Mandala is a complex symbolic representation of the universe. Different parts of this universe correspond to different aspects of Buddhist teachings. There are different types of mandalas, and they are made in different ways - they draw, create three-dimensional models and images from crushed minerals. Regardless of the specific practice, mandalas are a complex tool for developing good qualities that will enable us to help others.
Introduction
Mandalas appeared in India thousands of years ago and were used for advanced Buddhist and Hindu meditation practices. Today they have become part of the mass consciousness. In the early 20th century, the Swiss psychoanalyst Carl Jung brought mandalas to the West as a therapeutic tool for exploring the unconscious. In recent years, pop culture has borrowed the word "mandala", and it can be found not only in the New Age, but also in the names of hotels, spas, nightclubs, magazines and so on. More recently, Tibetan monks have begun to erect colorful sand mandalas in museums around the world, introducing visitors to the highly developed culture of Tibet. What is a mandala?
Mandalas are used in various Buddhist meditations. In this article, we will cover the main of these practices.
Completed Mandala of Green Tara, created by monks from Drepung Loseling at Agnes Scott College (Atlanta, Georgia, 2009). Drawing by Zlatko Unger.
Mandalas in tantra
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In tantric practices, meditators dissolve the usual idea of themselves as a solid, unchanging self and instead visualize themselves in the form of one of the Buddha-figures, in Tibetan yidams. Yidams represent one or more aspects of a fully enlightened Buddha, for example, the well-known Avalokiteshvara embodies compassion. Tantric practitioners visualize themselves in the form of Avalokiteshvara and feel that they themselves are the embodiment of compassion. We imagine that we are already able to help others, like this Buddha, but at the same time we clearly realize that we have not yet reached his level. In this way, we effectively create the causes of our own enlightenment.
Mural image of the mandala-universe at Sera Monastery (Tibet, 2015).
Buddhas live in completely pure worlds, which are also called mandalas. The term "mandala" can refer to both the locality of this world and the creatures that inhabit it. The pure worlds are somewhat different from each other, but are usually arranged as follows: in the center of a beautiful area stands an ornate square palace surrounded by a sphere that protects against obstacles in the practice of meditation. The main Buddha image can be male or female, alone or in union. He stands or sits in the center of the palace, in many cases surrounded by many other Buddhas. Sometimes there are additional Buddha images outside the building as well. Many of them have several faces, arms, legs, and in their hands they hold various objects.
To practice tantric practice, you must receive an initiation. This is a complex ceremony performed by a fully qualified tantric master. During the initiation, next to the master is a two-dimensional image of the mandala of a certain Buddha image. It is usually painted on cloth or made from sand and then placed in a closed wooden structure, a simplified model of a palace. However, when visualizing a mandala, we always imagine it as three-dimensional.
During the ceremony, the master gives vows to those who receive initiation and allows them to enter the palace, after which the disciples imagine that they are going inside. Various visualizations activate the so-called potentials of Buddha-nature in students, through which they can achieve enlightenment through this practice. If the mandala was erected from sand, then in the final part of the ceremony, the sand is mixed and brought into the reservoir.
Completed Mandala of Green Tara, created by monks from Drepung Loseling at Agnes Scott College (Atlanta, Georgia, 2009). Drawing by Zlatko Unger.
The initiates are then empowered to visualize themselves in the images of this Buddha and the mandala by doing their daily practice. Each of these images and the objects they hold in their hands symbolizes something related to the practice of meditation. For example, six hands can symbolize six far-reaching attitudes (six perfections).
The practitioners imagine that they are not only all the images inside and outside the palace, but also the mandala palace itself, the architectural details of which symbolize various aspects of the practice of meditation. In some mandalas, four walls symbolize the four noble truths, and the equal sides of the square palace indicate that, in terms of emptiness, Buddhas and those who have not yet attained enlightenment are equal.
Three-dimensional mandala of Guhyasamaji in the monastery of Central Tibet (2011).
In some very advanced tantric practices, there are even visualizations where meditators imagine that parts of their bodies are parts of a palace, or that different images that inhabit the mandala palace are inside their bodies. This is called the body mandala. It is very difficult to do this practice because it requires excellent concentration and a comprehensive understanding of Buddhist philosophy.
Mandalas in common practices
Before receiving any instructions from a Buddhist teacher - tantric or general - the students at the beginning offer a mandala with a request to give the teaching, and at the end - a mandala with gratitude. Here the mandala symbolizes a perfect universe filled with precious objects. Since there is nothing more valuable to students than teaching, the mandala offering symbolizes their willingness to give everything without exception in order to receive instruction.
Mandala offering set filled with rice.
The mandala can be served in the form of a round flat bowl, turned upside down. On the surface of such a mandala, one by one, there are hoops filled with handfuls of grain or precious stones, which are poured one on top of the other. Each subsequent hoop is smaller than the previous one, and everything is crowned with a decorative diadem. In addition, the mandala offering is done using a gesture - mudras, crossing the fingers in a certain way. In both cases, the mandala symbolizes the ideal universe as described in traditional Buddhist literature. While making the mandala offering, the students recite the lines dedicated to ensuring that all circumstances in the world are conducive to receiving the teachings and that all beings can live in a perfect world and receive excellent instructions.
Many Buddhists do preliminary practices (Tib. Ngondro) - usually one hundred thousand repetitions of certain practices - as preparation for more advanced meditations. The preliminary practices help to remove emotional blocks and create the positive strength needed to succeed in meditation. One hundred thousand mandala offerings is one such practice through which practitioners get rid of the reluctance to devote all their time and effort to meditation, and also develop a firm willingness to give everything in order to succeed in the practice.
Monks from Tashilhunpo construct Vajrasattva sand mandala in Nottingham (UK, 2008).
Summary
As we can see, mandalas are used in various Buddhist practices, where they symbolize not only the universe, but also many aspects of the Buddhist path. Tibetan monks construct beautiful sand mandalas around the world to draw attention to the situation in Tibet, but we should not view mandalas as exotic art only. Mandalas are a sophisticated meditation tool that plays an important role in both general and advanced tantric practice and helps us progress on the path to enlightenment.
Alexander Berzin