The Mandalas in my LIFE

A Pictorial Essay

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Mandala as an art form first appeared in Buddhist art that were produced in India during the
first century [Link] can also be seen in Rangoli designs in Indian [Link]
star shaped mud fort discovered at Maklang, Manipur in a paddy field located at Maklang
Bihu Loukon. The place is at a distance of about 15 kilometers westward from Imphal town
and comes under Patsoi police station, Imphal [Link] mud ramparts which are
approximately about 15 feet thick and about 5 feet in height. Each triangular arm of the star
shaped fort is about 156 feet in length. The fort has eight arms encompassing a circumference
of around 5/6 hectares.
Despite its cosmic meanings a yantra is a reality lived. Because of the relationship that exists
in the Tantras between the outer world (the macrocosm) and man's inner world (the
microcosm), every symbol in a yantra is ambivalently resonant in inner–outer synthesis, and
is associated with the subtle body and aspects of human consciousness. = Dr Uday Dokras
The re-introduction of mandalas into modern Western thought is largely credited to
psychologist Carl Gustav Jung. In his exploration of the unconscious through art, Jung
observed the common appearance of a circle motif across religions and cultures. He
hypothesized that the circle drawings reflected the mind's inner state at the moment of
creation and were a kind of symbolic archetype in the collective unconscious. Familiarity
with the philosophical writings of India prompted Jung to adopt the word "mandala" to
describe these drawings created by himself and his patients. In his autobiography, Jung
wrote:

I sketched every morning in a notebook a small circular drawing, [...] which seemed to
correspond to my inner situation at the time. [...] Only gradually did I discover what the
mandala really is: [...] the Self, the wholeness of the personality, which if all goes well is
harmonious.

— Carl Jung, Memories, Dreams, Reflections, pp. 195–196. p.232 Vintage books revised
edition (Doubleday)
What is a Mandala
Mandalas have come in vogue lately- more precisely from the Beatle’s time of 1960’s and
70’[Link] Commercialization of some concepts led to a surge of “products” of Buddhism
in the market.

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Thangka painting of Manjuvajra mandalaThe Womb Realm mandala. The center square
represents the young stage of Vairocana. He is surrounded by
eight Buddhas and bodhisattvas (clockwise from top: Ratnasambhava, Samantabhadra,
Saṅkusumitarāja, Manjushri, Amitābha, Avalokiteśvara, Amoghasiddhi and Maitreya)
A mandala (Sanskrit: मण्डल ) is a geometric configuration of symbols. In various spiritual
traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of practitioners and adepts, as a
spiritual guidance tool, for establishing a sacred space and as an aid
to meditation and trance induction. In the Eastern
religions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Shinto it is used as a map representing deities,
or especially in the case of Shinto, paradises, kami or actual shrines.

Mandala of Vishnu
In Hinduism, a basic mandala, also called a yantra, takes the form of a square with four gates
containing a circle with a center point. Each gate is in the general shape of a T. Mandalas
often have radial balance.

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A yantra is similar to a mandala, usually smaller and using a more limited colour palette. It
may be a two- or three-dimensional geometric composition used in sadhanas, puja or
meditative rituals, and may incorporate a mantra into its design. It is considered to represent
the abode of the deity. Each yantra is unique and calls the deity into the presence of the
practitioner through the elaborate symbolic geometric designs. According to one scholar,
"Yantras function as revelatory symbols of cosmic truths and as instructional charts of the
spiritual aspect of human experience." Many situate yantras as central focus points for Hindu
tantric practice. Yantras are not representations, but are lived, experiential, nondual realities.
As Khanna describes:

Despite its cosmic meanings a yantra is a reality lived. Because of the relationship that exists
in the Tantras between the outer world (the macrocosm) and man's inner world (the
microcosm), every symbol in a yantra is ambivalently resonant in inner–outer synthesis, and
is associated with the subtle body and aspects of human consciousness.
The term 'mandala' appears in the Rigveda as the name of the sections of the work, and Vedic
rituals use mandalas such as the Navagraha mandala to this day.

Buddhism
In Vajrayana Buddhism, mandalas have been developed also into sandpainting. They are also
a key part of Anuttarayoga Tantra meditation practices. The man mandala can be shown to
represent in visual form the core essence of the Vajrayana teachings. The mandala represents
the nature of the Pure Land, Enlightened mind.

An example of this type of mandala is Vajrabhairava mandala a silk tapestry woven with
gilded paper depicting lavish elements like crowns and jewelry, which gives a three-
dimensional effect to the piece.

Theravada Buddhism
Various Mandalas are described in many Pali Buddhist texts. Some of the examples of
the Theravada Buddhist Mandalas are:

 Mandala of Eight Disciples of Buddha describing the Shakyamuni Buddha at center and
Eight great disciple in eight major directions.

 Mandala of Buddhas is the mandala consisting of nine major Buddhas of the past and
the present Gautama Buddha occupying the ten directions.

 Mandala of Eight Devis includes the eight Devis occupying and protecting the eight
corners of the Universe.
In Sigālovāda Sutta, Buddha describes the relationships of a common lay persons in Mandala
style.

Shingon Buddhism
One Japanese branch of Mahayana Buddhism – Shingon Buddhism – makes frequent use of
mandalas in its rituals as well, though the actual mandalas differ. When Shingon's
founder, Kūkai, returned from his training in China, he brought back two mandalas that
became central to Shingon ritual: the Mandala of the Womb Realm and the Mandala of the
Diamond Realm.

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Nichiren Buddhism
The mandala in Nichiren Buddhism is a moji-mandala, which is a paper hanging scroll or
wooden tablet whose inscription consists of Chinese characters and medieval-Sanskrit
script representing elements of the Buddha's enlightenment, protective Buddhist deities, and
certain Buddhist concepts. Called the Gohonzon, it was originally inscribed by Nichiren, the
founder of this branch of Japanese Buddhism, during the late 13th Century.

Pure Land Buddhism

Pure Land Taima Mandala, Kamakura period, 14th

century, Japan (Kyushu National Museum)
Mandalas have sometimes been used in Pure Land Buddhism to graphically represent Pure
Lands, based on descriptions found in the Larger Sutra and the Contemplation Sutra.

Bodhimandala
Bodhimaṇḍala is a term in Buddhism that means "circle of awakening".[24]

Sand mandalas

Sand Mandala in the making

Sand mandalas are colorful mandalas made from sand that are ritualistically destroyed. They
originated in India in the 8th–12th century but are now practiced in Tibetan Buddhism.
[25]
Each mandala is dedicated to specific deities

Buddhist architecture often applied mandala as the blueprint or plan to design Buddhist
structures, including temple complex and stupas. A notable example of mandala in
architecture is the 9th century Borobudur in Central Java, Indonesia. It is built as a
large stupa surrounded by smaller ones arranged on terraces formed as a stepped pyramid,
and when viewed from above, takes the form of a giant tantric Buddhist mandala,
simultaneously representing the Buddhist cosmology and the nature of mind. Other temples

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 from the same period that also have mandala plans include Sewu, Plaosan and Prambanan.
Similar mandala designs are also observable in Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar.

Aerial view of the Boudhanath stupa resembles a mandala/Borobudur ground plan taking the
form of a Mandala

Circular diagrams are often used in phylogenetics, especially for the graphical representation
of phylogenetic relationships. Evolutionary trees often encompass numerous species that are
conveniently shown on a circular tree, with images of the species shown on the periphery of a
tree. Such diagrams have been called phylogenetic mandalas.

Mandala as an art form first appeared in Buddhist art that were produced in India during the
first century [Link] can also be seen in Rangoli designs in Indian households.

One of the most intense archaeological discoveries in recent years that could redefine the
history of eastern thought and tradition of mandala is the discovery of five giant mandalas in
the valley of Manipur, India, made with Google Earth imagery. Located in the paddy field in
the west of Imphal, the capital of Manipur, the Maklang geoglyph is perhaps the world's
largest mandala built entirely of mud. The site wasn't discovered until 2013 as its whole
structure could only be visible via Google Earth satellite imagery. The whole paddy field,
locally known as Bihu Loukon, is now protected and announced as historical monument and
site by the government of Manipur in the same year. The site is situated 12 km aerial distance
from Kangla with the GPS coordinates of 24° 48' N and 93° 49' E. It covers a total area of
around 224,161.45 square meters. This square mandala has four similar protruding
rectangular ‘gates’ in the cardinal directions guarded each by similar but smaller rectangular
‘gates’ on the left and right. Within the square there is an eight petalled flower or rayed-star,
recently called as Maklang ‘Star fort’ by the locals, in the centre covering a total area of
around 50,836.66 square meters. The discovery of other five giant mandalas in the valley of
Manipur is also made with Google Earth. The five giant mandalas, viz., Sekmai mandala,
Heikakmapal mandala, Phurju twin mandalas and Sangolmang mandala are located on the
western bank of the Iril River. [34] Another two fairly large mandala shaped geoglyph at
Nongren and Keinou are also reported from Manipur valley, India, in 2019. They are named
as Nongren mandala and Keinou mandala

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The Rajamandala (or Raja-mandala; circle of states) was formulated by
the Indian author Kautilya in his work on politics, the Arthashastra (written between 4th
century BCE and 2nd century BCE). It describes circles of friendly and enemy states
surrounding the king's state.

In historical, social and political sense, the term "mandala" is also employed to denote
traditional Southeast Asian political formations (such as federation of kingdoms or vassalized
states). It was adopted by 20th century Western historians from ancient Indian political
discourse as a means of avoiding the term 'state' in the conventional sense. Not only did
Southeast Asian polities not conform to Chinese and European views of a territorially defined
state with fixed borders and a bureaucratic apparatus, but they diverged considerably in the
opposite direction: the polity was defined by its centre rather than its boundaries, and it could
be composed of numerous other tributary polities without undergoing administrative
integration. Empires such as Bagan, Ayutthaya, Champa, Khmer, Srivijaya and Majapahit are
known as "mandala" in this sense.

In February 1968, the English rock band the Beatles travelled to Rishikesh in northern India
to take part in a Transcendental Meditation (TM) training course at the ashram of Maharishi
Mahesh Yogi. The visit followed the Beatles' denunciation of drugs in favour of TM and
received widespread media attention. The band's interest in the Maharishi's teachings was led
by George Harrison's commitment, and it changed Western attitudes about Indian spirituality
and encouraged the study of TM. The visit was also the most productive period for the
Beatles' songwriting.

The Beatles had intended to join the Maharishi in India soon after attending his seminar in
Bangor, Wales in late August 1967. Their attendance at the seminar was cut short by the
death of their manager Brian Epstein, after which they committed to making the television
film Magical Mystery Tour. Harrison and John Lennon were convinced of the merits of TM
and became spokesmen for the Maharishi's Spiritual Regeneration Movement, as he gained
international prominence as the guru to the Beatles. The band members arrived in India in
mid-February 1968, along with their wives, girlfriends, assistants, and numerous reporters.
They joined a group of 60 training to be TM teachers; among the other celebrity meditators
were musicians Donovan, Mike Love and Paul Horn, and actress Mia Farrow. While there,
Lennon, Paul McCartney and Harrison wrote many songs, and Ringo Starr finished writing
his first. Eighteen were recorded for The Beatles ("the White Album"), two others appeared
on the Abbey Road album, and others were used for various solo projects.

The retreat and the discipline required for meditation were met with varying degrees of
commitment from the individual Beatles. Starr left on 1 March, after ten days; McCartney left
later in March to attend to business concerns. Harrison and Lennon departed abruptly on 12
April following rumours of the Maharishi's inappropriate behaviour towards Farrow and
another of his female students. The divisive influence of the Beatles' Greek friend Alexis
Mardas, financial disagreements, and suspicions that their teacher was taking advantage of
the band's fame have also been cited by biographers and witnesses.

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The mud ramparts has been there since ancient times and used to be a lot thicker and higher.
There was also a long canal where boats were raced. The area is also called ‘Thangapat’ now,
but the canal had dried up and was consequently converted to arable land. Interestingly, there
is another rectangular mud wall of similar height and thickness with a design of podium
stands on each side and located about 200 feet approximately from the star shaped fort.

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Ladies drawing RANGOLI//Ancient star shaped mud fort discovered at Maklang, Manipur:
/Group photo, February 1968. Seated in front of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi are (front
row, from left to right): Ringo Starr, Maureen Starkey, Jane Asher, Paul
McCartney, George Harrison, Pattie Boyd, Cynthia Lennon, John Lennon and Mal
Evans

2 Mandala wheels of my bicycle

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Circular Food items ---Created mandalas destroyed on reaching the mouth

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Mandalas n the head.. Traditional Head Gear for auspicious occasions

PUJA articles and Mandala diagrams during PUJA

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 From 1880

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ELECTRIC FITTINGS FROM 1918

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BRASS PEACOCK CONTAINER FOR BEATEL NUT PIECES FROM 1850

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 DOOR FROM 1910

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 READ

The CIRCULAR
Mandala of

KASHI
By the Author

Dr Uday Dokras

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