Description

The Mandala: Sacred Circle in Tibetan Buddhism
Martin Brauen
Translated by Martin Willson
The mandala is the foremost symbol and allegory in Tantric Buddhism for man's relationship to the cosmos. For the Tantric practitioner, mandalas serve as supports for meditation, for visualization and, ultimately, for the attainment of Buddhahood. They take a variety of forms, from simple geometric diagrams to more elaborate paintings on cloth, complicated patterns of colored sand, and large three-dimensional carved structures.

After introducing the basic theory and practice of mandalas, Martin Brauen describes the main Tantric Buddhist world view with the aid of computer-generated models. To provide a deeper understanding of the mandala's function, the rich and sacred symbolism of the famous Kalachakra mandala, in its various stages, is then explained in great detail. Western interest in the philosophic, religious and psychological aspects of the mandala is discussed in the final chapter.

Several different approaches to the mystery of mandalas are presented, not with the intention of transmitting incontrovertible truths, but as a means for readers to develop their own understanding of the Tantric world view.