--===The Structure of the Painted Mandala ===--

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-==_The structure of the painted Mandala_==-

In its most common form, the mandala appears as a series of concentric circles, its
deities
housed in a square structure with four eleaborate gates, sometimes described as a
four-sided
palace or temple. Beginning with the outer circles, one often finds the following
structure: a
ring of fire, frequently depticted as a stylized scrollwork, which symbolizes the
process of
transformation necessary to enter the sacred territory within. This is followed by
a ring of
thunderbolt or diamond scepters (vajra), indicating the diamond-like, unchangeable
nature of
the mandala's spiritual realms.
Particularly in mandalas featuring deities in their wrathful (krodha) forms, one
finds eight
cremation grounds (smasana) arranged in a wide band and marking the next concentric
circle of
the mandala. Each is associated with one of the cardinal or intermediate points of
the
compass. Their names vary from text to text, but a standard group includes:
Candogra
("Terrible and Frightening"), Gahvara ("Impenetrable Abyss"), Jvalakulakaranka
("Blazing
Skull"), Vibhisana ("Terrifying"), Laksmyarama ("Laksmi's Garden"), Ghorandhakara
("Frightening Darkness"), Kilakilarava ("Shrieks of Joy"), and Attattahasa
("Boisterous
Laughter")._4_
Myth associates these eight with Indian sites where ascetics would convene for
lengthy
periods of meditation. Some texts offer psychological interpretations of the
cremation
grounds, suggesting they represent the eight aggregates of human consciousness
(asta vijnana
kaya) which tie man to the phenomenal world and to the cycle of birth and
rebirth._5_
Each cremation ground has its own mountain, stupa (symbol of the Buddha's teaching
and thus,
the promise of salvation even in the midst of samsara), river tree, and mendicant.
The
cremation grounds also symbolize death and the fear of death; in confronting and
surpassing
this fear, one is free to move into subtler regions of the human psyche. There
follows a
circle of lotus petals, indicating that the subsequent pure realms exist not in the
phenomenal
world, but deep within the human heart.
Next appears the mandala's four-walled palace or temple, oriented to the east, its
elaborate
gates (torana) marking the cardinal points of the compass. The palace walls are
golden and
encrusted with jewels, each gate surmounted by two gazelles adorned with streamers
and facing
the wheel of the Buddhist law (dharmacakra). The temple-palace includes sacred and
royal
symbolism, reflecting ancient ties between sacred and royal societies. Some
initiations
(abhisekha) into the mandala involve a "coronation," whereby the initiate, wearing
a crown and
other royal insignia, is baptised with water and accedes to the powers of the
mandala._6_ A
king rules the earth and its inhabitants; the Buddhist hierarch rules himself and
exhibits
mastery over his own life.
In the temple-palace (kutagara) appear the mandala's various circles of
deities._7_ This
sanctuary, crucial to the mandala plan, bears further consideration. All Indian
temples are
based on an essential plan known as vastupurusamandala, a diagram arranged as a
square
surrounded by circles; the proportions of the square and the number of its circles
will
vary._8_ Int he early stages of temple building, this mandala is etched on the
earth. The
square is oriented to the four cardinal points of the compass, its main entrance
ideally
facing east.
The essential purpose of the temple's construction is to invoke the divine
presence. This
occurs through the rite of sacrifice (yajna), whose roots may even be found in the
Vedic
period (ca. 1500-500 B.C.). Traditionally, the temple's patron is called yajnamana,
"sacrificer," though the priest (guru or acarya) performs the sacrifice for him.
The earth,
the sacrificial ground, is called the altar (vedi); it is also described as the
womb (garbha).
Upon this altar, many sacrifices are made, but it is clear that the real site of
sacrifice is
within man.
What is sacrificed, and to whom? The sacerdotal rite determines on which level the
sacrifice
occurs. On its most superficial level, sacrifice is imbued with dualism, the
sacrificer
perceiving himself as relinquishing a possession in order to gain communion with
his chosen
deity. At its highest level, however, sacrifice is entirely non-dualistic, a subtle
rite which
occurs within the heart of the sacrificiant. Man then sacrifices his own ignorance
so that it
might be replaced with wisdom. The medieval Sanskrit text, Vijnana Bhairava,
states: "When
into the fire of Supreme Reality ... the five elements, the senses, the objects of
the senses
and the min are poured, with the heart acting as sacrificial spoon, this is true
sacrifice."_9_ And the eight-century Bengali saint, Laksmikara, wrote, "... with
concentration
offer worship only to your body where all the gods reside."_10_
Some mandalas house hundreds of deities, others far fewer. Regardless of number,
deities are
arranged symmetrically, marking the four cardinal points of the compass, the
intermediate
points (e.g. NE, NW, and, occasionally, the nadir and zenith as well. A group of
deities
confronted early in the sanctuary are its guardians, associated with the mandala's
"protective
sphere" (raksacakra). Sometimes known as vighnantaka, "those who put an end to
impediments,"
these deities both block entrance to all who would defile the sacred realms within,
and
vanquish those qualities in the initiate which hinder his or her movement towards
enlightenment. They may be four, eight or ten in number, marking the four cardinal
points of
the compass, the intermediate points, and the mandala's zenith and nadir. They
vary, but a
common group are yamantaka, Prajnantaka, Padmantaka, Vighnantaka, Takkiraja,
Niladanda,
Mahabala, Acala, Usnisacakravartin, and Sumbharaja._11_
At this point in the mandala, one may find four "offering goddesses," embodiments
of
offerings made to the mandala's central deity. They mark the intermediate points of
the
compass: Vajramala (SW; garland), Vajragita (NW; song), Vajranrtya (NE; dance), and
Vajralasya
(SE; amorous dance). A further circle of "offering goddesses" may also appear;
Vajrapuspa (SW;
flower), Vajradipa (NW; lamp, Vajragandha (NE;l perfume), and Vajradhupa (SE;
incense).
Another group commonly represented among the mandala's assemblies of deities are
the sixteen
"vajra bodhisattvas," peaceful bodhisattvas who surround the central deity of the
mandala. The
deities vary, but a standard group includes: Vajrasattva, Vajraraja, Vajraraga,
Vajrasadhu,
Vajraratna, Vajratejas, Vajraketu, Vajrahasa, Vajradharma, Vajratiksna, Vajrahetu,
Vajrabhasa,
Vajrakamara, Vajraksa, Vajrayaksa, and Vajrasandhi._12_ A second group of
bodhisattvas known
as "Bodhisattvas of the Bhadrakalpa (Fourteen Aeon) include: Maitreya, Manjusri,
Gandhahasti,
Jnanaketu, Bhadrapala, Amoghadarsi, Akasagarbha, Aksayamati, Pratibhanakuta,
Mahasthamaprapta,
Sarvapayanjaha, Sarvasokatamonirghatamati, Jaliniprabha, Candraprabha, Amrtaprabha,
Samantabhadra._13_
Finally, at the centre of the mandala lies the deity with whom the initiate
identifies and
whose characteristics he or she hopes to share._14_ The central deity may be
peaceful in
appearance; it is often not. Sexual imagery suggests the integrative process which
lies at the
heart of the mandala, male and female being symbols of the countless pairs of
opposites (e.g.
love and hate, good and evil) which one experiences in mundane existence. The
initiate seeks
to curtail his or her alienation, instead accepting and enjoying all things as a
seamless,
interconnected field of experience. Sexual imagery can also be understood as a
metaphor for
enlightenment, with its qualities of satisfaction, bliss, unity, completion.
Wrathful deities suggest the mighty struggle involved in overcoming one's
alienation. They
embody all the inner afflictions which darken our thoughts, our words, and our
deeds and which
prohibit attainment of the Buddhist goal of full enlightenment. Traditionally,
wrathful
deities are understood to be aspects of benevolent principles, fearful only to
those who
perceive them as alien forces. When recognized as aspects of one's self and tamed
by spiritual
practice, they assume a purely benevolent guise. They no longer control man; they
are at man's
behest.
If form is crucial to the mandala, so too is color. The quadrants of the mandala-
palace are
typically divided into isosceles triangles of color, including four of the
following five:
white, yellow, red, green, dark blue. Each color is associated with one of the five
families
(kula) of deities, each of these governed by a celestial Buddha (tathagata):
Vairocana
(white), Aksobhya (blue), Amitabha (red), Ratnasambhava (yellow), and Amoghasiddhi
(green).
Each color is also associated with one of the five afflictions (pancaklesia) of the
human
personality: confusion (moha), pride (mana), envy (irsya), hatred (dvesa), and
desire
(raga)._15_ These characteristics obscure our true nature, but through spiritual
practice,
they can be transformed into the wisdom of the tathagata with whom they are
associated:
confusion becomes wisdom of the expanse of reality (dharmadhatujnana); hatred
becomes
mirror-like wisdom (adarsajnana); pride becomes wisdom of sameness (samatajnana);
desire
becomes wisdom of discernment (pratyaveksanajnana); envy becomes wisdom of
accomplishment
(krtyanusthanajnana)._16_

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_Images and text � Rossi and Rossi, London. _

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