Sand Mandala: Viral Reddit Image Brings Buddhist Ideals To The Internet's Front Page (PHOTO)

The Photo That Is Spreading Buddhism To Reddit

Redditor WetWilly839 posted this stunning photograph of monks creating an elaborate mandala made of sand. The caption reads:

These monks at my college have been working on this the last few days, it's all made of sand.

The photo depicts a well-known Tibetan Buddhist tradition, in which monks painstakingly create an ornate artwork out of colored sand, only to ritually destroy the object of beauty after its completion.

Upon seeing this striking meditation on the transitory nature of life, the internet got deep. Comments included "A symbol that nothing lasts forever" and "Only impermanence is permanent." Awww, Reddit, sometimes you make us so proud.

See more mandalas from around the world in the slideshow below:

Smithsonian Institution, Washington, D.C.

Mandalas Around The World

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