Mandala
What is a
Mandala? You may ask is it some kind of magic circle, or maybe a ritual
geometric symbol or is it a mystical symbol only for the lucky initiate? In
some areas we find them described as ;symbols of the cosmic elements, used as
aids for meditation,' as models for certain visualizations', or alternatively
as 'aids to self discovery or to meditation on the transcendental.' In essence a Mandala is a powerfully symmetrical diagram,
concentrated about a centre and generally divided into four quadrants of equal
size; it is built up of concentric circles and squares possessing the same
centre. It is also true that a great many Mandalas are considered as aids to meditation,
visualization and initiation. Carl Gustav Jung in his analysis of the Mandala the 'protective circle' found it to be
"the traditional antidote for chaotic states of mind."
In
India life is still lived close to nature, and it appears unorganized and
therefore chaotic; but in its chaos there seems to be an undercurrent of order.
It is the religious culture the spiritual heritage that makes up the keystone
of the whole super structure of the Indian civilization. It has a highly
philosophical culture. It is here over the ages that the concept of the Mandala has developed no doubt to bring some
order into the seemingly apparent chaotic situation. The ancient tribal creed
has never relinquished its hold on its past, which reflects its continuous
existence through the ages, from evolution to the present.
The
concept of the Mandala was developed and conceived in the
remotest ages and most ancient recesses of Indian history before the advent of
Hinduism or Buddhism. The Concept as a whole encompassed all facets of the
Indian life, a life style and religious heritage, which has made India a
mysterious land, incomprehensible and unintelligible. It was found to have been
equally important in socio-political realms as well as the religio-spiritual.
The influence of the Mandala concept spread all over South-East
Asia, Nepal and Tibet wherever Indian culture spread. It is even suspected that
its influence spread to West Asia and China also. This influence was apparent
in all walks of life especially in the field of administration and religion.
In the tribal primitive
agrarian community the Goddess of Fertility evolved. They worshipped her in the
form of a triangle, which is regarded as an element of Neolithic art. As in any
form of worship it is the mind that links up with the Absolute but on a Mandala, for the worshipper's
consciousness to tread the spiritual path to the ultimate, requires knowledge
and precision. It is an aspect of Tantrism and fundamentally connotes maithuna
(coitus), which terminates in bliss yoga. The
Mandala's main component, the
triangle, is a basic figure in geometry, and hence, seems so modern, yet in
quintessence it is really very old.
There
are in existence many varieties of symbols in India's religious tradition. The
dominant symbols occupy an important position, even in the sacio-religious
system, for their meaning has remained largely unchanged from age to age and
may be said to represent the crystallization of the flowing pattern of rituals
over which it presides. Man lives in a symbolic universe of which language,
myth, art and religion are parts. They are the varied threads, which weave the
symbolic net, the tangled web of human experience. All human progress in
thought and experience refines upon and strengthens this net. Among the
representations of this symbolic universe, the
Mandala is a highly
manifested form is space and transpersonal ecology (sacred ecology) and is
better understood in practical terms of bounded space, for example, pilgrimage
and its related sacred time and sacred performances.
A
prime example of this relationship of the
Mandala concept to the
cultural and social activities of the Hindu populace is Varanasi, which is the
holiest city of Hinduism. According to Rana P B Singh a renowned cartographer
of Benaras Hindu University, 'The complexity distinction and hierarchical
ordering of the pilgrim age mandala are developed in its full form and
still existent and used in practice by the pilgrims. In fact, it can be seen
that Varanasi is one of the ideal cities of celestial archetype where material
expression to that of parallelism among macro-cos-mos, meso-cosmos and
micro-cosmos are still visible.' This is in fact an almost geopolitical as well
as socio-religious relationship, which is formed in the concept of the Mandala when it is related to a city or country
and its cultural activities.
It is
a known fact that before the advent of the Aryan era there was in existence a
vibrant and flourishing agrarian society in the subcontinent. However primitive
it may have been in our eyes still it had managed to achieve levels of
spiritual understanding well in advance of other societies, which surrounded
it. This era was responsible for the advent of Tantrism, which found its place
secured in the even later Aryan Vedic religion, mention of it to be found in
both the Rig Veda and Atharva Veda. Many of its concepts and traditions found
their way into the daily practices of the Hindus.
In
Tantrism, which as we have seen existed much before the Vedic concept of
religion, Yantra (represents the spirit), Mantra (the soul) and Tantra (the
psychic centres). Tantrism even extended its field of influence to the much
later Buddhism. According to the Dalai Lama: 'Mandalas are an aspect of Tantric
Buddhism that due to their colourful complexity, have attracted a great deal of
interest. Taking a variety of forms, from simple diagrams and more elaborate
paintings on cloth to complicated patterns of coloured sand and large
three-dimensional carved structures, mandalas have a profoundly symbolic value.
Tibetans regard them as sacred. To impart the most profound religious truths,
Tantric Buddhism employs pictorial representations with an intensity found in
no other form of Buddhism and scarcely in any other religion.
The
use of the Mandala as a tool to aid in the elimination of
chaos has proven itself over centuries of use. It has provided humankind with a
device easily used if not comprehended to achieve a relationship with and thus
with oneself. This particular presentation of the concept of the Mandala as an instrument of concentration and
inspiration for meditation provides the reader with an insight into the
mystical worlds of the ancients. It allows us once more to try and achieve the
unity our forefathers once enjoyed with their environs. Each Mandala described takes us on a progressive
journey towards our ultimate goal, the discovery of the power within.
For
many this life is but one of many along the road to discovery and
enlightenment, but this does not suggest that we should not even bother to try
and expect the results to come in their own time. Any attempt we make to gain
experience of the unknown can only but enhance the life we lead. It helps us to
become aware of the cosmos within which we exist and will ultimately aid us in
achieving a unity within the self, making us better human beings in the process.
Gaudy Mandala
Gaudy Mandala
