The Mystical Arts of Tibet

     On Wednesday, September 21 I chose to go to The Mystical Arts of Tibet: The Symbolism of the Sand Mandala for a diversity event. Different cultures are very intriguing and I love learning about them; therefore, I chose this one because I thought it would be interesting to learn about Tibetan culture. There were five monks who came from the Drepung Loseling Monastery. They came to Iowa State University and worked for four days to create a mandala sand painting in the lobby of the Memorial Union. The mandala is an important symbol in their culture and is why they had a whole presentation on it. The mandala is approximately five feet by five feet in size and is made up of many geometric shapes and spiritual symbols which all represent a specific element. In their culture the mandala represents the eleven levels/stages to enlightenment.
     The seminar started with an introduction to the five monks and then they presented a chant to the audience. During the chant there was one monk who would start it and then the others would follow. It was interesting to hear what their chants were like. They are in a low key range and are somewhat soothing. Once the chanting was done the lead monk went on to discuss they symbolism within each layer of the mandala. Since there are eleven layers to it I will only give a brief description of the important ones.
     Starting at the center is something that is called the crossed vajra and it resembles the four elements: fire, water, earth, and wind. The symbolism of the elements shows that the mandala comes from a strong, stable, and indestructible foundation. The next level is one similar to a flower. It consists of a middle with eight pedals or channels coming off of it. This level is to represent the five family Buddhas and it does so by having the lead Buddha represent the middle of the flower and the others surround it. The other four Buddhas represent north, south, east, and west and as for the remaining four pedals sitting in between the four family Buddhas were not explained.
     Another principle described was about the colors used within the mandala. There are five specific ones and they include: white, green, red, yellow, and blue. These colors signify the five family Buddhas' reflections on emotions such as ignorance, attachment, hatred/anger, and pride. Along with the five colors are the five walls which represent the five wisdoms.
     Lastly, there is four imaginables one reaches before enlightenment. They must go through joyfulness, compassion, love, and equality which are represented by four corners in the mandala. Once, someone has passed this point they enter the t-shape where negative energy is released and continue on to the three rings of the enlightenment path.
     Overall, the mandala is an important artifact in the Tibetan culture. It is all about re-consecrating the earth and its people. One finds happiness through enlightenment.

My Bucket List Grows

The world is massive and there are so many things out there. I have yet to learn and experience so much; therefore, my bucket list will continue to grow as I do. As for now, I have a list of 41 things I would love to check off. It may seem like an odd number to stop at but there are no limits on how long or short it has to be. 

So here it goes...

1. Graduate from ISU with a 3.5 GPA or above

2. Complete 2 internships before I graduate

3. Study Abroad

4. Travel all of Europe

5. Travel to Iceland

6. Travel to India

7. Travel to Ireland

8. Live in another country for at least 6 months

9. Live in New York

10. Go deep sea fishing

11. See wild horses

12. Eat chocolate covered insects

13. Go sailing

14. Swim with whales

15. Go skydiving

16. Go cliff diving

17. Ride on a hot air balloon

18. Do karaoke 

19. Learn to play the guitar

20. Have a song written for me

21. Own all Tom Hanks movies

22. Go to a circus

23. Go to a ballet or opera

24. Ballroom dance in the middle of the street

25. Take a dance class

26. Take a photography class

27. Be featured in the blog The Sartorialist

28. Work at fashion photo-shoots

29. Work at runway shows

30. Work for Chanel or a haute couture line

31.  Attend Fashion's night out

32. Be apart of Fashion Week

33. Attend a red carpet event

34. Own my own store with a fashion designer

35. Own the cutest mutt puppy

36. Write a book

37. Be on the Today Show

38. Never stop laughing

39. Conquer my fear of love

40. Eventually own a cottage with a cow, goat, and horse

41. Find that certain someone and grow old together

I am sure tomorrow I will think of many other things to add to the list but that is what makes a bucket list never-ending. Hope you all are able to accomplish what is on your bucket lists'!

Add Some Coco to Your Life

"Success is most often achieved by those who don't know that failure is inevitable." ~ Coco Chanel


"If you were born without wings, do nothing to prevent them from growing." ~ Coco Chanel


"I invented my life by taking for granted that everything I did not like would have an opposite, which I would like." ~ Coco Chanel


One of my biggest inspirations is Coco Chanel. She has not always been and in fact she was recently added to my list of people who inspire me. It happened after I watched the movie Coco Before Chanel. I absolutely fell in love with the story and began looking up her biography online. In a lot of ways she reminded me of myself which is more than likely why I have taken such interest in Chanel. 
It was always the Chanel pages I would stop and examine in fashion magazines. I love the play of texture and architecture. It has a way of keeping your eyes moving through all the shapes and lines adding great proportions to the model's body. Also, I am a big sucker for black and white which are the foundations of Chanel. In fact, another one of Coco's quotes is "Women think of all colors except the absence of color. I have said that black has it all. White too. Their beauty is absolute. It is the perfect harmony." Black and white is simple and keeps people looking classy and fabulous. It is what most of my wardrobe consists of with a few pops of color.
In a way, I guess you could say Chanel has been inspiring me ever since I began looking through the pages of Vogue and glueing pictures to my school notebooks. It would be my dream to one day work for Chanel; therefore, to follow in what Coco said, it is time to sprout my wings at Iowa State University and see where I end up.


P.S. I suggest to all of you to watch the movie even if fashion is not something that interests you because the story within is inspirational.