The
Architecture of Enlightenment
Mandala is an ancient Hindu and Buddhist graphic symbol of the universe, a
cosmic diagram that functions as a powerful aid to meditation and
concentration. It is Sanskrit for circle, polygon, community, connection.
The Mandala is a symbol which acts as a support for the meditating person.
The mandala is often illustrated as a palace with four gates, facing the
four corners of the Earth.
The word "mandala" comes from the Sanskrit verbal root "mand"
(meaning to mark off, decorate, set off)and the Sanskrit suffix "la"
(meaning circle, essence, sacred center). The mandala's symbolic power can
be traced back to millennia-old roots in Indian temple architecture,which
created sacred spaces linking the worshiper to the larger cosmos. In these
temples, time and space were represented in a vocabulary of circles and
squares. Similarly, a mandala helps believers visualize the universe and
their place in it, often in relation to a specific deity found in the center
of the image.
Mandalas are used in the rituals of tantric initiation.
They are constructed at the beginning of the initiation, out of grains of
colored sand carefully placed on a specially prepared platform. Thus
mandalas, like Vedic altars, are temporary structures built of impermanent
materials. But while the mud-bricks of altars are simply abandoned after the
ritual sacrifice, mandalas are deliberately destroyed, their sand swept up
upon completion of the initiation and poured into a nearby stream or river.
All monks at Tibetan Buddhist monasteries are required to learn how to
construct mandalas as part of their training. The learning process is
two-fold, including the memorization of texts that specify the names,
lengths, and positions of the primary lines that define the basic structure
of mandalas, as well as the manual techniques of drawing and pouring sand.
These texts, however, do not describe every line, nor every detail of each
mandala, but rather serve as mnemonic guides to the complete forms of
mandalas that must be learned from the repeated practice of construction
under the guidance of experienced monks.
It is believed that in his enlightened form, the Buddha is no longer in
this world. As one of his epithets indicate, the Buddha is tathagata, or "thus-gone,"
and in the absence of his physical body, the mandala represents his "body
of enlightenment." Thus this stunning ancient art form occupies a
significant religious role in Buddhism.
Arriving At Mandalas
By Flight : Indian Air Lines operates regular flight to
Leh from Delhi, twice a week between Leh to Jammu and once a week from
Srinagar. Jet Airways Operates daily flight between Leh to Delhi.
By Roadways : There are two overland routes the Srinagar
to Leh road remains open from early June to November. The Jammu and Kashmir
State Road Transport Corporation operates regular deluxe and ordinary bus
services.
By Manali :
Leh road remains open
from mid June to early October. Himachal Pradesh tourism, HRTC and Manali
private bus union, operates a daily bus services, which takes two days to
reach Leh, after a night halt at Sarchu or Darcha.
By Taxis :Taxies are also available at
Leh, Manali and
Srinagar.
