ALL ABOUT MANDALA

WHAT IS MANDALA ART?

Mandala is derived from the ancient Indian language (Sanskrit) and means "circle or centre." The central point of the Mandala is known for its beautiful patterns and decorative elements that are connected and interconnected. A Mandala image can represent everything in life that is interconnected and never-ending. A circle is an excellent symbol for demonstrating that life has no end, spirits never vanish, and everything is simply a part of nature, the world, and the universe. Similarly, death, according to Buddhism, is not the final state of the existence cycle, but rather a passing phase of life. In other words, life is infinity and spiritual well-being.

Mandala art is a symbolic representation of the universe, with the circle representing wholeness, totality, infinity, timelessness, and unity. In many Asian cultures, the mandala is revered as a spiritual and ritual symbol. It was invented by Hindus and quickly spread to other religions such as Christianity, Buddhism, Judaism, and Paganism. Furthermore, many Madala symbols can be found hidden in the artistic details of East Asian religious arts.

HISTORY OF MANDALA

Siddhartha Gautama, the Buddha's founder, was born in what is now known as Nepal. Though no exact date is known, historians believe he was born around 560 B.C. Gautama is said to have left his kingdom after becoming aware of human suffering in order to seek enlightenment through meditation and thoughtful action. He began to preach his philosophy throughout India, gaining devoted followers and eventually establishing the first sangha, or Buddhist community of monks.

These Buddhist monks spread Buddhism throughout the world as they travelled the Silk Road, an ancient network of trade routes connecting the East and West. They brought mandalas with them and spread the practice of painting these spiritual compositions throughout Asia, appearing in places like Tibet, China, and Japan by the fourth century. Though they originated in Buddhism, mandalas quickly spread to Hinduism and other religious practices. Spiritual craft painters were frequently pious laymen who were commissioned by a patron. They sat on the floor, a painting positioned in their laps or in front of their crossed legs, and worked.

TYPES OF MANDALAS

        1. Teaching Mandala

Each shape, line, and colour in a teaching mandala represents a different aspect of a philosophical or religious system. The student creates his or her own mandala based on design and construction principles, projecting a visual representation of everything they have learned. The creators of teaching mandalas use them as colourful mental maps.

2. Healing Mandala

Healing mandalas are more intuitive than teaching mandalas and are designed for meditation. Healing mandalas are designed to impart wisdom, instil calm, and channel focus and concentration.

3. Sand Mandala

Sand mandalas have long been used as a traditional religious element by Buddhist monks and Navajo cultures. These intricate designs make use of a variety of coloured sand symbols that represent the impermanence of human life.

COLOUR MEANINGS IN MANDALA

RED:         

a symbol of strength, fire, and passion.

ORANGE: 

the color of vitality, heat, and energy.

YELLOW: 

a color of wisdom and learning. It can also represent rich wealth and prosperity. It evokes new ideas for business, increasing income, and causes growth or new innovation to the world. Yellow also means light, power, joy, spring, and enlightenment. 

BLUE:

It is the element of water and temperature of cool, so it symbolizes tranquility and coldness. It also represents the perception of consciousness and the function of thinking.

VOILET:

represents spiritual forces.

GREEN:

the color of nature, peace, harmony, and healthy life.

WHITE:

represents purity and wisdom.

BLACK:

It is about secrets, mystery, emptiness, and deep thought.

SYMBOLISM IN MANDALA

Common symbols found in mandalas can be found within their circular patterns. They traditionally include the presence of Buddha's mind in an abstract form, which is most commonly represented as a wheel, tree, flower, or jewel. The central symbol is a dot, which is a dimensionless symbol. It is understood to be the starting point for contemplation and devotion to the divine. The dot is then surrounded by lines and geometric designs that represent the universe, and it is encircled by an outer circle that represents the cyclical nature of life. The following are some common mandala symbols:

• Wheels with eight spokes:
  A wheel's round shape serves as an artistic image of a flawless cosmos. The eight spokes reflect Buddhism's Eightfold Path, a collection of activities that lead to freedom and reincarnation.

• Bells:
  Bells indicate an opening and emptying of the mind to allow knowledge and clarity to enter.

• Triangles:
  Triangles indicate movement and energy when looking upward, and creativity and the search of knowledge while facing downward.

• Lotus Flower:
  The symmetry of a lotus, a revered emblem in Buddhism, represents equilibrium. As a lotus climbs up from the depths of the sea into the light, so does a person seek spiritual awakening and enlightenment.

• Sun:
  Suns are a common base for modern mandala patterns because they represent the cosmos and typically have connotations connected to life and energy.

HOW MANDALAS ARE USED?

Mandalas are used in a variety of religious traditions, meditation practises, and contemporary settings. In Buddhism, the traditional Tibetan mandala depicts Buddha's enlightened state through sand art. To create the exact texture and organisation of the grains, patterns are created on the ground using metal and a small tube. This can take weeks to create, and once completed, it is destroyed to align with the Buddhist belief that nothing is permanent.

As it relates to modern context, mandalas are used in a variety of ways. In yoga, mandalas represent the same ancient ideals; signifying a sacred space to shut away external influences. Often, mandalas are positioned around the studio and sometimes even drawn during meditation periods. Similarly, mandala art is used in healing circles, a practice that derives from Native Americans. The circles are often associated with the restoration of the body, mind, and heart.

MANDALAS ARE EVERYWHERE

When we look around us, we can see mandalas everywhere, from flowers, the sun, snowflakes, waterdrops, eyes, spider webs, kiwi fruit cut in half, cells of all living beings, atoms of everything on the planet, to manmade items such as a clock, compass, and so on.

Mandalas have also been discovered in dream catchers as a way to protect the person sleeping. A popular item in Western cultures, the shape and patterns of a mandala can be easily identified within most dream catchers.

Mandalas, a spiritual symbol in Asian art, have since become a popular meditative element for people of all cultures. Mandalas and thangkas, in particular, serve as a representation of the universe and a guide on the path to enlightenment in Hindu and Buddhist cultures. The geometric design has since appeared in yoga studios, dream catchers, healing circles, and other meditative practises. The practise of making and collecting mandalas is a transformative practise that aims to restore inner peace and wisdom.

MANDALA IN HINDUISM

Whatever else a mandala represents to an individual, it ultimately reflects order - whether of the universe, nation, society, or self - but is regarded as a self-created depiction of that order. The individual who builds the mandala using coloured sand, yarn, or any other material is regarded to be producing the image from a higher source. This source does not have to be a supernatural entity of any type (it may be one's higher self), but it was in the beginning.

Adherents of Hinduism refer to the religion as Sanatan Dharma ("Eternal Order"), and the order it refers to was established by an all-powerful supernatural being, too vast for the human intellect to fathom, who created, maintained, and was the Universe. Brahman "spoke" the everlasting truths of existence at some time in the ancient past, which were "heard" by sages of India when in a profound, contemplative condition. This information became known as shruti ("what is heard") and was passed down orally until it was written down as the Vedas during the Vedic Period (c. 1500 - c. 500 BCE), with the Rig Veda assumed to have been the first to be recorded.

The Rig Veda is divided into ten volumes, known as mandalas, that include 1,028 hymns and 10,600 words about religious thinking and practise. Brahman was considered to manifest to individuals as avatars - shapes and parts of itself - via which one may connect with the source of all life because it was regarded to be beyond human comprehension.

This worldview evolved through time to include the notion of a higher self within each human known as the Atman, which was a holy spark of Brahman that connected one to all other living things and the Universe itself. The objective of existence was to achieve oneness with the Atman by adhering to one's duty (dharma) and performing the proper deed (karma) in order to be liberated from the cycle of rebirth and death (samsara) (moksha).

The Rig Veda guided its audience toward emancipation using mandalas that pushed them to challenge apparent reality, reject illusion, and pursue genuine knowledge and insight about the self and the universe. Each book of the Rig Veda is a mandala that flows from the margin of comprehension to the core of meaning. The visuals that came to accompany the text - and which are the world's earliest mandalas - served as demonstrations of the veracity of Brahman's vision. This work established the fundamental application of the mandala picture, which has persisted to the present day: as a form of self-teaching instrument to raise the mind from the commonplace to the sublime.