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{{Short description|Spiritual and ritual symbol in Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Distinguish|Mancala|Nelson Mandela}}
[[File:Manjuvajramandala con 43 divinità - Unknown - Google Cultural Institute.jpg|upright=1.35|thumb|[[Thangka]] painting of Manjuvajra mandala]]
[[File:Taizokai.jpg|upright=1.35|thumb|The Womb Realm mandala. The center square represents the young stage of [[Vairocana]]. He is surrounded by eight [[Buddharupa|Buddhas]] and [[bodhisattva]]s (clockwise from top: [[Ratnasambhava]], [[Samantabhadra (Bodhisattva)|Samantabhadra]], Saṅkusumitarāja, [[Manjushri]], [[Amitābha]], [[Avalokiteśvara]], [[Amoghasiddhi]] and [[Maitreya]])]]

A '''mandala''' ({{langx|sa|मण्डल|maṇḍala|circle}}, {{IPA|sa|ˈmɐɳɖɐlɐ|}}) is a geometric configuration of symbols. In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of practitioners and [[adepts]], as a spiritual guidance tool, for establishing a [[Ganachakra#Sacred space|sacred space]] and as an aid to [[meditation]] and [[trance]] induction. In the [[Eastern religions]] of [[Hinduism]], [[Buddhism]], [[Jainism]] and [[Shinto]] it is used as a map representing deities, or especially in the case of Shinto, paradises, [[kami]] or actual shrines.<ref>{{cite web | title = mandala | url = http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mandala | year = 2008 | publisher = Merriam–Webster Online Dictionary | access-date = 2008-11-19 | archive-date = 2018-12-26 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181226074446/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mandala | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | title = Japanese Mandalas: Representations of Sacred Geography | issue = 1/2 | pages = 186–188 | year = 2001 | journal = Japanese Journal of Religious Studies| volume = 28 | jstor = 30233691 | last1 = Tanabe | first1 = Willa Jane }}</ref>

==Hinduism==
[[File:Vishnu Mandala.jpg|thumb|Mandala of [[Vishnu]]|left]]

In Hinduism, a basic mandala, also called a ''[[yantra]]'', takes the form of a square with four gates containing a circle with a [[Bindu (symbol)|centre point]]. Each gate is in the general shape of a T.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.kheper.net/topics/Buddhism/mandala.html |title=Kheper,''The Buddhist Mandala – Sacred Geometry and Art'' |access-date=2010-05-08 |archive-date=2011-05-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110514052538/http://www.kheper.net/topics/Buddhism/mandala.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Mandalas often have [[Rotational symmetry|radial]] [[Formal balance|balance]].<ref name=SaylorIntroPDF>{{cite web|last=www.sbctc.edu (adapted)|title=Module 4: The Artistic Principles|url=http://www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Module-4.pdf|publisher=Saylor.org|access-date=2 April 2012|archive-date=20 January 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130120041943/http://www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/Module-4.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>

A ''[[yantra]]'' is similar to a mandala, usually smaller and using a more limited colour palette. It may be a two- or three-dimensional geometric composition used in ''[[sadhana]]s'', puja or meditative rituals, and may incorporate a [[mantra]] into its design. It is considered to represent the abode of the deity. Each ''yantra'' is unique and calls the deity into the presence of the practitioner through the elaborate symbolic geometric designs. According to one scholar, "Yantras function as revelatory symbols of cosmic truths and as instructional charts of the spiritual aspect of human experience"<ref>[[Madhu Khanna|Khanna Madhu]], ''Yantra: The Tantric Symbol of Cosmic Unity''. Thames and Hudson, 1979, p. 12.</ref>

Many situate ''yantras'' as central focus points for Hindu tantric practice. ''Yantras'' are not representations, but are lived, experiential, [[Nonduality (spirituality)|nondual]] realities. As Khanna describes:
{{blockquote|
Despite its cosmic meanings a ''yantra'' is a reality lived. Because of the relationship that exists in the [[Tantra]]s between the outer world (the macrocosm) and man's inner world (the microcosm), every symbol in a ''yantra'' is ambivalently resonant in inner–outer synthesis, and is associated with the subtle body and aspects of human consciousness.<ref>Khanna, Madhu, ''Yantra: The Tantric Symbol of Cosmic Unity''. Thames and Hudson, 1979, pp. 12-22</ref>}}

The term 'mandala' appears in the [[Rigveda]] as the name of the sections of the work, and [[Vedic rituals]] use mandalas such as the [[Navagraha]] mandala to this day.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Handbook to the Study of the Rigveda: Part II-The Seventh Mandala of the Rig Veda |url=http://indianculture.gov.in/rarebooks/handbook-study-rigveda-part-ii-seventh-mandala-rig-veda |access-date=2022-10-10 |website=INDIAN CULTURE |language=en |archive-date=2022-10-15 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221015191108/https://indianculture.gov.in/rarebooks/handbook-study-rigveda-part-ii-seventh-mandala-rig-veda |url-status=live }}</ref>

For each tantric tradition, its mandala is the most important visual form. Abhinavagupta in his ''Tantrāloka'' textually describes the four key mandalas of the Trika tradition, which were translated, decoded and illustrated by [[Christian de Vietri]] in his book ''Trika Maṇḍala Prakāśa''.<ref>{{Cite book |last=de Vietri |first=Christian |title=Trika Maṇḍala Prakāśa: Illuminating the mandalas of Abhinavagupta's Tantrāloka |date=2024-10-09 |publisher=The Magnetic Citadel Press |isbn=978-1763555310 |location=Perth, Australia |language=English, Sanskrit}}</ref>

==Buddhism==
[[File:Painted 17th century Tibetan 'Five Deity Mandala', in the center is Rakta Yamari (the Red Enemy of Death) embracing his consort Vajra Vetali, in the corners are the Red, Green White and Yellow Yamari.jpg|thumb|Painted 17th-century [[Tibet]]an 'Five Deity Mandala', in the centre is [[Yamari|Rakta Yamari]] (the Red Enemy of Death) embracing his consort [[Vajra Vetali]], in the corners are the Red, Green, White and Yellow [[Yamari]]s, [[Rubin Museum of Art]]]]
[[File:Buddha mandala.jpg|thumb|Sandpainting showing Buddha mandala, which is made as part of the death rituals among Buddhist [[Newar]]s of Nepal|left]]

===Vajrayana===
{{Main|Vajrayana}}

In [[Vajrayana]] Buddhism, mandalas have been developed also into [[sandpainting]]. They are also a key part of [[Anuttarayoga Tantra]] meditation practices.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mandala in Buddhism {{!}} Buddhist Art |url=https://www.buddhist-art.com/ |access-date=2024-03-14 |website=www.buddhist-art.com |language=en}}</ref>

====Visualisation of Vajrayana teachings====

The man mandala can be shown to represent in visual form the core essence of the [[Vajrayana]] teachings. The mandala represents the nature of the Pure Land, Enlightened mind.

An example of this type of mandala is [https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/37614 ''Vajrabhairava mandala''] a silk tapestry woven with gilded paper depicting lavish elements like crowns and jewelry, which gives a three-dimensional effect to the piece.<ref>{{cite web|title=Vajrabhairava Mandala|url=https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/37614|website=The Metropolitan Museum of Art|access-date=19 November 2017|archive-date=2 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171202135526/https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/37614|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Watt|first1=James C.Y.|title=When Silk was Gold: Central Asian and Chinese Textiles|date=1997|publisher=The Metropolitan Museum of Art|location=New York|page=95|url=https://www.metmuseum.org/art/metpublications/When_Silk_Was_Gold_Central_Asian_and_Chinese_Textiles|access-date=2017-11-19|archive-date=2017-12-19|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171219161111/https://metmuseum.org/art/metpublications/when_silk_was_gold_central_asian_and_chinese_textiles|url-status=live}}</ref>

=====Mount Meru=====

A mandala can also represent the entire universe, which is traditionally depicted with [[Mount Meru]] as the [[axis mundi]] in the center, surrounded by the continents.<ref>Mipham (2000) pp. 65,80</ref> One example is the [https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/39738 ''Cosmological Mandala with Mount Meru''], a [[silk]] [[tapestry]] from the [[Yuan dynasty]] that serves as a diagram of the Tibetan cosmology, which was given to China from Nepal and Tibet.<ref>{{cite web|title=Cosmological Mandala with Mount Meru|url=https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/39738|website=The Metropolitan Museum of Art|access-date=19 November 2017|archive-date=5 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171205084020/https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/39738|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last1=Watt|first1=James C.Y.|title=The World of Khubilai Khan: Chinese Art in the Yuan Dynasty|date=2010|publisher=Yale University Press|location=New York|page=247|url=https://www.metmuseum.org/art/metpublications/The_World_of_Khubilai_Khan_Chinese_Art_in_the_Yuan_Dynasty#|access-date=19 November 2017|archive-date=7 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171207130947/https://www.metmuseum.org/art/metpublications/The_World_of_Khubilai_Khan_Chinese_Art_in_the_Yuan_Dynasty|url-status=live}}</ref>

=====Wisdom and impermanence=====

In the mandala, the outer circle of fire usually symbolises wisdom. The ring of eight [[charnel ground]]s<ref>{{Cite web |last1=O'Donnell |first1=Julie |last2=White |first2=Pennie |last3=Oellien |first3=Rilla |last4=Halls |first4=Evelin |date=13 August 2003 |others=Consultant: John D. Hughes |title=A Monograph on a Vajrayogini Thanka Painting |url=http://www.bdcu.org.au/scw/thanka.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030813002533/http://www.bdcu.org.au/scw/thanka.html |archive-date=13 August 2003}}</ref> represents the [[Buddhist]] exhortation to be always mindful of death, and the impermanence with which ''[[samsara]]'' is suffused: "such locations were utilized in order to confront and to realize the transient nature of life".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.yoniversum.nl/dakini/charnel_g.html|title=Charnel- and Cremation Grounds|first=Rufus C.|last=Camphausen|access-date=10 October 2016|archive-date=4 March 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304124918/http://yoniversum.nl/dakini/charnel_g.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Described elsewhere: "within a flaming rainbow nimbus and encircled by a black ring of [[dorje]]s, the major outer ring depicts the eight great charnel grounds, to emphasize the dangerous nature of human life".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.sootze.com/tibet/mandala.htm |title=Tibet and the Himalayas |website=Sootze Oriental Antiques |access-date=2006-11-25 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060303134523/http://www.sootze.com/tibet/mandala.htm |archive-date=2006-03-03 }}</ref> Inside these rings lie the walls of the mandala palace itself, specifically a place populated by deities and [[Buddha (general)|Buddhas]].

=====Five Buddhas=====
{{main|Five Tathāgatas}}

One well-known type of mandala is the mandala of the "Five Buddhas", archetypal Buddha forms embodying various aspects of enlightenment. Such Buddhas are depicted depending on the school of [[Buddhism]], and even the specific purpose of the mandala. A common mandala of this type is that of the [[Five Wisdom Buddhas]] (a.k.a. Five ''[[Jinas]]''), the Buddhas [[Vairocana]], [[Aksobhya]], [[Ratnasambhava]], [[Amitabha]] and [[Amoghasiddhi]]. When paired with another mandala depicting the [[Five Wisdom Kings]], this forms the [[Mandala of the Two Realms]].

====Practice====
[[File:Painted 19th century Tibetan mandala of the Naropa tradition, Vajrayogini stands in the center of two crossed red triangles, Rubin Museum of Art.jpg|thumb|Tantric mandala of [[Vajrayogini]]]]
Mandalas are commonly used by tantric Buddhists as an aid to meditation.

The mandala is "a support for the meditating person",<ref name="autogenerated2" /> something to be repeatedly contemplated to the point of saturation, such that the image of the mandala becomes fully internalised in even the minutest detail and can then be summoned and contemplated at will as a clear and vivid visualized image. With every mandala comes what Tucci calls "its associated liturgy ... contained in texts known as [[tantra]]s",<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.asianart.com/mandalas/tibet.html|title=The Mandala in Tibet|access-date=10 October 2016|archive-date=13 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160813055056/http://www.asianart.com/mandalas/tibet.html|url-status=live}}</ref> instructing practitioners on how the mandala should be drawn, built and visualised, and indicating the [[mantra]]s to be recited during its ritual use.

By visualizing "pure lands", one learns to understand experience ''itself'' as pure, and as the abode of enlightenment. The protection that we need, in this view, is from our own minds, as much as from external sources of confusion. In many tantric mandalas, this aspect of separation and protection from the outer samsaric world is depicted by "the four outer circles: the purifying fire of wisdom, the [[vajra]] circle, the circle with the eight tombs, the lotus circle".<ref name="autogenerated2">{{cite web|url=http://www.jyh.dk/indengl.htm|title=Mandala|access-date=10 October 2016|archive-date=23 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161223225316/http://www.jyh.dk/indengl.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> The ring of ''vajras'' forms a connected fence-like arrangement running around the perimeter of the outer mandala circle.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jyh.dk/indengl.htm#Circles|title=Mandala|access-date=10 October 2016|archive-date=23 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161223225316/http://www.jyh.dk/indengl.htm#Circles|url-status=live}}</ref>

As a meditation on impermanence (a central teaching of [[Buddhism]]), after days or weeks of creating the intricate pattern of a [[sand mandala]], the sand is brushed together into a pile and spilled into a body of running water to spread the blessings of the mandala.

[[Per Kvaerne|Kværne]]<ref>Per Kvaerne 1975: p.&nbsp;164</ref> in his extended discussion of [[sahaja]], discusses the relationship of [[sadhana]] interiority and exteriority in relation to mandala thus:
{{blockquote|...external ritual and internal sadhana form an indistinguishable whole, and this unity finds its most pregnant expression in the form of the mandala, the [[sacred enclosure]] consisting of concentric squares and circles drawn on the ground and representing that adamant plane of being on which the aspirant to Buddha hood wishes to establish himself. The unfolding of the tantric ritual depends on the mandala; and where a material mandala is not employed, the adept proceeds to construct one mentally in the course of his meditation."<ref>{{cite book|last=Kvaerne|first=Per|year=1975|title=On the Concept of Sahaja in Indian Buddhist Tantric Literature. (NB: article first published in ''Temenos'' XI (1975): pp.88-135). Cited in: Williams, Jane (2005).'' Buddhism: Critical Concepts in Religious Studies, Volume 6.'' Routledge. ISBN 0-415-33226-5, ISBN 978-0-415-33226-2|publisher=Routledge |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ypsz9qEzZjwC&q=g.yu+sgra+snying+po&pg=PA137|access-date=<!-- Friday --> April 16, 2010|isbn=9780415332323|archive-date=September 25, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210925000835/https://books.google.com/books?id=Ypsz9qEzZjwC&q=g.yu+sgra+snying+po&pg=PA137|url-status=live}}</ref>}}
[[File:Rangoli, Ganesh.jpg|thumb|292x292px|Mandala Hindu [[Rangoli]] art form]]

====Offerings====
[[File:Chenrezig Sand Mandala.jpg|thumb|[[Chenrezig]] [[sand mandala]] created at the [[House of Commons of the United Kingdom]] on the occasion of the [[Dalai Lama|Dalai Lama's]] visit in May 2008|left]]

A "mandala offering"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://studybuddhism.com/en/tibetan-buddhism/tantra/buddhist-tantra/what-is-a-mandala|title=What Is a Mandala?|website=studybuddhism.com|access-date=2016-06-06|archive-date=2019-09-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190917215631/http://studybuddhism.com/en/tibetan-buddhism/tantra/buddhist-tantra/what-is-a-mandala|url-status=live}}</ref> in [[Tibetan Buddhism]] is a symbolic offering of the entire universe. Every intricate detail of these mandalas is fixed in the tradition and has specific symbolic meanings, often on more than one level.

Whereas the above mandala represents the pure surroundings of a Buddha, this mandala represents the universe. This type of mandala is used for the mandala-offerings, during which one symbolically offers the universe to the Buddhas or to one's teacher. Within Vajrayana practice, 100,000 of these mandala offerings (to create merit) can be part of the preliminary practices before a student even begins actual tantric practices.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thubtenchodron.org/PrayersAndPractices/preliminary_practice.htm|title=Preliminary practice (ngöndro) overview|date=September 2009 |access-date=10 October 2016|archive-date=4 July 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140704083425/http://www.thubtenchodron.org/PrayersAndPractices/preliminary_practice.htm|url-status=live}}</ref> This mandala is generally structured according to the model of the universe as taught in a Buddhist classic text the ''[[Abhidharmakosha|Abhidharma-kośa]]'', with [[Mount Meru]] at the centre, surrounded by the continents, oceans and mountains, etc.

=== Theravada Buddhism ===
Various Mandalas are described in many [[Buddhist texts|Pali Buddhist texts]]. Some of the examples of the [[Theravada]] Buddhist Mandalas are:

* '''Mandala of Eight Disciples''' of Buddha describing the [[Gautama Buddha|Shakyamuni Buddha]] at center and Eight great disciple in eight major directions.
* '''Mandala of Buddhas''' is the mandala consisting of nine major Buddhas of the past and the present [[Gautama Buddha]] occupying the ten directions.
* '''Mandala of Eight Devis''' includes the eight Devis occupying and protecting the eight corners of the Universe.

In [[Sigālovāda Sutta]], Buddha describes the relationships of a common [[Householder (Buddhism)|lay persons]] in Mandala style.

===Shingon Buddhism===

One Japanese branch of Mahayana Buddhism – [[Shingon]] Buddhism – makes frequent use of mandalas in its rituals as well, though the actual mandalas differ. When Shingon's founder, [[Kūkai]], returned from his training in China, he brought back two mandalas that became central to Shingon ritual: the [[Womb Realm|Mandala of the Womb Realm]] and the [[Diamond Realm|Mandala of the Diamond Realm]].

These two mandalas are engaged in the ''[[abhiseka]]'' initiation rituals for new Shingon students, more commonly known as the {{Transliteration|ja|Kechien Kanjō}} ({{lang|ja|結縁灌頂}}). A common feature of this ritual is to blindfold the new initiate and to have them throw a flower upon either mandala. Where the flower lands assists in the determination of which [[yidam|tutelary deity]] the initiate should follow.

=== Nichiren Buddhism ===
[[File:NICHIREN SHŌNIN ICHIDAI ZUE 1858 Mandala.jpg|thumb|Nichiren bowing before MOJI-MANDALA which he wrote.]]
The mandala in [[Nichiren Buddhism]] is a {{Transliteration|ja|moji-mandala}} ({{lang|ja|文字曼陀羅}}), which is a paper [[hanging scroll]] or wooden tablet whose inscription consists of [[kanji|Chinese characters]] and [[Siddhaṃ script|medieval-Sanskrit script]] representing elements of the Buddha's [[Enlightenment (Buddhism)|enlightenment]], protective Buddhist deities, and certain Buddhist concepts. Called the ''[[Gohonzon]]'', it was originally inscribed by [[Nichiren]], the founder of this branch of [[Japanese Buddhism]], during the late 13th Century. The ''Gohonzon'' is the primary object of veneration in some Nichiren schools and the only one in others, which consider it to be the supreme object of worship as the embodiment of the supreme [[Dharma]] and Nichiren's inner enlightenment. The seven characters [[Namu Myōhō Renge Kyō]], considered to be the name of the supreme Dharma, as well as the [[invocation]] that believers chant, are written down the center of all Nichiren-sect ''Gohonzons'', whose appearance may otherwise vary depending on the particular school and other factors.{{citation needed|date=November 2021}}

===Pure Land Buddhism===
[[File:Pure Land Mandala (Kyushu National Museum).jpg|thumb|Pure Land [[Taima mandala|Taima Mandala]], Kamakura period, 14th century, Japan (Kyushu National Museum)]]

Mandalas have sometimes been used in [[Pure Land Buddhism]] to graphically represent [[Pure Land]]s, based on descriptions found in the ''[[Larger Sutra]]'' and the ''[[Contemplation Sutra]]''. The most famous mandala in Japan is the [[Taima mandala]], dated to about 763 CE. The Taima mandala is based on the ''Contemplation Sutra'', but other similar mandalas have been made subsequently. Unlike mandalas used in [[Vajrayana]] Buddhism, it is not used as an object of meditation or for esoteric ritual. Instead, it provides a visual representation of the Pure Land texts, and is used as a teaching aid.{{Citation needed|date=November 2008}}

Also in [[Jodo Shinshu]] Buddhism, [[Shinran]] and his descendant, [[Rennyo]], sought a way to create easily accessible objects of reverence for the lower-classes of Japanese society. Shinran designed a mandala using a hanging scroll, and the words of the ''[[nembutsu]]'' ({{lang|ja|念仏}}) written vertically. This style of mandala is still used by some [[Jodo Shinshu]] Buddhists in home altars, or ''[[butsudan]]''.{{citation needed|date=November 2021}}

=== Bodhimandala ===
{{Main|Bodhimaṇḍala}}

Bodhimaṇḍala is a term in [[Buddhism]] that means "circle of [[Bodhi|awakening]]".<ref>Thurman, Robert. ''The Holy Teaching of Vimalakīrti: A Mahāyāna Scripture.'' 1992. p. 120</ref>

== Sand mandalas ==
[[File:MandalaSable2008-05.JPG|left|thumb|Sand Mandala in the making]]

[[Sand mandala]]s are colorful mandalas made from sand that are ritualistically destroyed. They originated in India in the 8th–12th century but are now practiced in Tibetan Buddhism.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book|last=Bryant|first=Barry|title=Wheel of time Sand Mandala|publisher=HarperSanFrancisco|year=1992|location=San Francisco}}</ref> Each mandala is dedicated to specific deities. In Buddhism Deities represent states of the mind to be obtained on the path to enlightenment, the mandala itself is representative of the deity's palace which also represents the mind of the deity.<ref name=":1" /> Each mandala is a pictorial representation of a [[tantra]]. for the process of making Sand mandalas they are created by monks who have trained for three–five years in a monastery.<ref name=":02">{{cite web |title=Sand Painting: Sacred Art of Tibet <!--|producer=|director=Sheri Brenner--> |author=Berkeley Media |date=2002 |location=Alexander Street |url=https://video.alexanderstreet.com/watch/sand-painting-sacred-art-of-tibet}}</ref> These sand mandalas are made to be destroyed to symbolize impermanence, the Buddhist belief that death is not the end, and that one's essence will always return to the elements. It is also related to the belief that one should not become attached to anything.<ref name="youtube WBrYUlOYK0U">{{cite web |title=Sand mandala: Tibetan Buddhist ritual|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBrYUlOYK0U|url-status=live|website=YouTube| date=28 July 2016 |publisher=Wellcome Collection|access-date=2021-07-21|archive-date=2021-07-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210715033557/https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WBrYUlOYK0U}}</ref> To create these mandalas, the monks first create a sketch,<ref>{{cite web|title=TIBETAN MONKS CREATE SAND MANDALA LIVE|url=https://rubinmuseum.org/blog/monks-create-sand-mandala-live-at-rubin-museum|website=The Rubin|access-date=2021-07-21|archive-date=2021-07-15|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210715090126/https://rubinmuseum.org/blog/monks-create-sand-mandala-live-at-rubin-museum|url-status=live}}</ref> then take colorful sand traditionally made from powdered stones and gems into copper funnels called Cornetts<ref name=":02" /> and gently tap sand out of them to create the sand mandala. Each color represents attributes of deities. While making the mandalas the monks will pray and meditate, each grain of sand represents a blessing.<ref name="youtube WBrYUlOYK0U"/> Monks will travel to demonstrate this art form to people, often in museums.

==Western psychological interpretations==
{{anchor|Jung}}
The re-introduction of mandalas into modern Western thought is largely credited{{According to whom|date=July 2024}} to psychologist [[Carl Jung|Carl Gustav Jung]]. In his exploration of the unconscious through art, Jung observed the common appearance of a circle motif across religions and cultures. He hypothesized that the circle drawings reflected the mind's inner state at the moment of creation and were a kind of symbolic archetype in the collective unconscious. Familiarity with the philosophical writings of India prompted Jung to adopt the word "mandala" to describe these drawings created by himself and his patients. In his autobiography, Jung wrote:
{{blockquote|I sketched every morning in a notebook a small circular drawing, [...] which seemed to correspond to my inner situation at the time. [...] Only gradually did I discover what the mandala really is: [...] the Self, the wholeness of the personality, which if all goes well is harmonious.|Carl Jung|''[[Memories, Dreams, Reflections]]'', pp. 195–196.  p.232 Vintage books revised edition (Doubleday)}}

{{blockquote|When I began drawing the mandalas, however, I saw that everything, all the paths I had been following, all the steps I had taken, were leading back to a single point—namely, to the mid-point. It became increasingly plain to me that the mandala is the center. It is the exponent of all paths. It is the path to the center, to individuation....I saw that here the goal had been revealed. One could not go beyond the center. The center is the goal, and everything is directed toward that center. Through this dream, I understood that the self is the principle and archetype of orientation and meaning. Therein lies its healing function. For me, this insight signified an approach to the center and therefore to the goal. | |Carl Jung|''[[Memories, Dreams, Reflections]]'', pp. 233–235 Vintage Books revised edition (Doubleday) }}

Jung claimed that the urge to make mandalas emerges during moments of intense personal growth. He further hypothesized their appearance indicated a "profound re-balancing process" is underway in the psyche; the result of the process would be a more complex and better integrated personality. 
{{blockquote|The mandala serves a conservative purpose – namely, to restore a previously existing order. But it also serves the creative purpose of giving expression and form to something that does not yet exist, something new and unique. [...] The process is that of the ascending spiral, which grows upward while simultaneously returning again and again to the same point.|[[Marie-Louise von Franz]]| In ''[[Man and His Symbols]]'' (C. G. Jung, Ed.), p. 225,}}

American art therapist Joan Kellogg later created the MARI card test, a [[Projective test|free response measure]], based on Jung's work.<ref>{{Cite book|title=Mandala : path of beauty|last=Kellogg, Joan.|date=1984|publisher=MARI|isbn=0-9631949-1-7|location=Lightfoot, VA|oclc=30430100}}</ref>

Transpersonal psychologist [[David Fontana]] proposed that the symbolic nature of a mandala may help one "to access progressively deeper levels of the unconscious, ultimately assisting the meditator to experience a mystical sense of oneness with the ultimate unity from which the cosmos in all its manifold forms arises."<ref>{{Cite book|title=Meditating with Mandalas: 52 New Mandalas to Help You Grow in Peace and Awareness|last=Fontana, David.|date=2006|publisher=Duncan Baird|isbn=978-1-84-483117-3}}</ref>

==In architecture==

[[Buddhist architecture]] often applied mandala as the blueprint or plan to design Buddhist structures, including [[Buddhist temple|temple complex]] and stupas.{{citation needed|date=July 2020}} A notable example of mandala in architecture is the 9th century [[Borobudur]] in Central Java, Indonesia. It is built as a large [[stupa]] surrounded by smaller ones arranged on terraces formed as a [[stepped pyramid]], and when viewed from above, takes the form of a giant [[Vajrayana|tantric Buddhist]] mandala, simultaneously representing the Buddhist cosmology and the nature of mind.<ref name="Wayman">{{cite conference|author=A. Wayman| title=Reflections on the Theory of Barabudur as a Mandala| book-title=Barabudur History and Significance of a Buddhist Monument| publisher=Asian Humanities Press| location=Berkeley| year=1981}}</ref> Other temples from the same period that also have mandala plans include [[Sewu]], [[Plaosan]] and [[Prambanan]]. Similar mandala designs are also observable in Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar.

<gallery mode=packed heights=200>
File:AERIAL BOUDHA VIEW.tif|alt=Aerial view of the Boudhanath stupa resembles a mandala|Aerial view of the [[Boudhanath|Boudhanath stupa]] resembles a mandala
File:Borobudur Mandala.svg|Borobudur ground plan taking the form of a Mandala
File:2.পাহাড়পুর বৌদ্ধ বিহার.jpg|7th century Buddhist monastery in Bangladesh. [[Somapura Mahavihara]]
</gallery>

==In science==

[[File:Fig. S6. Phylogenetic subtree of P4ATPase in Fungi. Blue- Ascomycota; Red- Basidiomycota; Green- Zygomycota; Cyan- Chytridiomycota; Orange- Entomophthoromycota; Pink- Mucoromycota and Purple- Glomeromycota..jpg|thumb|405x405px|Circular phylogenetic subtree of fungi.|center]]

Circular diagrams are often used in [[phylogenetics]], especially for the graphical representation of phylogenetic relationships. [[Phylogenetic tree|Evolutionary trees]] often encompass numerous species that are conveniently shown on a circular tree, with images of the species shown on the periphery of a tree. Such diagrams have been called phylogenetic mandalas.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal|last=Hasegawa|first=Masami|title=Phylogeny mandalas for illustrating the Tree of Life|journal=Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution|volume=117|pages=168–178|doi=10.1016/j.ympev.2016.11.001|pmid=27816710|year=2017|bibcode=2017MolPE.117..168H }}</ref>

==In art==

Mandala as an art form first appeared in Buddhist art that were produced in India during the first century B.C.E.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Exploring the Mandala |url=https://asiasociety.org/exploring-mandala |access-date=2021-03-15 |website=Asia Society |language=en |archive-date=2020-02-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200214072436/https://asiasociety.org/exploring-mandala |url-status=live }}</ref> These can also be seen in [[Rangoli]] designs in Indian households.

==In archaeology==

One of the most intense archaeological discoveries in recent years that could redefine the history of eastern thought and tradition of mandala is the discovery of five giant mandalas in the valley of [[Manipur]], India, made with Google Earth imagery. Located in the paddy field in the west of [[Imphal]], the capital of Manipur, the Maklang geoglyph is perhaps the world's largest mandala built entirely of mud. The site wasn't discovered until 2013 as its whole structure could only be visible via Google Earth satellite imagery. The whole paddy field, locally known as [[Bihu Loukon]], is now protected and announced as historical monument and site by the government of Manipur in the same year. The site is situated 12&nbsp;km aerial distance from [[Kangla]] with the GPS coordinates of 24° 48' N and 93° 49' E. It covers a total area of around 224,161.45 square meters. This square mandala has four similar protruding rectangular ‘gates’ in the cardinal directions guarded each by similar but smaller rectangular ‘gates’ on the left and right. Within the square there is an eight petalled flower or rayed-star, recently called as Maklang ‘Star fort’ by the locals, in the centre covering a total area of around 50,836.66 square meters. The discovery of other five giant mandalas in the valley of Manipur is also made with Google Earth. The five giant mandalas, viz., Sekmai mandala, Heikakmapal mandala, Phurju twin mandalas and Sangolmang mandala are located on the western bank of the Iril River.<ref>Wangam, Somorjit (2018). ''World's Largest Mandalas from Manipur and Carl Jung's Archetype of the Self'', p. 25-33. NeScholar, ed. Dr. R.K.Nimai Singh, Imphal. {{ISSN|2350-0336}}.</ref>  Another two fairly large mandala shaped geoglyph at Nongren and Keinou are also reported from Manipur valley, India, in 2019. They are named as Nongren mandala and Keinou mandala.<ref>Wangam, Somorjit (2019). ''Emerging The Lost Civilization of The Manipur Valley'', p. 30-39. NeScholar, ed. Dr. R.K.Nimai Singh, Imphal. {{ISSN|2350-0336}}.</ref>

==In politics==
{{See also|Mandala (political model)|Greater India|Indosphere}}

The ''[[Rajamandala]]'' (or ''Raja-mandala''; circle of states) was formulated by the [[India]]n author [[Kautilya]] in his work on politics, the ''[[Arthashastra]]'' (written between 4th century BCE and 2nd century BCE). It describes circles of friendly and enemy states surrounding the king's state.<ref>Singh, Prof. Mahendra Prasad (2011). ''[https://books.google.com/books?id=80q_hd7ASdEC Indian Political Thought: Themes and Thinkers] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160610135521/https://books.google.com/books?id=80q_hd7ASdEC |date=2016-06-10 }}''. Pearson Education India. {{ISBN|8131758516}}. pp. 11-13.</ref>

In historical, social and political sense, the term "mandala" is also employed to denote traditional [[Greater India|Southeast Asian political formations]] (such as federation of kingdoms or vassalized states). It was adopted by 20th century Western historians from ancient Indian political discourse as a means of avoiding the term 'state' in the conventional sense. Not only did Southeast Asian polities not conform to Chinese and European views of a territorially defined state with fixed borders and a bureaucratic apparatus, but they diverged considerably in the opposite direction: the polity was defined by its centre rather than its boundaries, and it could be composed of numerous other tributary polities without undergoing administrative integration.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Dellios|first=Rosita|date=2003-01-01|title=Mandala: from sacred origins to sovereign affairs in traditional Southeast Asia|url=http://epublications.bond.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1007&context=cewces_papers&sei-redir=1|access-date=2011-12-11|publisher=Bond University Australia|archive-date=2015-02-03|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150203095708/http://epublications.bond.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1007&context=cewces_papers&sei-redir=1|url-status=dead}}</ref> Empires such as [[Pagan Kingdom|Bagan]], [[Ayutthaya kingdom|Ayutthaya]], [[Champa]], [[Khmer empire|Khmer]], [[Srivijaya]] and [[Majapahit]] are known as "mandala" in this sense.

==In contemporary use==

Fashion designer [[Mandali Mendrilla]] designed an interactive art installation called Mandala of Desires (Blue Lotus Wish Tree) made in peace silk and eco friendly textile ink, displayed at the [[China Art Museum, Shanghai|China Art Museum]] in Shanghai in November 2015. The pattern of the dress was based on the Goloka Yantra mandala, shaped as a lotus with eight petals. Visitors were invited to place a wish on the sculpture dress, which will be taken to India and offered to a genuine living [[Wish Tree]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://formsofdevotion.org/china-art-museum-in-shanghai/|title=China Art Museum in Shanghai - Forms of Devotion|date=14 November 2015 |access-date=10 October 2016|archive-date=28 October 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161028201126/http://formsofdevotion.org/china-art-museum-in-shanghai/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://wall.hr/fashion/izlozena-haljina-mandali-mendrile-hit-je-izlozbe-u-najvecem-kineskom-muzeju/|title=Haljinu "Mandala of Desires" dnevno posjećuje čak 30 000 ljudi!|date=3 December 2015 |access-date=2015-12-15|archive-date=2015-12-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222120101/http://wall.hr/fashion/izlozena-haljina-mandali-mendrile-hit-je-izlozbe-u-najvecem-kineskom-muzeju/|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Gallery==
<gallery widths="200" heights="200">
File:元 緙絲 須彌山曼陀羅-Cosmological Mandala with Mount Meru MET DP276037.jpg|[https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/39738 Cosmological mandala with Mount Meru], silk tapestry, China via The Metropolitan Museum of Art
File:元 緙絲大威德金剛曼陀羅-Vajrabhairava Mandala MET DT841.jpg|[https://www.metmuseum.org/art/collection/search/37614 Vajrabhairava mandala], silk tapestry, China via The Metropolitan Museum of Art
File:Sri Yantra 256bw.gif|A diagramic drawing of the [[Sri Yantra]], showing the outside square, with four T-shaped gates, and the central circle
File:Vishnu Mandala.jpg|[[Vishnu]] Mandala(Traditionally found in [[Nepal]])
File:Painted 19th century Tibetan mandala of the Naropa tradition, Vajrayogini stands in the center of two crossed red triangles, Rubin Museum of Art.jpg|Painted 19th century [[Tibet]]an mandala of the [[Naropa]] tradition, [[Vajrayogini]] stands in the center of two crossed red triangles, [[Rubin Museum of Art]]
File:Medicine Buddha painted mandala with goddess Prajnaparamita in center, 19th century, Rubin.jpg|Painted [[Bhutan]]ese [[Bhaisajyaguru|Medicine Buddha]] mandala with [[Perfection of Wisdom|the goddess Prajnaparamita]] in center, 19th century, [[Rubin Museum of Art]]
File:Mandala of the Six Chakravartins.JPG|Mandala of the Six [[Chakravartin]]s
File:Vajravarahi Mandala.jpg|[[Vajravarahi]] mandala
File:Sankhitta Sangheyani Cosmography.jpg|[[Jain]] cosmological diagrams and text.
File:Mandala Golden Flower Jung.JPG|Mandala painted by a patient of Carl Jung
File:Mahavra 1900 art.jpg|[[Jain]] picture of [[Mahavira]]
File:Kalachakra mandala in a special glass pavilion.jpg|Kalachakra mandala in a special glass pavilion. Buddhist pilgrims bypass the pavilion in a clockwise direction three times. Buryatiya, July 16, 2019
File:Maitighar Mandala.jpg|Mandala in Maitighar, Kathmandu, Nepal
</gallery>

==See also==
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* {{annotated link|Architectural drawing}}
* {{annotated link|Astrological symbols}}
* {{annotated link|Bhavacakra}}
* {{annotated link|Chakra}}
* {{annotated link|Form constant}}
* {{annotated link|Ganachakra}}
* {{annotated link|Great chain of being}} 
* {{annotated link|Hilya}}
* {{annotated link|Ley line|Ley line}}
* {{annotated link|Luoshu Square}}
* {{annotated link|Magic circle|Magic circle}}
* {{annotated link|Mandylion}}
* {{annotated link|Namkha}}
* [[Rangoli]] - art form originating from the Indian subcontinent
* {{annotated link|Rose window}}
* {{annotated link|Shamsa}}
* {{annotated link|Shri Yantra}}
* {{annotated link|Sriramachakra}}
* {{annotated link|Tree of life (Kabbalah)}}
* {{annotated link|Yantra}}
{{div col end}}

{{Portal bar|Religion|Arts}}

== Citations ==
{{Reflist}}

== General sources ==
{{refbegin}}
* Brauen, M. (1997). ''The Mandala, Sacred circle in Tibetan Buddhism'' Serindia Press, London.
* Bucknell, Roderick & Stuart-Fox, Martin (1986). ''The Twilight Language: Explorations in Buddhist Meditation and Symbolism''. Curzon Press: London. {{ISBN|0-312-82540-4}}
* [[Schuyler V. Cammann|Cammann, S.]] (1950). ''Suggested Origin of the Tibetan Mandala Paintings'' The Art Quarterly, Vol. 8, Detroit.
* Cowen, Painton (2005). ''The Rose Window'', London and New York, (offers the most complete overview of the evolution and meaning of the form, accompanied by hundreds of colour illustrations.)
* Crossman, Sylvie and Barou, Jean-Pierre (1995). ''Tibetan Mandala, Art & Practice'' The Wheel of Time, Konecky and Konecky.
* Fontana, David (2005). "Meditating with Mandalas", Duncan Baird Publishers, London.
* {{cite book |first=Peter |last=Gold |author-link=Peter Gold |title=Navajo & Tibetan sacred wisdom: the circle of the spirit |year=1994 |publisher=Inner Traditions/Bear |isbn=0-89281-411-X |url-access=registration |url=https://archive.org/details/navajotibetansac00gold }} Rochester, Vermont: Inner Traditions International.
* Mipham, Sakyong Jamgön (2002) ''2000 Seminary Transcripts Book 1'' Vajradhatu Publications {{ISBN|1-55055-002-0}}
* Somorjit, Wangam (2018). "World's Largest Mandalas from Manipur and Carl Jung's Archetype of the Self", neScholar, vol.04, Issue 01, ed.Dr. R.K. Nimai Singh {{ ISSN|2350-0336}}
* Tucci, Giuseppe (1973). ''The Theory and Practice of the Mandala'' trans. Alan Houghton Brodrick, New York, Samuel Weisner.
* Vitali, Roberto (1990). ''Early Temples of Central Tibet'' London, Serindia Publications.
* Wayman, Alex (1973). ''"Symbolism of the Mandala Palace"'' in ''The Buddhist Tantras'' Delhi, Motilal Banarsidass.
{{refend}}

== Further reading ==

* Grotenhuis, Elizabeth Ten (1999). Japanese mandalas: representations of sacred geography, Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press
* {{cite book |last=Kossak |first=S. | title=Sacred visions: early paintings from central Tibet | location=New York | publisher=The Metropolitan Museum of Art | year=1998 | url=http://libmma.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p15324coll10/id/101557 |ref=none}} (see index)

== External links ==

{{Commons category|Mandalas}}

* [http://kalachakranet.org/mandala_introduction.html Introduction to Mandalas]
* [http://losangsamten.com/mandalas.html Mandalas in the Tradition of the Dalai Lamas' Namgyal Monastery by Losang Samten]

{{TibetanBuddhism}}
{{Buddhism topics}}
{{Rigveda}}
{{Authority control}}

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