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Mandala is Sanskrit for circle, polygon,
community, connection.
The Mandala is a symbol of man or woman in the
world, a support for the meditating person. The
mandala is often illustrated as a palace with four
gates, facing the four corners of the Earth. The
Mandala shown here is connected with the Buddha
Vajrasattva, who symbolises the original crystalline
purity.
In the centre is a lotus blossom with eight petals,
resting on a bed of jewels. In the next place are
the walls of the palace with gates towards the four
corners of the earth. The gates are guarded by four
angry doorkeepers. Before the meditating person
arrives at the gates, she must, however, pass the
four outer circles: the purifying fire of wisdom,
the vajra circle, the circle with the eight tombs,
the lotus circle.
Everything in the mandala should be balanced, and
should give an air of harmony. The point of a
mandala is to help one travel on their spiritual
journey easily. There are a number of ways to use a
mandala, and each way is just a bit different than
the one before. There are, however, some basics
about a mandala that can help you when you’re just
starting to use a mandala. The first thing you need
to do before you meditate is to decide what your
intention of meditation is. If you are intending to
calm your mind, you will want a mandala that is for
calming. If you are looking to find your beginning,
you may want a Native American labyrinth mandala.
Set the mandala in front of you and begin your
meditation. Look at the mandala and allow your mind
to swirl around the beauty of the designs in the
mandala. During your meditation, if you mind begins
to wander and you start thinking about the everyday,
mundane things, focus your attention back on the
mandala. Pretend that your mind is swimming in the
mandala, and let the colors and designs swirl around
you. As you slowly sink into the designs, your body
and mind will begin to feel lighter. You can start
to float and your thoughts will come to, more pure
and more enlightened. Remember, every time you start
to think about the everyday things, re-focus back on
the mandala and allow yourself to sink into it. The
better you get at meditating with the mandala, the
more pure your thoughts will be. You may even find
that you start seeing things in the future or
understanding yourself in a way that you never have
before. |
