Surfers know about impermanence - one day you have perfect waves the next, nada. This concept is at the heart of Tibetan Buddhism; don't get too attached to anything because it wont last. It's a basic law of nature.
For the past week, three monks have been painstakingly creating a Sand Mandala in the Avalon Recreation Centre. It was an incredibly intricate design containing the essence of a powerful female energy for healing and prolonging life. And yesterday, in a beautiful dissolution ceremony, they and their head monk swept it all away.
After six days of meticulous effort, the distinctive dyed crushed marble became a swirl of grey in a matter of minutes. We were all given a little spoonful to take home with us as a reminder of the impermanence of things and that happiness is not to be found outside ourselves but within. Then the remaining granules were collected in a vase and taken over to the beach were they were poured into the ocean.
Nothing lasts forever. In the end we are all dust. So get out there and catch a few and spread the love while you can.
