And on the inside. . .

The colors are reversed; blue should be on the left, I think, and red on the right if I’m representing veins and arteries. . .I didn’t decide to use blue until I got to that page.

There’s also the efforts at learning the 100 syllable Vajrasattva Mantra. Copying mantras in writing always helps me to learn and contemplate them more deeply.

“. . .she’s taken that which is considered repulsive and turned it into an ornament.” — Lama Tsultrim Allione

Then there’s the note-taking that went on during the retreat itself — a big adjustment. Zen practitioners don’t tend to engage that on retreat, but this was more of a teaching/learning retreat. Getting the practices transmitted and solidified within a specific context and background. There was a lot.

The overview of the story of Saraha and learning about the 9 Yanas

IT was a lot. And very necessary.

Learning the names of the Samayasattvas and their place within the mandala practice. . .

Sometimes it feels right to leave a page blank. Maybe I’ll come back and fill it in with something.

The first two pages

Or not.

I’ve also begun playing with mandalas. Trying them on for size. I realize I’ve been incorporating mandalas into many things I work on for years now. I love the roundness. The completeness.

This mandala was a response to a post from the Tara Mandala Center about Brooding.

There’s been a lot of that going on this summer. Many, many reasons.

The quote essentially went on to point out that sometimes brooding is necessary; it often happens right before a tremendous time of growth, creative inspiration, or spiritual breakthrough. This has been my experience, too. Sometimes a reminder makes all the difference.

I  love the way the tone of a subject can shift from cool to warm in a heartbeat.

Just the slightest tilt in angle, and the feel is completely different.