Buddhist monks work on a mandala world map. |
A mandala (Sanskrit "circle," मण्डल) is a geometric configuration of symbols.
In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed:
- to focus the attention of practitioners and adepts
- as a spiritual guidance tool
- to establish a sacred space, or
- serve as an aid to meditation and trance-absorption (jhana) induction.
Mandala in three dimensions: Borobudur Buddhist temple |
Mandala made for a Dalai Lama visit, May 2008 |
Buddhist cosmology: 31 Planes of Rebirth |
In New Age thinking the mandala is a diagram, chart, or geometric pattern that represents the cosmos metaphysically or symbolically. It can be a time-microcosm of the universe.
But it originally meant to represent wholeness and a model for the organizational structure of life itself, a cosmic diagram that shows the relation to the infinite and the world that extends beyond and within various minds and bodies. More
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