Download Mandala art

Mandala art
Guide to meditation and concentration
Modern Mandala Examples
 Often
used in commercial endeavours; like
cards and calandars.
What does this remind you of? What
symbol do you connect it to?
Sanskrit Origins
 Mandala
can be translated into ‘circle’ or
‘completion’.
 Mandalas are connected to the ‘dharma
wheel’.
 Mandalas are to be meditated on to move
closer to enlightenment.
Dharma Wheel

The eight spokes of
the wheel represent
the Noble Eightfold
Path of Buddhism.
The sharp edges are
to cut through
ignorance, in the
pursuit of truth.
Tibetan Mandalas
 Tibetan
monks create rare sand mandalas
symbolizing the power of an ancient
spiritual vision.
Thangkas
 Wall
hangings found in Tibetan Buddhist
temples which depict / display the
Mandala concept.
 Brightly coloured painted cloth, also
created as a form of meditation and
contemplation.
Thangka
Mandala art in its purist
form
reminds us of our relation to the infinite,
the world that extends both beyond and
within our bodies and minds.
Why?
A
mandala is thought to bring peace
and harmony to the area where it is
being constructed.
Celebrations of the Natural World
Celebration of Feeling
What would you create?

Tibetan Buddhists say that a mandala consists
of five "excellencies“.
 The teacher • The message • The audience •
The site • The time
 An
audience or "viewer" is
necessary for the creation of a
mandala; what you perceive / see
will determine its effect.
Check it out!

Labyrinths are a type of
mandala found in many
cultures and are used as a
tool for centering and meditation.
Celebration of Prayer and
Meditation
 Monks
making a sand mandala.
The Making of a Mandala

Here are the four circles, symbolising the enlightenment,
which the meditating person must gain, before she can
enter the illuminated palace: fire of wisdom: the
outermost circle consists of the purifying fire
vajra circle: the diamond circle expresses strength and
fearlessness
tombs: there are eight tombs, which symbolises the
eight states of consciousness*, which the person must
go beyond
lotus circle: expresses the open state of devotion, that
is necessary to enter the palace
Buddhist Schools

The original Buddhism very early divided into to schools:
Theravada and Mahayana
Theravada means "the tradition of the elderly", but is
also ironically called Hinayana "the little vessel" by the
followers of Mahayana. According to the Theravada
Buddhism, the individual can itself work its way forward
to freedom from the suffering in the world. The followers
of the Theravada Buddhism live in Burma, Thailand and
Sri Lanka. Theravada is therefore also called the
Southern Buddhism.

Mahayana means "the big vessel". According to
the Mahayana Buddhism a universal love leads
to freedom from the sufferings of the world. The
Buddhist begins to arouse the wish in herself to
release all beings from suffering. The supporters
of the Mahayana Buddhism live in Tibet, China,
Korea and Japan. Mahayana is therefore also
called the Northern Buddhism.
Tibetan Buddhism


Tibetan Buddhism or Vajrayana Buddhism is a branch of
the Mahayana Buddhism. According to the legend, the
founder Padmasambhava was born in a lake in a lotus
blossom. The Padmasambhava Lake is considered to
have the clearest blue colour of all the lakes in the world
and to hold strong healing power. One of the means of
the Tibetan Buddhists to gain freedom is meditation on
sublime thoughts and pictures. Such a picture is the
mandala.
{http://www.jyh.dk/indengl.htm#Female%20buddhas}
Making Your Own
 Contemplate
things in the world that are
important to you or that weigh on you.
 Contemplate the colour(s) that you
associate with these things and why.
 Draw and colour a Mandala that
represents an important subject or topic.
 Write a brief explanation, on the back of
the mandala, for the choices you’ve made.
 ENJOY!!!!