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The Mandala –
Sacred Geometry and Art
Article of the Month - September 2000
Perhaps the
most admired and discussed symbol of Buddhist religion and art is the
mandala, a word which, like guru and yoga, has become part of the English
language. Its popularity is underscored by the use of the word mandala as a
synonym for sacred space in scholarship world over, and by its presence in
English-language dictionaries and encyclopedias. Both broadly define mandalas
as geometric designs intended to symbolize the universe, and reference is
made to their use in Buddhist and Hindu practices.
The mandala idea originated long ago before
the idea of history itself. In the earliest level of India or even
Indo-European religion, in the Rig Veda and its associated literature,
mandala is the term for a chapter, a collection of mantras or verse hymns
chanted in Vedic ceremonies, perhaps coming from the sense of round, as in a
round of songs. The universe was believed to originate from these hymns,
whose sacred sounds contained the genetic patterns of beings and things, so
there is already a clear sense of mandala as world-model.
 The word mandala itself is derived from the root
manda, which means essence, to which the suffix la, meaning container, has
been added. Thus, one obvious connotation of mandala is that it is a
container of essence. As an image, a mandala may symbolize both the mind and
the body of the Buddha. In esoteric Buddhism the principle in the mandala is
the presence of the Buddha in it, but images of deities are not necessary.
They may be presented either as a wheel, a tree, or a jewel, or in any other
symbolic manifestation.
Creation of a Mandala
The origin of the mandala is the center, a
dot. It is a symbol apparently free of dimensions. It means a 'seed',
'sperm', 'drop', the salient starting point. It is the gathering center in
which the outside energies are drawn, and in the act of drawing the forces,
the devotee's own energies unfold and are also drawn. Thus it represents the
outer and inner spaces. Its purpose is to remove the object-subject
dichotomy. In the process, the mandala is consecrated to a deity.
In its creation, a line materializes out of
a dot. Other lines are drawn until they intersect, creating triangular
geometrical patterns. The circle drawn around stands for the dynamic consciousness
of the initiated. The outlying square symbolizes the physical world bound in
four directions, represented by the four gates; and the midmost or central
area is the residence of the deity. Thus the center is visualized as the
essence and the circumference as grasping, thus in its complete picture a
mandala means grasping the essence.
Construction of a Mandala
Before a monk is permitted to work on
constructing a mandala he must undergo a long period of technical artistic
training and memorization, learning how to draw all the various symbols and
studying related philosophical concepts. At the Namgyal monastery (the
personal monastery of the Dalai lama), for example, this period is three
years.
In the early stages of painting, the monks
sit on the outer part of the unpainted mandala base, always facing the
center. For larger sized Mandalas, when the mandala is about halfway
completed, the monks then stand on the floor, bending forward to apply the
colors.
Traditionally, the mandala is divided into
four quadrants and one monk is assigned to each. At the point where the monks
stand to apply the colors, an assistant joins each of the four. Working
co-operatively, the assistants help by filling in areas of color while the
primary four monks outline the other details.
The monks memorize each detail of the
mandala as part of their monastery's training program. It is important to
note that the mandala is explicitly based on the Scriptural texts. At the end
of each work session, the monks dedicate any artistic or spiritual merit
accumulated from this activity to the benefit of others. This practice
prevails in the execution of all ritual arts.
There is good reason for the extreme degree
of care and attention that the monks put into their work: they are actually
imparting the Buddha's teachings. Since the mandala contains instructions by
the Buddha for attaining enlightenment, the purity of their motivation and
the perfection of their work allows viewers the maximum benefit.
Each detail in all four quadrants of the
mandala faces the center, so that it is facing the resident deity of the
mandala. Thus, from the perspective of both the monks and the viewers
standing around the mandala, the details in the quadrant closest to the
viewer appear upside down, while those in the most distant quadrant appear
right side up.
Generally, each monk keeps to his quadrant
while painting the square palace. When they are painting the concentric
circles, they work in tandem, moving all around the mandala. They wait until
an entire cyclic phase or layer is completed before moving outward together.
This ensures that balance is maintained, and that no quadrant of the mandala
grows faster than another.
The preparation of a mandala is an artistic
endeavor, but at the same time it is an act of worship. In this form of
worship concepts and form are created in which the deepest intuitions are
crystallized and expressed as spiritual art. The design, which is usually
meditated upon, is a continuum of spatial experiences, the essence of which
precedes its existence, which means that the concept precedes the form.
 In its most common form, the mandala appears as a
series of concentric circles. Each mandala has its own resident deity housed
in the square structure situated concentrically within these circles. Its
perfect square shape indicates that the absolute space of wisdom is without
aberration. This square structure has four elaborate gates. These four doors
symbolize the bringing together of the four boundless thoughts namely -
loving kindness, compassion, sympathy, and equanimity. Each of these gateways
is adorned with bells, garlands and other decorative items. This square form
defines the architecture of the mandala described as a four-sided palace or
temple. A palace because it is the residence of the presiding deity of the
mandala, a temple because it contains the essence of the Buddha.
The series of circles surrounding the
central palace follow an intense symbolic structure. Beginning with the outer
circles, one often finds a ring of fire, frequently depicted as a stylized
scrollwork. This symbolizes the process of transformation which ordinary
human beings have to undergo before entering the sacred territory within.
This is followed by a ring of thunderbolt or diamond scepters (vajra),
indicating the indestructibility and diamond like brilliance of the mandala's
spiritual realms.
In the next concentric circle, particularly
those mandalas which feature wrathful deities, one finds eight cremation
grounds arranged in a wide band. These represent the eight aggregates of
human consciousness which tie man to the phenomenal world and to the cycle of
birth and rebirth.
Finally, at the center of the mandala lies
the deity, with whom the mandala is identified. It is the power of this deity
that the mandala is said to be invested with. Most generally the central
deity may be one of the following three:
Peaceful Deities
A peaceful deity symbolizes its own
particular existential and spiritual approach. For example, the image of
Boddhisattva Avalokiteshvara symbolizes compassion as the central focus of
the spiritual experience; that of Manjushri takes wisdom as the central focus;
and that of Vajrapani emphasizes the need for courage and strength in the
quest for sacred knowledge.
Wrathful Deities
Wrathful deities suggest the mighty
struggle involved in overcoming one's alienation. They embody all the inner
afflictions which darken our thoughts, our words, and our deeds and which
prohibit attainment of the Buddhist goal of full enlightenment.
Traditionally, wrathful deities are understood to be aspects of benevolent
principles, fearful only to those who perceive them as alien forces. When
recognized as aspects of one's self and tamed by spiritual practice, they
assume a purely benevolent guise.
Sexual Imagery
Sexual imagery suggests the integrative
process which lies at the heart of the mandala. Male and female elements are
nothing but symbols of the countless pairs of opposites (e.g. love and hate;
good and evil etc.) which one experiences in mundane existence. The initiate
seeks to curtail his or her alienation, by accepting and enjoying all things
as a seamless, interconnected field of experience. Sexual imagery can also be
understood as a metaphor for enlightenment, with its qualities of satisfaction,
bliss, unity and completion.
 Color Symbolism of the Mandala
If form is crucial to the mandala, so too
is color. The quadrants of the mandala-palace are typically divided into
isosceles triangles of color, including four of the following five: white,
yellow, red, green and dark blue. Each of these colors is associated with one
of the five transcendental Buddhas, further associated with the five
delusions of human nature. These delusions obscure our true nature, but
through spiritual practice they can be transformed into the wisdom of these
five respective Buddhas. Specifically:
- White - Vairocana: The delusion of ignorance becomes the wisdom
of reality.
- Yellow - Ratnasambhava: The delusion of pride becomes the wisdom of
sameness.
- Red - Amitabha: The delusion of attachment becomes the wisdom
of discernment.
- Green - Amoghasiddhi: The delusion of jealousy becomes the wisdom
of accomplishment.
- Blue - Akshobhya: The delusion of anger becomes the mirror like
wisdom.
The Mandala as a Sacred
Offering
In addition to decorating and sanctifying
temples and homes, in Tibetan life the mandala is traditionally offered to
one's lama or guru when a request has been made for teachings or an
initiation - where the entire offering of the universe (represented by the
mandala) symbolizes the most appropriate payment for the preciousness of the
teachings. Once in a desolate Indian landscape the Mahasiddha Tilopa
requested a mandala offering from his disciple Naropa, and there being no
readily available materials with which to construct a mandala, Naropa
urinated on the sand and formed an offering of a wet-sand mandala. On another
occasion Naropa used his blood, head, and limbs to create a mandala offering
for his guru, who was delighted with these spontaneous offerings.
Conclusion
The visualization and concretization of the
mandala concept is one of the most significant contributions of Buddhism to
religious psychology. Mandalas are seen as sacred places which, by their very
presence in the world, remind a viewer of the immanence of sanctity in the
universe and its potential in himself. In the context of the Buddhist path
the purpose of a mandala is to put an end to human suffering, to attain
enlightenment and to attain a correct view of Reality. It is a means to
discover divinity by the realization that it resides within one's own self.
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