Personal Mandala

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Personal Mandala

• K. Matteson

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What is a Mandala, you ask?

• Mandala any of various geometric designs
  (usually circular) symbolizing the universe used
  chiefly in Hinduism and Buddhism as an aid to
  meditation 

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Temporary Sand Mandala

• Tibetan monks create impermanent mandalas as an
  act of meditation. When theyve completed the
  mandala, they sweep it up and release the sand
  into a moving body of water to spread the
  mandalas blessings.

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• Chenrezig Sand Mandala created at the House of
  Commons of the United Kingdom on the occasion of
  the Dalai Lama's visit in May 2008

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Personal Mandalas
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What is a Personal Mandala?

• In the West, mandala is used to refer to the
  "personal world" in which one lives, the various
  elements of the mandala or the activities and
  interests in which one engages, the most
  important being at the centre of the mandala and
  the least important at the periphery. Depicting
  one's personal mandala in pictorial form can give
  one a good indication of the state of one's
  personal or spiritual life.

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Your Assignment

• You will create your own personal mandala on the
  concentric circles before you. Obviously, you
  will need to spend a few moments thinking about
  whats most important to you. That
  thing/person/concept will go in the center
  circle. Then, you will depict the second most
  important thing/person/concept in the next circle
  out from the center. Etcetera. MOST IMPORTANT
  Try not to be literal in your depictions. Think
  symbolically. If your mother is most important,
  dont try to draw a picture of her, draw
  something that symbolizes her.

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Presentations

• You will present two of the 5 elements on your
  mandala. You may choose which two you present,
  but you must explain the symbolism and importance
  of each element.
• We will present tomorrow at the beginning of
  class.

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A few more examples
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