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Mandala
Derived from the
Sanskrit for 'circle', a mandala is a symbolic diagram of the universe used for ritual
purposes in Buddhism and Hinduism. It is also frequently represented in Chinese, Japanese,
and Tibetan Buddhist art, and has appears in various forms in Christianity, Gnosticism and other religions, as well as in
mythology and alchemy.
The mandala generally consists of a
group of cosmic deities (or their symbols or associated magic
syllables) that are arranged in one or more circles surrounded by a square and oriented
toward the points of the compass. Some of the earliest mandalas were laid out
architecturally, as at the Buddhist temple of borobudur in Java and the Samye monastery in
Tibet. They were also frequently drawn in powder on the ground for use in initiation
rites.
From the ninth century, mandalas were
painted on walls or on cloth or paper. Images of mandalas are often visualized in the mind
during meditation practices. The Swiss psychologist
Carl G. Jung
considered the mandala to be what he termed an archetype, a universally occurring pattern
associated with the mythological representation of the self. In modern psychotherapies the
mandala is used as a therapeutic tool.
Related
software and
videos.
Related books:
Creating Mandalas: For Insight, Healing, and Self-Expression.
Mandala:
Luminous Symbols for Healing.
Mandalas of the
World: A Meditating & Painting Guide.
Mandala: The
Architecture of Enlightenment.
The Mandala;
Sacred Circles in Tantric Buddhism.
The Mandala:
Sacred Circle in Tibetan Buddhism.
The Mandala
(Sacred Symbols).
The Sand Mandala
of Vajrabhairava.
Further info:
Mandala of the Medicine Buddha.
The Mandala Centre.
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