A mandala is a circular or square pattern used for meditation, originating from Hinduism and borrowed by Buddhism. Tibetan Buddhists create sand mandalas with strict guidelines and destroy them to symbolize impermanence. Mandalas aid personal growth and understanding in non-religious contexts, according to psychologist Carl Jung. Drawing a personal mandala can reveal subconscious thoughts and priorities.
A mandala is a geometric or graphic pattern, typically circular or square, which symbolically represents the cosmos and is used for meditation purposes. The pattern originated in the Hindu religion, where it was first used as a design element in temples, and was borrowed from Buddhism. Other religions and cultures have similar meditation aids and, broadly speaking, a mandala can also be a round, symmetrical building used for worship.
Creating a mandala can be a form of meditation, as can contemplating a finished one. In Tibetan Buddhism, there are strict guidelines regarding image content and design, including the display of the piece and the mantras to be recited as it is being made. Different types of mandalas are used to represent different elements of Buddhist beliefs and cosmology, but are generally full of symbolism and richly detailed.
Tibetan Buddhists also make sand mandalas, using delicate tools and colored sand to create intricate designs. After being made and contemplated according to the ceremony, they are destroyed, symbolizing the impermanence of everything. Every element of the sand mandala, from tracing the design, to pouring the sand, to disposing of the used sand, is ritualized. Mandalas also appear in Japanese Buddhist temples and rituals, although the sand shape is unique to Tibetan Vajrayana or Tantric Buddhism. Meditation or prayer aids in other religious traditions, such as Catholicism’s rosary, are considered by some to be a type of mandala.
Mandalas are also used as meditation aids in a non-religious context. Psychologist Carl Jung saw it as a powerful tool for personal understanding and growth. According to Jung, the mandala can be a representation of an individual’s subconscious.
Drawing a personal mandala can help a person understand their unconscious thoughts and priorities. For example, whatever is at the center of the model is thought to be most important in one’s spiritual life, while things further away from the center are increasingly less important. The interpretation of colors and symbols you choose to incorporate is similar to dream interpretation or other theories of unconscious symbolism.
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