How to Meditate on a Tibetan Mandala

 Meditation

Many times some form of visual aid or tool is preferred when meditating. This can help an individual focus during the meditation. Meaning "circle" in Sanskrit, a mandala can be used by an advanced practitioner as well as a beginner. It allows for relaxation and visualization.

What is a Mandala?

A mandala is a circular form made up of spiraling circles and interlinking squares which often features a deity in the middle.

A mandala can represent the order of the universe and allows for the integration of mind and spirit while allowing the exploration of different realms of consciousness. A mandala can be small and simple or huge and elaborate; some come in the form of a labyrinth.

How are Mandalas Made?

Mandalas are constructed in a few different ways. A mandala can be made on silk or painted on a scroll, which is known as a tangka. Another way to make a mandala is out of sand where at the end of the meditation, the sand is gently blown away.

A mandala can also be created by using yarn to form a three-dimensional sculpture or simply drawn and colored. There are also different internet sites which provide free printable mandala coloring pages in which the designs are already drawn and all one has to do is color in the design.

How to Meditate on a Mandala

Think of the mandala as taking a journey. Whereas most meditations are done with the eyes closed, a mandala meditation can be done with the eyes open. After finding a quiet, comfortable place to sit while keeping a good posture, begin to breath slowing and deeply.

Begin with the outside of the mandala and view it as a path that begins on the outside, then slowly makes its way to the middle, which is the goal of the meditation. Focus only on the shapes and colors, allowing yourself to soak in their beauty. In traditional Tibetan mandalas, the outside rings denote fire which is used to purify a person as the flames prepare an individual for meditation.

 

Continue to follow the path and don't worry if a dead end is reached. If this happens, simply go back and begin anew. The premise for this meditation is not just about reaching the center, it's also about the journey to get there.

The center of the mandala is known as the temple or palace. It should have something that contains a special significance to you. This could be in the form of a symbol or word. Once in the center, imagine no longer being separate from the mandala, but, becoming one with it.

Imagine the body and mind becoming one with the universe and all of the vast knowledge and wisdom the universe contains. When finished, slowly come out of the meditation and take a few moments to contemplate your experiences.

 

Meditating on a mandala is like taking a journey for relaxation along with allowing for a visualization accessory for the meditation. With deep roots in traditional Buddhist meditations, a mandala is a colorful tool which opens a path for combining the mind and body with the wisdom of the universe.

Mandala gallery fifteen

Mandala gallery

Green Mandala

Acrylic on paper

Spirit of flower Mandala

Acrylic on paper

Green flower Mandala

Acrylic on paper

Mandala gallery fourteen

Mandala gallery 

Purple Mandala

Acrylic on paper

Blue green Mandala

Acrylic on paper

Water flower Mandala

Acrylic on paper

Green Sun Mandala

Acrylic on paper

Native butterfly Mandala

Acrylic on paper

The Third Chakra

Manipura: The Solar Plexus Chakra

   Manipura or manipuraka is symbolized by a downward pointing triangle with ten petals, along with the color yellow. The seed syllable is Ram, and the presiding deity is Braddha Rudra, with Lakini as the Shakti. Manipura is related to the metabolic and digestive systems. Manipura is believed to correspond to Islets of Langerhans, which are groups of cells in the pancreas, as well as the outer adrenal glands and the adrenal cortex. These play a valuable role in digestion, the conversion of food matter into energy for the body. The colour that corresponds to Manipura is yellow. Key issues governed by Manipura are issues of personal power, fear, anxiety, opinion-formation, introversion, and transition from simple or base emotions to complex. Physically, Manipura governs digestion, mentally it governs personal power, emotionally it governs expansiveness, and spiritually, all matters of growth.

 

Sky flower Mandala

Sky flower Mandala

Acrylic on paper

“In the sky, there is no distinction of east and west; people create distinctions out of their own minds and then believe them to be true.”

Buddha

Lace Mandala

Lace Mandala

Acrylic on paper

   Since you alone are responsible for your thoughts, only you can change them. You will want to change them when you realize that each thought creates according to its own nature. Remember that the law works at all times and that you are always demonstrating according to the kind of thoughts you habitually entertain. Therefore, start now to think only those thoughts that will bring you health and happiness.

Paramahansa Yogananda

The Second Chakra

Swadhisthana: The Sacral Chakra

Swadhisthana, Svadisthana or adhishthana is symbolized by a white lotus within which is a crescent moon, with six vermillion, or orange petals. The seed mantra is Vam, and the presiding deity is Brahma, with the Shakti being Rakini ( or Chakini ). The animal associated is the crocodile of Varuna. 

The Sacral Chakra is located in the sacrum (hence the name) and is considered to correspond to the testes or the ovaries that produce the various sex hormones involved in the reproductive cycle. Swadisthana is also considered to be related to, more generally, the genitourinary system and the adrenals. The key issues involving Swadisthana are relationships, violence, addictions, basic emotional needs, and pleasure. Physically, Swadisthana governs reproduction, mentally it governs creativity, emotionally it governs joy, and spiritually it governs enthusiasm.

Gaudy flower Mandala

Gaudy flower Mandala

Acrylic on paper

   If a man could pass through Paradise in a dream, and have a flower presented to him as a pledge that his soul had really been there, and if he found that flower in his hand when he awake - Aye, what then?
 

Samuel Taylor Coleridge

Lower Chakras

Lower chakras

 

There are said to be a series of seven chakras below muladhara going down the leg, corresponding the base animal instincts, and to the Hindu underworld patala. They are called atala, vitala, sutala, talatala, rasatala, mahatala and patala.

Atala

 
This chakra is located in the hips, it governs fear and lust.

Vitala

 
Located in the thighs, it governs anger and resentment.

Sutala

 
Located in the knees, it governs jealousy.

Talatala

 
Translated as 'under the bottom level', it is located in the calves, and it is a state of prolonged confusion and instinctive wilfulness.

Rasatala

 
Located in the ankles, it is the centre of selfishness and pure animal nature.

Mahatala

 
Located in the feet, this is the dark realm 'without conscience', and inner blindness.

Patala

 
Located in the soles of the feet, this is the realm of malice, murder, torture and hatred, and in Hindu mythology it borders on the realm of Naraka, or Hell. 

The First Chakra

Muladhara: The Root Chakra

Muladhara or root chakra is symbolized by a lotus with four petals and the color red. This center is located at the base of the spine in the coccygeal region. It is said to relate to the gonads and the adrenal medulla, responsible for the fight or flight response when survival is under threat. Muladhara is related to instinct, security, survival and also to basic human potentiality. Physically, Muladhara governs sexuality, mentally it governs stability, emotionally it governs sensuality, and spiritually it governs a sense of security. Muladhara has a relation to the sense of smell. This chakra is where the three main nadis separate and begin their upward movement. Dormant Kundalini rests here, wrapped three and a half times around the black Svayambhu linga, the lowest of three obstructions to her full rising (also known as knots or granthis). It is the seat of the red bindu, the female drop (which in Tibetan vajrayana is located at the navel chakra). The seed syllable is Lam (pronounced lum), the deity is Ganesh, and the Shakti is Dakini. The associated animal is the elephant.

Mystery Mandala

Mystery Mandala

Acrylic on paper

“I have a friend who's an artist and has sometimes taken a view which I don't agree with very well. He'll hold up a flower and say "look how beautiful it is," and I'll agree. Then he says "I as an artist can see how beautiful this is but you as a scientist take this all apart and it becomes a dull thing," and I think that he's kind of nutty. First of all, the beauty that he sees is available to other people and to me too, I believe. Although I may not be quite as refined aesthetically as he is ... I can appreciate the beauty of a flower. At the same time, I see much more about the flower than he sees. I could imagine the cells in there, the complicated actions inside, which also have a beauty. I mean it's not just beauty at this dimension, at one centimeter; there's also beauty at smaller dimensions, the inner structure, also the processes. The fact that the colors in the flower evolved in order to attract insects to pollinate it is interesting; it means that insects can see the color. It adds a question: does this aesthetic sense also exist in the lower forms? Why is it aesthetic? All kinds of interesting questions which the science knowledge only adds to the excitement, the mystery and the awe of a flower. It only adds. I don't understand how it subtracts.”
  

 Richard P. Feynman 

Mandala gallery thirteen

Mandala gallery

Ornament Mandala

Acrylic on paper

Flower of life Mandala

 Acrylic on paper

Mystical Mandala

Acrylic on paper

Ancient Mandala

Ancient Mandalas

Golden wheel Mandala

Golden wheel Mandala

 Acryl on paper with crystals, 29 x 29 cm

Symbolism of wolf, wheel and white

Wolf

   The wolf figures frequently in fairy tales as the symbol of the enemy, of the menacing animal. It is evil, the devouring, fierce creature which haunts and stalks. Wolves are crafty, and in the Christian faith they are considered the spoilers of the flock (Cooper, 194). In psychology, the wolf represents untamed energies.

Wheel

 

   The meaning of the wheel as a symbolic entity is similar to that of the circle, with the additional quality of movement. As a symbol of the Sun, the wheels spokes parallel the rays of the sun . It is the Wheel of Fortune in a deck of tarot cards, and in the Taoist tradition, the wheel is the Sage who has reached the point of motionless center, around which movement may occur without himself being moved. 

White

   White may be defined either as the absence of all color or the presence of all colors of the light spectrum, and can represent either innocence or the ultimate goal of purification. White is often the heavenly, while black is the underworld. It is light, air, life, holiness, love, redemption. The white flag is a symbol of surrender or friendship. 

Abstract lotus Mandala

 Abstract lotus Mandala

Acryl on paper, 29 x 29 cm 

   Lotuses are symbols of purity and 'spontaneous' generation and hence symbolize divine birth. According to the Lalitavistara, 'the spirit of the best of men is spotless, like the new lotus in the [muddy] water which does not adhere to it', and, according to esoteric Buddhism, the heart of the beings is like an unopened lotus: when the virtues of the Buddha develop therein the lotus blossoms. This is why the Buddha sits on a lotus in bloom. 

Free Mandala

New free Mandala

You can download and print this Mandala pattern, to increase your energy and concentration. By coloring it, you will find balance.

Sahasrara Chakra

 Sahasrara Chakra

 

 

 

At the point of the Sahasrara we go beyond the relative to the Absolute, and into the Absolute realization of Heaven on Earth. This is a country far beyond our wildest imaginings, so much more than our words can even seek to imply. This is our ultimate destination, stretching out forever. Our progress towards this goal is a living process. When the seed matures it naturally sprouts. When the Kundalini reaches the Sahasrara, the lotus petals open and enlightenment takes place. You may feel a pulsation in the crown of the head, followed by a melting sensation and a flow of cool vibrations from the fontanel areas. This is the baptism by which you know that you are truly born again.

Vibratory awareness begins at this point. As the Kundalini unites our individual consciousness with the Universal Consciousness (the atma to the Paramatma), we are suddenly tuned in to the Universal Wavelength of Vibrations. These vibrations pervade the cosmos but before Self-Realization, while we are still in the ego form, we know nothing of them. When the Kundalini breaks the shell of the egg, we emerge in His Kingdom, the Collective Unconscious. Very ancient and great realized souls, liberated from the physical body ages ago, are now able to reach this Kingdom of God within effortlessly. By taking birth again on this Earth they are living proof to the human race that they are pure spirit within, and all capable of attaining eternal life. "But the man who is ignorant, who has no faith, who is of a doubting nature, perishes. For the doubting soul there is neither this world nor the world beyond nor any happiness" (BG 4:40). We must have a positive basis for life, an unwavering faith to discover the Truth which stands the test of life. "Kill therefore with the sword of wisdom the doubt born of ignorance that lies in thy heart. Be one in self-harmony, in Yoga, and arise, great warrior, arise!" (BG 4:42).

As human awareness is united to the Divine, we move into the subtlest of communication, that is, into Collective Consciousness. We begin to feel the presence and guidance of His Spirit within us and in others as well. We learn to appreciate the real depth and beauty of another person through vibrations. The beauty of Nature now manifests itself as vibrations. Just ask the question and a positive answer comes as a flow of vibrations. It is conversation with the Universe at its most sublime.

The presiding Deity of the Sahasrara Chakra is Shri Lalita Devi. Her first ever complete manifestation on Earth is in the human form of Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi. Through Her Grace our kundalini is awakened, our spirit is enlightened, and we feel the Paramchaitanya also. Because of Her we can awaken the Kundalini of others after our own awakening. We can give Self-Transcendence to others, we can heal and cure sickness, and we can share the message of Divine Love with the entire world. Lord Jesus promised that He will send a Comforter, a Counselor, a Redeemer — the Holy Spirit — who will teach all things that He was unable to tell.

 

 

 

Flower Mandalas

Two flower Mandalas

History of meditation

Meditation

The history of meditation is intimately bound up with the religious context within which it was practiced.Even in prehistoric times civilizations used repetitive, rhythmic chants and offerings to appease the gods. Some authors have even suggested the hypothesis that the emergence of the capacity for focused attention, an element of many methods of meditation, may have contributed to the final phases of human biological evolution. Some of the earliest references to meditation are found in the Bible, dating around 1400 BCE, and in the Hindu Vedas from around the 15th century BCE. Around the 6th to 5th centuries BCE, other forms of meditation developed in Taoist China and Buddhist India.

In the west, by 20BCE Philo of Alexandria had written on some form of "spiritual exercises" involving attention (prosoche) and concentration and by the 3rd century Plotinus had developed meditative techniques.

The Pāli Canon, which dates to 1st century BCE considers Indian Buddhist meditation as a step towards salvation. By the time Buddhism was spreading in China, the Vimalakirti Sutra which dates to 100CE included a number of passages on meditation, clearly pointing to Zen. The Silk Road transmission of Buddhism introduced meditation to other oriental countries, and in 653 the first meditation hall was opened in Japan. Returning from China around 1227, Dōgen wrote the instructions for Zazen.

The Islamic practice of Dhikr had involved the repetition of the 99 Names of God since the 8th or 9th century. By the 12th century, the practice of Sufism included specific meditative techniques, and its followers practiced breathing controls and the repetition of holy words. Interactions with Indians or the Sufis may have influenced the Eastern Christian meditation approach to hesychasm, but this can not be proved. Between the 10th and 14th centuries, hesychasm was developed, particularly on Mount Athos in Greece, and involves the repetition of the Jesus prayer.

Western Christian meditation contrasts with most other approaches in that it does not involve the repetition of any phrase or action and requires no specific posture. Western Christian meditation progressed from the 6th century practice of Bible reading among Benedictine monks called Lectio Divina, i.e. divine reading. Its four formal steps as a "ladder" were defined by the monk Guigo II in the 12th century with the Latin terms lectio, meditatio, oratio, and contemplatio (i.e. read, ponder, pray, contemplate). Western Christian meditation was further developed by saints such as Ignatius of Loyola and Teresa of Avila in the 16th century.

By the 18th century, the study of Buddhism in the West was a topic for intellectuals. The philosopher Schopenhauer discussed it, and Voltaire asked for toleration towards Buddhists. The first English translation of the Tibetan Book of the Dead was published in 1927.

Secular forms of meditation were introduced in India in the 1950s as a Westernized form of Hindu meditative techniques and arrived in the United States and Europe in the 1960s. Rather than focusing on spiritual growth, secular meditation emphasizes stress reduction, relaxation and self improvement Both spiritual and secular forms of meditation have been subjects of scientific analyses. Research on meditation began in 1931, with scientific research increasing dramatically during the 1970s and 1980s. Since the beginning of the '70s more than a thousand studies of meditation in English-language have been reported However, after 60 years of scientific study, the exact mechanism at work in meditation remains unclear.

 

How to Meditate on a Mandala

Meditation

 

Think of the mandala as taking a journey. Whereas most meditations are done with the eyes closed, a mandala meditation can be done with the eyes open. After finding a quiet, comfortable place to sit while keeping a good posture, begin to breath slowing and deeply.

Begin with the outside of the mandala and view it as a path that begins on the outside, then slowly makes its way to the middle, which is the goal of the meditation. Focus only on the shapes and colors, allowing yourself to soak in their beauty. In traditional Tibetan mandalas, the outside rings denote fire which is used to purify a person as the flames prepare an individual for meditation.

Continue to follow the path and don't worry if a dead end is reached. If this happens, simply go back and begin anew. The premise for this meditation is not just about reaching the center, it's also about the journey to get there.

The center of the mandala is known as the temple or palace. It should have something that contains a special significance to you. This could be in the form of a symbol or word. Once in the center, imagine no longer being separate from the mandala, but, becoming one with it.

Imagine the body and mind becoming one with the universe and all of the vast knowledge and wisdom the universe contains. When finished, slowly come out of the meditation and take a few moments to contemplate your experiences.

Meditating on a mandala is like taking a journey for relaxation along with allowing for a visualization accessory for the meditation. With deep roots in traditional Buddhist meditations, a mandala is a colorful tool which opens a path for combining the mind and body with the wisdom of the universe.