As coloring books for adults have grown in popularity, so too have mandalas, which remain some of the best-loved patterns for coloring.
But what is a mandala? It has deep historical origins and meanings in no less than two major world religions, so let’s take a closer look at where they come from and what they mean.
Historical Origins Of Mandalas
The history of mandalas begins with the origins of Buddhism in the sixth century BCE, when the founder of Buddhism, Siddhartha Gautama, was born.
As he began to travel India and preach his philosophy, word spread – and it really took flight as his Buddhist monks began to travel along the Silk Road.
The Silk Road is actually a collection of routes that connected East with West, which traders, tinkerers, and merchants began to travel with regularity in the second century.
As generations of Buddhist monks traveled the Silk Routes, spreading the word of Buddhism, so too did they spread the concept of painting mandalas.
For Buddhists, mandalas are a “symbol of the universe in its ideal form,” and “its creation signifies the transformation of a universe of suffering into one of joy.”
In addition to Buddhism, mandalas gained great significance with the Hindu religion, where they are also known as yantra.
In Hinduism, mandalas represent the interconnectedness of life in the universe and the greater universe itself.
Of course, the mandala is not solely the domain of Hinduism and Buddhism.
In fact, mandala-like designs have been found in any number of ancient civilizations.
These include Mesoamerican cultures, like the ancient Mayans, whose calendars are similar in form to mandalas.
There are also the Aztec Sun Stones, which are beautifully intricate patterns within circles, said to represent the entirety of the universe within its lines.
Mandala-like patterns can also be found in Christianity, as in the colored glass rose windows at Westminster Abbey and the Strasbourg Cathedral.
They can also be found in Native American culture, represented in the medicine wheels, circular structures made of stone that sometimes align with the cardinal directions or the stars.
Mandalas in Different Cultures
The Hindu mandala, or yantra, is used to meditate, to worship religious deities, and to benefit Hindu astrologers and help them make divinations.
Mandalas can often be found worked into the floors of temples, both for their divinity and their aesthetic properties.
The Hindu mandala actually takes the shape of a square, with four T-shaped gates, which each open toward the center.
Different deities may be represented by different geometrical shapes or mandalas within the main mandala.
Ultimately, for Hindus, mandalas do more than just represent deities; they are the deities, rendered into reality.
The mandala displays the connection between the universe and the inner world inside each person; it also represents man’s life cycle and the journey our spirits take.
How Is The Mandala Used In Buddhist Religion?
The mandala is mostly used in the Buddhist religion as a meditation aid; as each symbol has meaning, it allows the Buddhist to focus their concentration on what they need to overcome.
All the patterns within a mandala have significance and symbolism, and because they are all connected, the mandala represents “unity, harmony and the interconnectedness of all things.”
The mandala also aids the Buddhist meditator in envisioning “how to achieve the perfect self.”
How Do Other Cultures Use The Mandala Or Mandala-Like Symbols?
As I detailed, mandalas and mandala-like symbols or structures appear in many other cultures, and their use of the patterns are as various as the civilizations from which they come.
For example, in Mesoamerican cultures, particularly the Mayans, their calendars were similar in form to mandalas, specifically the Wheel of Time sand paintings used by Tibetan Buddhists.
These calendars were used not just to mark the passage of time, but also to track the lunar phases.
They also kept track of important dates like Wayeb’, when it was believed that evil spirits could pass from the underworld into the world of men and cause harm.
The Aztec Sun Stone is another Mesoamerican object that scholars believe was used as a calendar or a ritual alter.
In Christianity, the rose windows of cathedrals, which bear strong resemblance to mandalas, were beautiful, heavenly depictions of holy icons or symbols.
The circular pattern of many of these rose windows may be said to represent the infinite nature of God, while the subjects within symbolize all that He rules over – everything, everywhere.
Finally, in Native American culture, the aforementioned medicine wheels, which closely resemble mandalas, may have been used astronomically.
Scholars have found that some of the “spokes” of medicine wheels aligned with major objects in space, such as the moon, the sun and even some planets.
One astronomer also posited that the medicine wheels could also be rudimentary calendars, a “way to mark certain days of the year.”
Mandala-like symbols have also been found to be used in Native American healing circles, as well as the creation of dreamcatchers.
Rituals and Ceremonies of Mandalas
How Are Mandalas Used In Tibetan Sand Mandala Ceremonies?
One of the key tenets of Buddhism is the temporary nature of life – everything is constantly in transition toward its end.
To illustrate this belief, Tibetan Buddhists practice sand mandala ceremonies, where intricate mandalas are made from colored sands over the course of days.
Then, the mandalas are swept away and released into a river or stream.
It demonstrates the transitory nature of life, the belief that death is not the end, as well as the Buddhist belief that we shouldn’t get too attached to objects, people or even ways of life.
How Are Mandalas Used In Tibetan “Mandala Offerings”?
Mandalas can also be used as offerings in Tibetan Buddhism, where a mandala, representing the universe, is symbolically “offered” to Buddha.
According to Lamayeshe.com, “The most important aspects of the mandala offering are how clearly you can visualize a mandala, and how many.”
It continues, “If these two points are done well, you can finish accumulating inconceivably extensive merit in a very short time.”
Symbolic Meanings Of Mandalas
What Common Symbols May Be Found In Mandalas?
There are many symbols found in mandalas which are common to the different religions in which they are used.
First, there is the wheel with eight spokes.
The wheel’s circular shape represents a perfect and all-encompassing universe, while the eight spokes symbolize the Noble Eightfold Path of Buddhism.
Then there is the lotus flower, whose symmetry represents balance, and whose meaning is also attached to spiritual purity and enlightenment.
Because the lotus flower reaches up from the depths of water and emerges beautifully, so too do Buddhists believe that all of us can reach for higher virtues.
There is also the central dot from which all the patterns flow. It represents “the starting point of profound spirituality and contemplation.”
Finally, there are bells, whose open bottom and emptiness within the main body represent the mind’s openness and emptiness to receive wisdom and spiritual clarity.
How Do The Central And Peripheral Designs Relate To Its Overall Meaning?
In mandalas, the central designs tend to represent the main deities and their “palaces.”
These figures are the deities with “whom the initiate identifies and whose characteristics he or she hopes to share.”
They are the deities or symbols to whom the worshipful is praying or meditating their aspirations to be more like or to achieve more of.
Peripheral designs may include other, lesser deities, or symbols such as the lotus flower, triangles, bells or diamonds.
All of them combine to create a visual representation of the mind and spirit’s journey to peace, wisdom and clarity.
What Are The Five Elements That Make Up A Mandala?
There are five basic parts to a mandala, and each has symbolic meaning.
First, there is the most outer ring, which is often depicted as five-colored flames. These flames are the welcome into the mandala and a reminder that you are entering a sacred space.
Next, there is the ring of vajras. Vajras is a Sanskrit word which means both “thunderbolt” and “diamond”; these depictions represent spiritual strength and firmness.
Then there is typically a ring of lotus petals or lotus plants. As mentioned, the lotus represents spiritual purity.
Following the lotus are the five walls of the palace and within those, an inner courtyard which is separated into four different quadrants.
The quadrants represent East, South, West and North (going clockwise).
Finally, at the center of the mandala is the central deity to which the supplicant is praying or meditating upon.
This is the main god or goddess which the worshipful is attempting to emulate.
Common Types Of Mandalas
Here are eight of the most common types of mandalas, plus brief descriptions of their purposes.
- Teaching Mandalas – Students create their own personalized mandalas, imbuing each line, shape and color with spiritual and philosophical meaning.
The student can come back to their teaching mandala later and retrace their mental work.
- Healing Mandalas – Healing mandalas are used for meditation. Their shapes, forms and symbols can be used to evoke wisdom and peace.
Healing mandalas also give the meditator focus and a way to channel their concentration as they work their way around the pattern.
- Sand Mandalas – As mentioned above, sand mandalas are painstakingly created and then washed away in a river or stream.
This promotes the idea that everything is temporary in this life and that, as everything is transitory, we shouldn’t get too attached to anything.
- Geometric Mandalas – Geometric mandalas feature symmetrical geometric patterns and designs, often incorporating triangles, squares and circles.
When meditating with them, they bring forth feelings of balance and structure.
- Architectural Mandalas – These 3D renditions of mandalas typically depict a deity at the center of the pattern.
- Nature Mandalas – These mandalas incorporate elements from the natural world, including flowers, animals and even landscapes.
They can be used to bring the viewer closer to nature, to form a connection with it and to find the peace that comes from being one with it.
- Personal Mandalas – By creating your own mandala, you can tap into your self – what you’re thinking, what you’re feeling.
Personal mandalas represent a great method of exploring self-expression and reflection.
Once completed, the creator can reflect or meditate on their personal mandala, gaining insight into why they chose a specific color or shape – what prompted that symbol?
- Zodiac and Astrological Mandalas – Zodiac and astrological mandalas are mandalas where each zodiac sign is depicted with an archetypical picture.
The zodiac mandala is said to represent the circle of life and the “cyclic character of human experience.”
Mandalas In The Modern World
Mandala Coloring For Relaxation And Mindfulness
Coloring among adults has become wildly popular in the last decade or so, and it’s no wonder: the act of coloring has been found to reduce stress and relieve anxiety.
It gives the artist something simple to focus on, but something which requires concentration, focus and quiet.
Mandala Tattoos
There has also been a rise in mandala tattoos, where people have been getting mandalas permanently inked onto their skin.
While some might simply like the aesthetic quality of the pattern, more thoughtful recipients of mandala tattoos gravitate toward the spiritual and symbolic meanings behind them.
Either way, mandala tattoos tend to be absolutely gorgeous and eye-catching!
Popularity Of Mandalas
Mandalas have been around for centuries – millennia, even – in the East, but there has been a new rise in their popularity in the West.
While some of their meaning and sacredness has been lost in translation, there has been a proliferation of mandala-inspired clothing and art and even therapy practices.
Further, a look at Google’s Ngram viewer, which traces the popularity of specific words in books across a given time, reveals “mandala” increased sharply after 1947.
It peaked in about 2001 and has gone down since, yet as of 2019 it remains 22 percent more popular in books than it did a century earlier.