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Four Types of Sand Mandala

05.26.2021 · Posted in Arts And Entertainment Article

Sand mandalas are a sacred and ancient Tibetan Buddhist art form. ‘Mandala’ is called dul-tson-kyil-khor in Tibetan, which means mandala of colored sand powder. In Sanskrit, Mandala means circle. If we look a little deep into its religious linkage, ‘mandala’ is the term used to represent harmony and wholeness at the heart of the Tibetan Buddhist universe. It’s originated 2,500 years ago, the Buddha himself taught his disciples to make the altar of sand mandala. This exquisite religious art has been passed down from generation to generation. In the eleventh century, it’s spread from North India to Tibet and had been preserved till today.

The mandala can be divided into 4 types in terms of its geometric configuration of symbols, Maha Mandala, Samaya Mandala, Dharma Mandala, and Karma Mandala.

“Maha Mandala” refers to the mandala that gathers all the deities and the shapes of the deities and portrays the entire graphics and every deity image. Its color is yellow, white, red, black, and cyan-blue, matching the five elements of Earth, Water, Fire, Wind, and Void.

“Samaya Mandala” does not directly paint the images of the Tibetan deities, but only depicts the symbols of deities (such as the lotus flower or sword) and the “mudra” (specific hands posture to symbolize a specific doctrine).

“Dharma Mandala” is also called the seed mandala, which represents mantras written in Sanskrit and the principles of the Chinese Buddhist canon. When a practitioner sees the first Sanskrit letter that represents the names of the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, they worship the seed mandala as worship the Buddhas.

“Karma Mandala” depicts the virtues of the deities, as well as the statues, portraits, and clay sculptures of Buddha and Bodhisattva.

A sand mandala begins with a dot in the center. This dot represents the primary deity of the mandala. Therefore, at this central dot, a deity is drawn. During the initial drawing phase of the mandala, the outsiders do not have permission to view the ceremony or construction. The opening ceremony itself is an extensive one and involves a lot of prayer chanting, music, and dancing. Drawing a sand mandala is a highly authentic and elaborate process.

Some explain that the theme of the Sand Mandala is to show the illusion of the world. What gets destroyed is the external mandala, while the internal mandala in Lamas’ minds is getting stronger. The dispersing of the sand mandala represents that all things return to its original state in the heart after death. In addition, it expresses the impermanence and emptiness of the world.

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