The first scholarly monograph on Buddhist maṇḍalas in China, this book examines the Maṇḍala of Eight Great Bodhisattvas. This iconographic template, in which a central Buddha is flanked by eight attendants, flourished during the Tibetan (786–848) and post-Tibetan Guiyijun (848–1036) periods at Dunhuang. A rare motif that appears in only four cave shrines at the Mogao and Yulin sites, the maṇḍala bore associations with political authority and received patronage from local rulers. Attending to the historical and cultural contexts surrounding this iconography, this book demonstrates that transcultural communication over the Silk Routes during this period, and the religious dialogue between the Chinese and Tibetan communities, were defining characteristics of the visual language of Buddhist maṇḍalas at Dunhuang.
Unlock the mystery and magic of sacred geometry to create mandalas using ancient design principles. Pythagoras believed that mathematical truths shift the psyche closer to divine perfection. The Fibonacci sequence has been found to exist in patterns throughout nature. C. G. Jung thought that contemplating the mandala could unveil the unconscious. The designs here draw on the vast history and knowledge once thought esoteric, now available as tools for cultivating spiritual and psychological well-being. Create your own mandala based on geometry, numbers, and signs, or color a mandala as a meditative process to tap into your creativity and intuition. However you use this guide, geometry can be a pathway to grasping who you are, where you belong, and what you are to do. Discover how this timeless practice can help you on your journey of self-realization!
The circular designs known as mandalas are symbols of deep inner truth, and when creating your own mandalas, you can discover things about yourself that can surprise you. Susanne Fincher introduces here the history and ritual use of mandalas in cultures all over the world. She then shows you how to make your own, offering guidance on choosing art materials and techniques. She discusses the symbolism of colors, numbers, shapes, and motifs (such as birds and flowers) that appear in mandalas, and she also presents several illustrated case histories of people who have successfully used her techniques. This revised edition includes a new preface. It also includes a new chapter on making mandalas with a group, a practice that can yield even greater insight—and more fun.
Reconnect to Mother Earth and recharge your creativity by combining the healing energy of nature with the meditative process of drawing and painting mandalas. Explore Botanical Mandalas and watch your artistic expression flourish! Full of inspiration for reconnecting with natures beauty to inspire you to create expressive mandala artworks. Includes drawing, painting and mixed-media projects to find endless inspiration for your own botanical mandala journey.
Relax, create and connect with mandala art. Do you love coloring mandalas? You're not alone! Adult coloring books are gaining in popularity every day. Do you want to learn how to draw and color your own mandalas? In The Mandala Guidebook, Kathryn Costa shows you how with easy instructions perfect for the beginner. You'll find a wide range of projects, each with beautifully illustrated step-by-step instructions covering more design styles and artistic mediums than any other book out there. Simply put, a mandala is a circle with a design in the center, but psychologists and spiritual leaders have used mandalas as a tool for self-reflection and self-exploration through the ages. Mandalas have intrigued cultures around the world, from Celtic spirals and Indian mehndi to medieval church labyrinths. And now it's your turn! If you can write the alphabet, you can create beautiful and expressive mandalas. Journey with Kathryn, creator of the "100 Mandalas Challenge," to create spontaneous and spirited mandala art: • Enjoy prompts and questions to practice self-discovery, gratitude, relaxation, meditation and explore your unique talents and artistic path as you create • Discover 24 demonstrations with clear and colorful step-by-step instructions to master the mechanics of making mandalas--both freehand and geometrically symmetrical designs • Explore mixed media and textural painting techniques within the boundaries of a circle using everything from a simple pen and paper to watercolor, collage, acrylic and stamped Gelli plate • Get pattern inspiration and discover how to play with color using common palettes from the world around you Set your intention and learn how to use mandalas to solve problems, let go of fear, lean into love and gain clarity and insight as you create!
A visual symphony, The Mandala Book showcases 500 stunning mandalic images from nature and civilization. Drawing from history, science, and art, Lori Bailey Cunningham takes you on a journey that spans from the tiniest particle of matter to spiral galaxies in the farthest reaches of the universe, from prehistoric petroglyphs to Carl Jung. And, at the end, she includes 13 beautiful mandalas to photocopy and color, for meditation or fun.
An inspirational exploration of the beautiful and intricate art of mandalas, and their role in spiritual growth and meditation. It includes step-by-step instructions for creating your own designs for traditional and contemporary mandalas, and a guide to natural mandalas such as snowflakes, tree rings and spiral galaxies.
Discussing the tools used to make mandalas--namely the nine- and 15-degree wedge rulers--this book shows how to choose the appropriate fabrics for creating circle medallions, and provides multiple design options for these hypnotic works of art. The techniques described in this book are easy enough for beginners, yet intriguing and variable enough for experienced quilters. Teacher Sheila Finklestein describes how varied ruler placement on striped fabrics can open up a myriad of design options. 480 color photos.
Experience the ultimate journey of self-discovery through mandalas and meditation. Mandala art has been used throughout the world for self-expression, spiritual transformation, and personal growth. Mandala is the ancient Sanskrit word for circle and is seen by Tibetans as a diagram of the cosmos. It is used by native Americans in healing rituals and in Christian cathedrals the labyrinth is a mandalic pattern used as a tool for meditation. An archetypal symbol of wholeness, the mandala was used as a therapeutic art tool by psychologist Carl Jung, who believed creating mandalas helped patients to make the unconscious conscious. Joseph Campbell brought mandalas to the public's attention in The Power of Myth (1988): "In working out a mandala ... you draw a circle and then think of the different impulse systems and value systems in your life.... Making a mandala is a discipline for pulling all those scattered aspects of your life together, finding a center." Mandala: Journey to the Center provides insights into the significance of mandalas and helps you to use them as a path to greater self-awareness. Mandala offers over 400 breathtaking color photographs of mandalas in manifestations from art, architecture, and nature -- from Buddhist paintings to the Pantheon to atomic structures, and explores how the mandala has been used throughout history and is relevant today as a tool for meditation, personal growth, and expression. Mandala features a gallery of worldwide contemporary mandala art accompanied by inspirational stories from the artists who created them, and provides exercises and examples of specific techniques for making one's own mandalas. Exploring the mandala can lead us on a journey to wholeness, helping us discover the center within ourselves and beyond.
