From August 16–19, 2012, six Tibetan Buddhist monks travelled to San Francisco from the Drepung Loseling Phukhang Monastery in South India to create a sand mandala for the Asian Art Museum. Over four days, they meticulously applied powdered pigments to a geometric mandala outline. The monks intend that the sand mandala will generate positive effects that radiate over the entire region. They believe that the mandala's presence will bless both the environment and the beings therein, thus making a Buddhist contribution to world peace. Once the sand mandala has been completed, this painstakingly created artwork was then destroyed and scattered. To do so spreads the sand mandala's benefits throughout the world. It is also a concrete lesson in the impermanence of all things, a key Buddhist ideal.