schedule.

I had a clear choice: to leave and cram in everything I "needed" to do, or to stay and sink into the rhythm of this ancient ritual. Never have I been so aware of how rapidly time has shifted for western civilization. And of how great a toll it takes. I stayed.

Once I made the choice to be there, I allowed myself to enter fully those rhythms from another time. I saw how easy it was for them to sweep up the contents of an entire week's work and calmly put the contents in bags to distribute "sand blessings" to those who watched. Nothing was lost, only reconfigured. Nothing destroyed, only changed. And so it will be with our era too.