Mandala: Difference between revisions
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It also means: | It also means: | ||
# the sacred environment and dwelling place of a [[buddha]], [[bodhisattva]] or [[deity]], which is visualized by the practitioner in tantric practice, | |||
# the two dimensional representation of this environment on cloth or paper, or made of heaps of coloured sand. | |||
# an offering of the entire universe visualized as a [[Pure Land]] with all the inhabitants as pure beings. | |||
See also [[mandala offering]]. | See also [[mandala offering]]. | ||
[[Category:Key Terms]] | [[Category:Key Terms]] | ||
Revision as of 14:25, 1 October 2007
mandala [Skt.] - (Tib. kyilkhor; wyl.dkyil ‘khor). Mandala can be translated literally as ‘centre and circumference‘. A mandala is generally depicted as a circle which revolves around a centre. On the simplest level, a mandala can be understood to be us, the student or practitioner, and the phenomenal world around us. The word ‘mandala’ also describes an integrated structure that is organized around a central unifying principle.
It also means:
- the sacred environment and dwelling place of a buddha, bodhisattva or deity, which is visualized by the practitioner in tantric practice,
- the two dimensional representation of this environment on cloth or paper, or made of heaps of coloured sand.
- an offering of the entire universe visualized as a Pure Land with all the inhabitants as pure beings.
See also mandala offering.