Personal Mandala A Permanent Abode of Enlightened Beings

Personal Mandala "A Permanent Abode of Enlightened Beings" AP Literature - Matteson

What is a Mandala, you ask? Mandala: any of various geometric designs (usually circular) symbolizing the universe; used chiefly in Hinduism and Buddhism as an aid to meditation

Temporary Sand Mandala n Tibetan monks create impermanent mandalas as an act of meditation. When they’ve completed the mandala, they sweep it up and release the sand into a moving body of water to spread the mandala’s blessings.

n Chenrezig Sand Mandala created at the House of Commons of the United Kingdom on the occasion of the Dalai Lama's visit in May 2008

Personal Mandalas:

What is a Personal Mandala? n In the West, mandala is used to refer to the "personal world" in which one lives, the various elements of the mandala or the activities and interests in which one engages, the most important being at the centre of the mandala and the least important at the periphery. Depicting one's personal mandala in pictorial form can give one a good indication of the state of one's personal or spiritual life.

Your Assignment… You will create your own personal mandala. You may use any artistic medium you wish, but the overall effect must resemble the examples I’ve shown you today. The basic idea of the personal mandala is that at the center of your circle is a symbolic representation of what is most important to you. Then, generally, in concentric circles, radiating from the center will be the other elements of your life, ranging in importance from most to least as each circle stretches farther and farther from your center. You will be given a note card on which you will explain your mandala. It will be attached to your final product and hung on my wall. We will present our mandalas Friday, and I will only be able to give you part of class Wednesday to work on these.

A few more examples: