[vn-buddhism] Fwd: The Buddhist Mandala - Sacred Geometry and Art
Toan Tran
vn-buddhism - Mesg from "Toan Tran" <toa...@hotmail.com>
To Gary and all,
Got this from the zen-dialog forum. Interesting piece
hope you'd enjoy it
Toan
>=======================================================
> The Buddhist Mandala - Sacred Geometry and Art
>=======================================================
>
>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.
>
>Illustration : http://www.exoticindiaart.com/buddha/ze25.jpg
>(Size : 135 kb)
>
>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.
>
>Illustration : http://www.exoticindiaart.com/batik/ba41.jpg
>(Size : 69 kb)
>
>
>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.
>
>Illustration : http://www.exoticindiaart.com/buddha/ze10.jpg
>(Size : 148 kb)
>
>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:
>
>1) 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.
>
>Illustration : http://www.exoticindiaart.com/mayuri.jpg
>(Size : 51 kb)
>
>2) 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.
>
>Illustration : http://www.exoticindiaart.com/mandala.jpg
>(Size : 84 kb)
>
>3) 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.
>
>Illustration : http://www.exoticindiaart.com/buddha/ze56.jpg
>(Size : 110 kb)
>
>
>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.
>
>(Thus ends the newsletter for the month of September 2000)
>
>Nitin G.
>http://www.exoticindiaart.com
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