The Buddhist Mandala

The Buddhist mandala are an important part of esoteric Buddhism. (Tibetan, Shingo and Tendai)  They are used as a tool for meditation.  Making the mandala is meditative, it reminds the maker of the Buddhist cosmology and the time it takes to create one, implies a lot of inner-contemplation.

Some Tibetan monks actually draw Mandalas in colored sand and destroy it once finished to remind themselves of the impermanence of things. As you can see to the left, they are not small crude things but really beautiful pieces of art.

What is a Mandala?

Mandala is a sanskrit word meaning circle.  In that circle and around it, is a representation of the Cosmos.  There are different kind of Mandalas but most of them depict the Buddhist Cosmos.  They are used to focus one's mind during visualisation and meditation.  In Shamanism and Tantric Buddhism, you create a sacred space in your inner universe and the Mandala can be an aid in achieving, remembering or even linking to that inner-universe.

Carl Jung, the famous pionner in psycho-analysis,  worked on with mandalas and painted them himself .  To him they were representations of one's inner-self.

Mandalas are things of beauty. If you would like to own one, you can follow the link below and see for yourself how beautiful and mystical they are.
By putting one one the wall in front of your favorite meditation spot, you can look at it, study it and it will aid you in your meditation.

Links

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