Mandala
Mandala’s
From Wikipedia: Mandala (Sanskrit: “essence” + “having” or “containing”, also translates as “circle-circumference” or “completion”), is a concentric diagram having spiritual and ritual significance in both Buddhism and Hinduism. The term is of Hindu origin and appears in the Rig Veda as the name of the sections of the work, but is also used in other Indian religions, particularly Buddhism. In the Tibetan branch of Vajrayana Buddhism, mandalas have been developed into sandpainting. They are also a key part of anuttarayoga tantra meditation practices.
In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of aspirants and adepts, as a spiritual teaching tool, for establishing a sacred space, and as an aid to meditation and trance induction. According to David Fontana, its symbolic nature can help one “to access progressively deeper levels of the unconscious, ultimately assisting the meditator to experience a mystical sense of oneness with the ultimate unity from which the cosmos in all its manifold forms arises.”
In common use, mandala has become a generic term for any plan, chart or geometric pattern that represents the cosmos metaphysically or symbolically, a microcosm of the Universe from the human perspective.
This is a radial symmetry project similar to a rose window. I alternate between the two every other year.
The Incredible Art Department’s Mandala Page with several different lesson plans.
Instructional Resources on the Inernet
- Girls Go Tech Mandala Maker
- Tibetan Monks Create a Mandala out of sand – Great step-by-step photos of the construction process
- Pictures of early Tibetan Mandalas
