Mandala & Thangka
What are Mandalas?
Mandala borns long time ago.. it’s an ensemble circle where is possible collocate any context, and so Mandala becomes a tool of interpretation for that context.
Every kind of Mandala has a center. The center gives meaning at the Mandala and it’s the fulcrum that supports the container.
So Mandala is a circle with a center, and this simple thing could has the highest meaning possible.
The Universe is a Mandala.
How Universe could be a Mandala?
In the context "Universe container" there are all the elements that make the existence of everything possible, and the center of this Mandala is Consciousness. This is the only meaningful representation and primary meaning, which can assume the center of the Universe.
The "Universe container", in order to have a sense of its existence or manifestation, needs at least a part, which can see the existence of the "Universe container", or in other words, to realize that it exists, recognizing itself.
For this reason, the only thing that can be the center of the Universe is Consciousness.
CENTER = CONSCIOUSNESS = SELF-KNOWLEDGE
Consequently, every form of life that can host Consciousness, potentially has similar characteristics, so it is part of the Universe and at the same time it is structurally similar to the Universe.
So it can be said, that the Human Being is a Mandala, inside a larger Mandala with the same characteristic in the center : Consciousness.
In a fractal way, every form of life containing Consciousness, takes its place in the Great Mandala of Life, bringing the Universe to the "light" of self-recognition.
MANDALA IN THE TRADITIONS
The Mandala was used by ancient civilizations to represent different contexts. They were used to represent the ages, seasons, celestial movements, the high systems of creation, divination, representations of the first and pure meanings, to arrive in recent times in the psychology field.
The functionalities of the Mandala are many: it hand down and transmits knowledge, in some cases it acts as a catalyst, and in other cases it is a real therapeutic means.
Art of Tibetan Tradition
Mandala & Thangka
These paintings come from Tibetan buddhist tradition, and in part of Induism, are divided in Mandala Mantra, Mandala Yantra, Mandala Kalachakra, Mandala Lotus and Thangka.
Mandala and Thangkas are painted on cotton canvas, and the colors are water-soluble pigments, both minerals and organic materials, tempered with a solution of grass and glue.
In Same cases all Details are painted with 24 Kt GOLD. The painting process requires great mastery of drawing and a perfect understanding of the principles of iconometry.
Mandala and thangkas show beauty and harmony. They contain in themselves meaning and intention, which give rise to power, attraction and fascination. They are used both as a means to knowledge and as an attractive and therapeutic means, leading the observer to a state of mental and pre-meditative relaxation. They are imbued with symbols, meanings and intent by the artist, so they release these kind of quality, and act in the environment surrounding them.
Thangkas are representation of Buddhist Divinity, Life of Buddha, Buddh's Awakening and Wheel of Life.
The material realization of a thangka, as indeed happens for most Buddhist art, is highly geometric in nature. Arms, legs, eyes, nostrils, ears and various ritual objects are all placed on a systematic grid of intersecting angles and lines. A good master of thangka generally chooses from a variety of pre-arranged forms, those to be inserted in the composition, on a range ranging from cups for alms, to animals, to the shape, size and angle of eyes, nose and lips of a figure. The procedure appears very scientific, but often requires a very deep knowledge of the symbolism of the scene that is being painted, in order to grasp its essence or spirit.