What is a mandala? The word "mandala" is from the classical Indian language of Sanskrit. Loosely translated to mean "circle," a mandala is far more than a simple shape. It represents wholeness, - the circle of eternity. A mandala is a repetitive geometric pattern which begins at a central dot and works outward. Mandalas are symbolic in many cultures and often symbolize wholeness and unity. A mandala is a sacred geometric figure that represents the universe. A Tibetan mandala is usually made with careful placement of colored sand. When completed, a mandala becomes a sacred area. By constructing a mandala, a monk ritually participates in the Buddha's teachings.

Constructing The process of constructing a mandala is a sacred ritual. It is a meditative, painstaking process that can take days or even weeks to complete. Before a monk may participate in the construction of a mandala, he must undergo a lengthy period of artistic and philosophical study. In the Namgyal monastery, the personal monastery of Dalai Lama, this period lasts three years. Traditionally, four monks work together on a single mandala. The mandala is divided into quadrants with one monk assigned to each. Midway through the process, each monk receives an assistant who helps fill in the colors while the primary monk continues to work on detailed outlines. Mandalas are constructed from the center outward, beginning with a dot in the center. With the placement of the center dot, the mandala is consecrated to a particular deity.

Rangoli is a folk art from India in which patterns are created on the floor in living rooms or courtyards using materials such as colored rice, dry flour, colored sand or flower petals. It is usually made during Diwali and other Indian festivals. They are meant to be sacred welcoming areas for the Hindu deities generation to the next.

Who Else Makes Mandalas? Although the mandala form is most often associated with Tibetan Buddhist art, there are many instances of it in different cultures. The rose windows and labyrinths of medieval Christianity, the domed mosques and Sufi whirling dervishes of Islam, the temples of the Hindus, the sand paintings of the North American Indians, as well as the pyramids of Ancient Egypt and Central and South America, are all based on the same form, with its multiple symmetries radiating from a central point. Christian Rose Windows in Cathedrals Aztec Native American Indian Arabic Navajo Islamic Celtic Mandalas

MANDALAS Examples of mandalas are found in nature. Every cell in our body, for instance, is a living mandala. So is the iris of our eye, a snow crystal, a bird's nest --even a bicycle wheel. Look around - Can you see more mandalas in nature? in your surroundings?