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This is a symbol. What do you
think it represents?
Circles
• Mandala is Sanskrit for circle, polygon, community, connection.
•The Mandala is a symbol of man or woman in the world, a support for the meditating person.
The mandala is often illustrated as a palace with four gates, facing the
four corners of the Earth.
•In the centre is a lotus blossom with eight petals, resting on a bed of jewels. In the next place are the walls of the palace with gates towards the four corners of the earth. The gates are guarded by four angry doorkeepers. Before the meditating person arrives at the gates, she must, however, pass the four outer circles: the purifying fire of wisdom, the vajra circle, the circle with the eight tombs, the lotus circle.
• Symbols
•
• Diamond: the indestructible diamond, clear, yet showing all colours, becomes a symbol of the nature of the mind Bell: the female part of the Tantric polarity: the symbol of emptiness - the boundless openness, giving room for wisdom Vajra: the male part of the Tantric polarity: the symbol of effective means and Buddha's active compassion with the meditating person. Originally it was the thunderbolt of the god Indra, later it came to represent the diamond Dharma Wheel: the eight hubs are a symbol of the Eightfold Path*, leading to perfection Lotus: symbol of the teaching of Buddha. The plant standing with the roots in the mud, yet raising its blossom towards the light.
Aum Aum (or Om, ॐ) is the sacred sound symbol that represents God (Brahman). It is
prefixed and sometimes suffixed to all Vedic mantras and prayers. It is often said to
represent God in the three aspects of Shiva(A), Vishnu(U) and Brahmā (M). As the divine
primordial vibration, it represents the one ultimate reality, underlying and encompassing all of nature and all of existence. The written syllable ॐ called omkara serves as a deeply
significant and distinctly recognizable symbol for Hindu dharma[citation needed]. The
pronunciation of the Aum moves through all possible human linguistic vowel sounds and
is different from the pronunciation of Om. They are often symbolically equated though
they are sonically distinct.
• Swastika
• Swastika is a symbol connoting general auspiciousness. It may represent purity of soul, truth, and stability or, alternatively, Surya, the sun. Its rotation in four directions has been used to represent many ideas, but primarily describes the four directions, the four Vedas and their harmonious whole. Its use in Hinduism dates back to ancient times. Nazism used a tilted version of this symbol under the name Hakenkreuz, and associated it with the notion of "purity of race".
Sri Chakra Yantra
Sri Chakra Yantra of Tripura Sundari (commonly referred to
as Sri Yantra) is a mandala formed by nine interlocking
triangles. Four of these triangles are orientated upright
representing Shiva or the Masculine. Five of these triangles
are inverted triangles represent Shakti or the Feminine.
Together the nine triangles form a web symbolic of the
entire cosmos, a womb symbolic of creation and together
express Advaita Vedanta or non-duality. All other yantras are
derivatives of this supreme yantra.
• Mandalas are usually displayed in two dimension, and are commonly made from paper, textiles, and colored sand. In a sand painting the sand is dyed and then carefully placed on a large, flat table. The construction process takes several days, and the mandala is destroyed shortly after its completion. The three dimensional mandala is projected in a unique way that displays the interior as well as the walls of the palace. The deities are represented as Sanskrit characters.
Mandala Assignment
• “The concept of mandala…is drawn from
the ancient idea of the circular shape as
an archetype denoting the integration of a
number of elements to make a whole”
• You are going to show the whole of a
character from Nectar in a Sieve.
Your Mandala
• This mandala will be a symbolic picture of
a character.
• Remember, this will show who the person
IS as opposed to what the person DOES.
• Start by listing your character’s qualities.
How would you describe this person?
• Choose 5 of these that you think are most
significant.
Symbols
• Symbols are more than signs. They must
be INTERPRETED. They may have more
than one meaning or a meaning that is not
immediately clear, requiring thought.
• Think of some symbols for the qualities of
your character.
Central Symbol Significant quote
Symbol 1
Symbol 2
Symbol 3
Symbol 4
Put the Title of your Mandala at the top of the page.
There should Be no white Paper showing
•There should be an outer
•Circle representing some-
•Thing that we need to under
•Stand before we can understand
•This character.
Companion Paper
• Because your Mandala is going to be so cryptic, you will have to explain it to us.
• 1. Why did you choose this character?
• 2. What does the outer circle (the palace gate) represent? Why do we (as viewers) need to know this about this character?
• 3. What do your four symbols represent and why did you choose them?
4. What does the central symbol mean and why is this the most important symbol for this character?
Why?
• Symbols and metaphors interact in your
brain in different ways than literal
language.
• Making this mandala will require you to
deepen your interpretation of the character
and perhaps make more of a personal
connection.
• Due Thursday, March 29th
