Buddhist mandala art and trust

If you have seen a Buddhist monk painstakingly paint a colorful, mesmerizing sand mandala on a board, then you are amazed by how snail-like the progress is. I often wonder what level of patience that would require.

And then at the completion, after some prayers, the monk would pick up a brush and sweep the sand away immediately.

Trust is like that. It takes years worth of effort to create a beautiful bond of friendship with someone. But it can be wiped away clean within seconds.

The Buddhists sweep away the mandala to signify the impermanence of life. But even they would not dare to sweep away the trust between people. Life may be impermanent, but the trust can stay permanent.