Mandala: Sacred Circle in Tibetan Buddhism

A cosmos made of sand The world of mandalas has never been described in such a sensitive and detailed way. As the XIV Dalai Lama already suggests in the foreword to the book, for many years mandalas were simply seen as works of art out of ignorance. This simple interpretation of holy symbols led to numerous misunderstandings. In his book "MANDALA - Sacred Circle in Tibetan Buddhism", Martin Brauen therefore focuses on the connection between the holy teaching and the meditation images. After a basic introduction to the "Buddhist path", the viewer's senses are sharpened for the essentials. The numerous descriptions of the mandalas thus become a cultural feast for the eyes, which also provides insights into Buddhist teachings: For example, in the center of one of the mandalas presented stands the holy deity Śrī Hevajra with his feet on sub-deities, while he frames his partner Nairātmā with two of his numerous arms. In another, a three-dimensional lotus mandala opens, which, when closed, resembled a candlestick. But in the innermost part of its copper leaves it contains small statues of the deity Hevajra, surrounded by the eight great Siddhas, the enlightened ones. This sacred art reaches its climax in the sand mandalas. They are sprinkled onto a cloth with color pigments by monks dressed in red-orange tunics in ceremonies lasting days. But the result is not, as one might assume, a rough arrangement of color fields. No, the monks draw the figures, characters and patterns with colored sand down to the finest detail. The magnificent ornamentation takes you to another world. But as soon as you surrender to this cosmos of sand, it is already a thing of the past. Because the fate of many mandalas also includes their destruction in order to go through the cycle of transformation. The 264-page book is based on well-founded texts and the many large-format illustrations in brilliant color quality, which allow the infinite wealth of detail of the mandalas to be duly appreciated. A catalog section with 38 high-quality objects from international museums as well as many diagrams, tables and panels to explain the world of mandalas make the book a particularly understandable work on these "sacred circles" which, according to Buddhist understanding, constantly address the unity of man and the cosmos in new ways.