The mandala is a drawn representation of the points in the body where energy is transmitted or received. These points create 3 or 4 dimensional mandalas that are constantly changing. Mandalas then are created by every thought form energy, by every emotional energy, by every energy sent out or received on any level of the universe!
When drawn, the circle is the principal element since it lies at the heart of the creative principle. It is the representation of cosmic life, from the smallest atom to the largest planet. All things are divided from within itself so, paradoxically, all things are contained within it. It is therefore the symbol of the unknowable, of spirit and of heaven.
The word “Mandala,” is rooted in Sanskrit and literally means “Circle,” which is the first enclosed archetype of Sacred Geometry. The single point at the center of the circle is called the “Bindu.”
It is thought that meditational Mandalas were brought to Tibet by the Guru Padma Sambava in the 8th century A.D. The building and use of spiritual Mandalas is an important aspect of Buddhism and Hinduism. Mandalas are to be found all over the orient and always used as a tool to facilitate contemplation and meditation. This process of experiencing Mandala, has the potential to move the contemplative into awareness of his or her spiritual body . The contemplation of Sacred Geometry by of studying or creating Mandalas (open-eyed meditation) can bring the student to spiritual enlightenment.
Long before that great teacher (Guru Padma Sambava) traveled to Tibet with the healing and centering concepts of Mandala, Native American Shamans had already discovered that same healing power within the circle. Much of the symbolic geometry of Native American art and ritual is rooted in the balance of the circle and its natural division…. the four directions; North, South, East, and West. The famous Lakota Shaman “Black Elk,” called the circle the “Sacred Hoop
“Mount Vision”
By: Paul Trujillo (me)
done in Adobe Photoshop & Illustrator. Mountain and Eye shot with Nikon D90
The Sand Mandala (དཀྱིལ་འཁོར།) is an ancient art form involving the creation of an extremely intricate design of mandala unique to the tradition of Tibetan Buddhism. Highly skilled monks work with painstaking details over days using dyed sand granules (originally grains of crushed colored semi-precious stones were used) and funnels (chak-pur) on the complex geometric pattern of the specific mandala. The sand mandala is constructed to generate compassion, harmony and at the end - to realize the impermanence and transitory nature of life, one of the most important aspects of Buddhist teachings.
Tibetan Buddhist monks making a peace sand mandala, which they will meticulously create for six days and then will ritually destroy on the seventh day, sweeping it up and signifying everything’s impermanence. This is a way of exposing people to the way of relieving suffering: accepting that everything changes and ends, choosing to let go of attachments.
