What is a mandala ?
A mandala is a concentric diagram consisting mostly out of squares and circles focusing on a center in the middle. The word Mandala is Sanskrit [Skt.,=circular, round] meaning the spiritual wholeness and the equilibration of all cosmic and life forces of our world. Thus the mandala symbolizes the totality, including the outer as well the inner forces of existence. It represent macrocosm and microcosm embodying the divine powers of the the universe, serving as a collection point for the gods and universal forces who all have their specific positions in the diagrams.
In Buddhistic rituals they are often used as tools for reconsecrating the earth and its inhabitants. On the inner level they can help to give spiritual orientation and to transform the human into an enlightened mind.Mandalas are widespread in the Buddhistic and hinduistic world where they were used in meditation and rituals. But they have been found in so many different, even prehistoric cultures that they can be regarded as a universal symbolic structure with different meanings in different cultures. Mandala sand paintings for example have been found not only in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition but as well in the cultural tradition of the Navajo North American Indians. In Jungian Psychology, the Mandala or magic circle is visualized in dreams symbolizing the dreamer's striving for unity of self and completeness.The principle of finding orientation and healing by concentrating on certain images is as old as mankind and religious practice are existing. The power of such imaginative psychic concentration is as well used in modern psychotherapy especially Eriksonian Hypnotherapy. The positive content of a mandala makes it a potent tool even in cognitive and behavioristic forms of psychotherapy. In situations of stress and fear for example the concentrated visualization of a personal healing mandala can have very protective effects even helping to build up new patterns of feeling and coping with the world.

See G. Tucci, Theory of Practice of the Mandala (1969); M. Arguelles, Mandala (1972); D. F. Bischoff, Mandala (1983). For an analytical psychology perspective, see C. Jung, Mandala Symbolism (tr. 1972). see Eckhard Neumann:Herrschafts- und Sexualsymboik (1986)

INFORMACION

Exploring the Mandala -Mandalas. In Tibetan Buddhism ...
www.graphics.cornell.edu/online/mandala/

Welcome to 77 free Mandalas to download. -
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mandal healing painting, chakras and mandalas in arttherapy ....ibizahealingretreat.com

Mandala - Mandala is Sanskrit for circle, polygon, community, connection. ... Christianity). Mandala Diagram. Mamaki, Amitabha, Pandaravasini. ...
www.jyh.dk/indengl.htm

Clare Goodwin's Mandala Page - An exploration of the mandala as a tool for growth and the discovery of the self. Includes an extensive guide to mandala resources ... www.abgoodwin.com/mandala/

MANDALA – Buddhism in our Time - MANDALA is a Tibetan Buddhist Journal that captures the life and times of a vibrant organization flourishing in 31 countries. www.mandalamagazine.org/

Sand Mandala - Mandala is a Sanskrit word meaning "circle". ... A Mandala has many layers of meaning, such as cosmic diagrams and support for meditation. ... www.artnetwork.com/Mandala/

The Mandala - Sacred Geometry and Art - An article on the sacred symbol of Buddhism. Construction of a Mandala by monks from Buddhist monastaries is described. ...
www.exoticindiaart.com/article/mandala/

The Kalachakra Mandala - Symbolically the deity confers the initiations and the mandala is where the initiations takes place. ...
www.tibet.com/Buddhism/kala1.html

Amazon.com: Books: Mandala: Luminous Symbols for Healing -
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Kalachakra Sand Mandala: Wheel of Time -... The multicoloured Kalachakra Mandala, made entirely from coloured sand, was painstakingly created over three weeks by monks from the Namgyal Monastery in ...
www.buddhanet.net/kalimage.htm

Sand Mandala by the Venerable Losang Samten - .. From July 6-16, 1999, a sand mandala was made in the Indian Temple by the Venerable Losang Samten. Losang worked on the mandala ...
www.philamuseum.org/exhibitions/ exhibits/mandala/index.shtml

Mandala of the Medicine Buddha - Traditional Teachings on the Mandala of the Medicine Buddha with beautiful images. Mandala of the Medicine Buddha Palace of Buddha ...
www.dharma-haven.org/tibetan/ mandala-of-the-medicine-buddha.htm

BBC - Religion & Ethics - Mandala Sand Painting - [ Diese Seite übersetzen ]... Buddhism > Features > Sand Mandala. Printable version of this page, Mandala Sand Painting, Detail of the sand mandala created ...
www.bbc.co.uk/religion/ religions/buddhism/features/mandala/

MandalaArt.com - Mandala Art - A growing collection of unusual mandala designs. Mandalas can be ordered as prints or sent as e-cards. ... www.mandalaart.com/

Ackland Online - Buddhist Art and Ritual | Mandala Construction -Buddhist Art and Ritual from Nepal and Tibet. Construction of the Medicine Buddha sand mandala at the Ackland Art Museum. Beginning February 26, 2001, the Ven. ... www.ackland.org/art/exhibitions/ buddhistart/construction.htm

mandala -- Encyclopædia Britannica -mandala (“circle”), in Hindu and Buddhist Tantrism, a symbolic diagram used in the performance of sacred rites and as an instrument of meditation.
www.britannica.com/eb/article?tocId=9050468

Earth Mandalas | Visual Index - A new mandala in honor of each changing season. A mandala giveaway in honor of each changing season. ... Featured this Month: September Mandala. ...
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