Kylie Lyle
REL 145
David Schones
5 April 2025
The Wild Rose Mandala
There was a man named Stephen Meakin who just died recently that made beautiful
mandalas in England. In a piece he titled “The Wild Rose Mandala” the entire canvas is filled
with bright and vibrant colors of pink, green, gold, and red. It is of course a circle, however there
are different sections of it. At the very center, there is a beautiful pink 4 leafed flower that has a
yellow stigma in the middle, and the petals have a white hue around it. The hue almost seems to
be a spotlight or beacon, calling you to admire the peace. This is of course, is the core of the
piece and where all the focus is, so choosing this flower was a smart decision. This particular
mandala is a part of an 8-piece series Called “Habundia” that features the native flowers of his
land. He refers to them as roses from his soul, intending them to evoke wonder and a sense of
universal connection. This is what his focus seems to be, universal connection which comes from
his background in geometry. His belief is that the mandalas are in a way creating a sense of
wholeness and connection through the unity between the natural world and geometry. For
example, in this particular piece, there is a pink flower in the center of the mandala. In traditional
mandalas, the Buddha Is what occupies the middle of the piece. In traditional mandalas, there are
about 5 different colorful powders that are used to make them, while in Stephen’s piece he used a
number of different flowers and buds. Perhaps the most important comparison is the amount of
time each artist spends on their pieces. Stephen’s pieces are so intricate and authentic to the
traditional mandalas that it can take him hundreds of hours just to complete one painting. In
traditional mandala ceremony’s, it takes a full 7 days for the mandala to be created and
destroyed. This is because almost all of the 7 days are “devoted to the construction of the
mandala and preparation of material to be used during the ceremony.” (Shinohara, 32) It is truly
an almost breath-taking image to look at just because of all the intricate details of the circle.
Mandalas are not just like Buddhist tradition; they very much convey Buddhist beliefs.
The good thing about Buddhism is that the “practices and teachings have shown a remarkable
flexibility and capacity for adaptation to meet the needs of new host cultures and traditions.”
(Illustrated Religions, 164) This allows new traditions like the mandala ritual to be as successful
as it is. The similarities in the two can be seen in the noble eightfold path, which is what all
practitioners of the religion go on to achieve nirvana. This path is a process of discipline that has
8 components. In 2 of the components, it mentions the need for “right mindfulness” and “right
concentration”, which that relates to their “proper understanding of the self and the world.”
(Illustrated Religions, 185) This directly relates to mandalas because they represent the universe
and being in harmony with that universe. It is known as the other sacred circle and is often seen
as being able to directly link you to a deity. Most importantly, the countless hours, and
sometimes even days spent carefully placing each paint line or each grain of sand is the exact
mindfulness and concentration that Buddhist are talking about. Those 2 components are
happening simultaneously as each artist is concentrating on making a masterpiece but doing it
with intent behind their every stroke.
