Mandalas The Circle

What is a Mandala ? A mandala is an imaginary place thought of during meditation. The circle is a symbol of continuation. The design in the circle shows relaxing shapes and images-most relate to nature. The sun,trees,animals and flowers are often used. These designs are repeated over and over and begin in the center. The images in the middle are the most important to the meditator. Mandalas are usually displayed in two dimensional designs and are commonly made from paper, textiles, and colored sand. The design is an example of radial balance.

Tibetan Buddhism Followers meditate to gain freedom through thinking of pleasing thoughts, places, and images. Use Website- tm to view the parts of the mandala circle. Meditation-deep thought on a spiritual theme The followers design a mandala circle for their meditation. They begin concentrating on the center images then spiral out though the circle.

Balance in Design Symmetrical-images in a design are the same on both sides-mirror images Asymmetrical-the design is not the on each half, more visual weight is seen on one half of the artwork Radial-the design spirals out from the center-Mandalas are created using radial balance

Ancient Mandalas Stained glass designs Radial balance Earthly images Spiritual images

Mexican Sun Symbols Radial Design The ancient Aztecs used the sun as a calendar, they had 4 suns or periods of time. The first sun began 2513 years ago