Mandala Meditation

What is a Mandala?

A Mandala is a symbolic diagram, either imagined or depicted and circular in form.

In Sanskrit, mandala means both circle and center. It represents the unity of the outer world (the circle) and the world of the mind (the center). The seeming outer chaos of the circumference and the inner center, "the still point of the turning world", find an essential oneness in the mandala. Mandalas are a way to focus the mind and can be found in cultures the world over as an aid to contemplation and concentration. They encourage the mind to move from the confused world of appearances into the heart of the mandala, the home of the residing deity.

In the Hindu tradition, mandalas or yantras are geometric representations of deities. They are then used as a focus for meditation, the devotee seeking to understand and become one with the deity's wisdom and enlightenment.

from The Meditation Year, A Daily Invitation to Meditation

Mandala