The Kalachakara Mandala

Composed of millions of particles of brightly colored sand, the Kalachakra mandala is created by Tibetan Buddhists as a visual aid for meditation. Mandalas are utilized to visualize specific aspects of Buddhist teachings. Buddhism emphasizes practicing mindfulness, wisdom and compassion as well as the possibility of achieving enlightenment by letting go of suffering. Enlightenment is viewed as a goal which is beneficial to all beings. In other words, when one practices Buddhism it is not only meant to be helpful to oneself, but for everyone else as well.

"Kalachakra" means "Wheel of Time" and refers to a prophetic vision of the spread of Buddhism as well as the deity named Kalachakra. The wheel of time mandala is a symbolic representation of Kalachakra, his palace and the beings who reside within. This mandala is part of a series of complex Tibetan Buddhist teachings which originally appeared in India in the 11th century AD. According to tradition, the Buddha taught the 12,000 verse Kalachakra teaching to the king of Shambhala. Shambhala is a mythical place, referred to as the pure land, or land of enlightenment. It is said to have been shaped like a giant eight-petaled lotus, filled with rivers, lakes, meadows and forests and surrounded by snow-covered mountains. The king of Shambala passed the teaching onto others and by the mid-4th century the text had been translated 15 or 16 times, making it one of the most popular Buddhist treatises. For many Tibetan Buddhists, Kalachakra is a personification of the Buddha in his highest form. According to the Dalai Lama, the Kalachakra initiation has a special significance for world peace.

The Kalachakra mandala is a tantra, or teaching of Tibetan Buddhism. Tantric practice is designed to create a basis of inner peace and spiritual well being, leading to enlightenment. Practitioners meditate to clear their minds and then generate images of themselves a different manifestations of the Buddha. The Kalachakra mandala is a tool which enables practitioners to visualize the beneficial qualities of the deity’s state of mind. If we look at the symbolism of the mandala we can understand more about tantric practice and the goals and ideas of Tibetan Buddhism.

Mandala means circle in Sanskrit. The Tibetan word for mandala is "kyilkhor" and refers to the center and its surrounding environment. Mandalas can be two- or three-dimensional, constructed out of stone, jewels, rice, flowers, colored sand, wood, metal or other materials. The outermost ring of the Kalachakra mandala represents fire which surrounds the mandala and protects it. Within the fire ring lie circles of different colors which represent the other elements: space, wind, fire, water and earth. Within the elemental circles are squares which represent the five story palace of Kalachakra. Surrounding the palace are four crescent shaped gardens, which are offerings to the deities within. The palace itself is composed of five distinct square mandalas, one for each floor. Each floor has its own symbolic meaning. The first floor, or outermost square, is the Mandala of the Enlightened Body. The second floor, which is just inside the first floor, is the Mandala of Enlightened Speech. The third floor is the Mandala of Enlightened Mind. The fourth floor represents the Mandala of Enlightened Wisdom. The fifth and central floor is the Mandala of Enlightened Bliss. There are 722 deities which reside in the Kalachakra mandala. They are all represented by Sanskrit seed syllables, except for Kalachakra. He is represented by a vajra or thunderbolt scepter. Kalachakra resides on the fifth floor with his consort, Vishvamata, with whom he is united in perpetual bliss.

Construction of the Kalachakra mandala is a rigorous and demanding process. Trained monks prepare themselves and the space where they will create the mandala by praying and meditating. Using chalk, charcoal or pencil, the center of the mandala is marked with the intersection of two perpendicular lines. Two diagonal lines are added to the original axis. Then the outlines of the palace are drawn, creating a type of blueprint or plan. Monks start in the center, using colored sand to describe the Mandala of the Enlightened Mind and then build the mandala out to the edges. In ancient Tibet, monks used sand ground from brightly colored stones to create the mandala. Today, white stones are ground and dyed with opaque watercolors to produce bright tones. Fourteen colors are used—white, black and dark, medium and light—each of blue, red, yellow and green. The mandala is divided into quadrants, articulated by the different colors. Black in the east represents wind, red in the south represents fire, yellow in the west represents earth and white in the north represents water, blue and green denote the center. Contemporary monks use two chakpus, long metal funnels invented in the 18th century to release sand onto the mandala. One chakpu is filled with sand and the other is carefully rubbed against it, creating a flow of sand. Before that monks used their fingers to position the sand. Monks use a wooden tool called a shinga to straighten edges and lines of sand. For the tiniest designs and intricate details, pins are employed.

Kalachakra mandalas are constructed by Tibetan Buddhist monks in secular and non-secular settings. The Kalachakra initiation consists of several days of a complex series of visualizations. Throughout the initiation, the purification of body, speech and mind is emphasized as well as the intent to become enlightened for the sake of all beings. Part of the teaching is organized into seven initiations which relate to the following seven events in a child’s life: the first bath, the first haircut, a child’s ears being pierced, talk and laughter, a child’s enjoyment of the five senses, naming a child and a child’s first reading lesson. Participants are encouraged to visualize the Kalachakra mandala during daily meditation. One very challenging goal is to visualize the mandala lucidly in every detail in an image the size of a mustard seed for as long as desired. Upon completion of the Kalachakra initiation or the exhibition of the sand mandala, the mandala is completely dismantled. First all of the 722 deities are removed. Then monks sweep the sand into a consecrated vessel along the original lines which marked the center and the diagonals. The sand is carried to a body of water where it is deposited as a blessing. Dismantling the mandala emphasizes the role of impermanence and acknowledges the transitory nature of life.

Key Terms

Buddhism -(see definition on p. 23)

Buddha - Shakyamuni Buddha is the founder of Buddhism, an enlightened being, someone who has fulfilled his or her potential to experience absolute wisdom

chakpu - A funnel through which sand is released to create the mandala

compassion - A deep feeling of sharing suffering with another, sympathy

deity - A buddha or bodhisattva visualized in practice to aid the practitioner in the development of enlightened qualities

enlightenment - Complete awakening of the mind

Kalachakra - The Wheel of Time mandala, also a deity

mandala - The sacred environment of a deity, a circular design which symbolizes of the universe

monk - Member of a religious brotherhood living in a monastery and/or devoted to a discipline prescribed by his order

Shambhala - Mythical pure land of enlightenment

vajra - Scepter symbolizing indestructibility

wisdom - Understanding what is true, right and lasting. Good judgement

Making a Mandala

Objectives

1. Students will understand the tradition of the Kalachakra mandala and the role it plays in Tibetan Buddhist tradition (historical and cultural understanding).

2. Students will learn about the materials that are used to create the mandala and what the forms and designs represent (perceiving, analyzing and responding).

3. Students will explore line, shape, color, design and symbolism to create their own mandala (creating and performing).

Materials

11" x 14" colored railroad board (preferably red, blue, white, green or yellow); white and regular pencils; erasers; pre-cut shapes for tracing 9", 4 ", and 2 " diameter circles; 6 ", 3" & 1 " squares and 7 ", 3 ", and 1 " equilateral triangles (these shape sizes are designed to fit inside each other); compass, rulers, small glue bottles, glue brushes, and toothpicks; and colored sand (blue, yellow, red, green, black & white) in clear plastic bottles or in envelopes with a corner cut out, containers for extra sand.

Motivation

1. Look at a map of the world or Asia. Ask the question, "Where is Tibet?" Get a student to point to the Tibetan Autonomous Region. Mention the lack of official country borders around the TAR and ask the students why they do not exist.

2. Pass around pictures of Tibet (you can buy a calendar of Tibetan images) and talk about the landscape, the way people dress and whatever else the imagery brings up. Ask what the word culture means.

3. Explain that Buddhism is central to the Tibetan culture and sense of identity. Show a picture of a buddha and explain that wisdom and compassion are central to the eachings of Buddhism. Ask what wisdom and compassion mean.

4. Look at the Kalachakra sand mandala and images of other Tibetan Buddhist mandalas. Discuss the following questions:

5. Explain that Tibetan Buddhists use mandalas to help them imagine where a deity lives and what his or her characteristics are. Deities are like superheroes and Kalachakra is a powerful expression of wisdom and compassion. Mandalas are designed to encourage feelings of peacefulness and well being. Discuss images of mandalas in relation to the types of feelings they elicit in your students. Try to imagine the mandala as a three-dimensional palace.

6. Have students imagine the idea of a peaceful place, an ideal home or another positive feeling. What are the elements of that place, home or feeling? How can they use shapes to represent the elements of their idea?

7. Explain that mandala means circle in Sanskrit. In Tibetan the word for circle is kyilkhor, which means the center and a line around it. Show students different ways of making circles, with a compass and a pencil and string tied to it.

Procedure

1. Each student gets a board and traces a circle shape.

2. Starting in the center, students draw a favorite shape or image, like their cat or dog, or use one of the pre-cut geometric shapes to create a central focus.

3. Students continue to add to the mandala by tracing the pre-cut shapes or adding their own designs.

4. When the drawing for the mandala is finished, students start to apply glue to the central shape.

5. After the glue is applied, students sprinkle one color of sand lightly on the glue. Shake the excess sand carefully into a container.

6. Students continue to apply glue and sprinkle sand until their mandala is completed.

Evaluation

Group the students in front of their work. Have them look at the mandalas and decide which ones they like in particular and why. Explain that you will be calling on them to point to a mandala and say what it is they like about it, form, color, composition, etc., but if the mandala they wanted to talk about has already been selected, they have to talk about a different one. Call on students and proceed until all the mandalas have been discussed.

Display the mandalas without titles, but with blank index cards under each one. Have students invent titles for the mandalas which are not their own and write them on the index cards. Each artist chooses the title he/she feels is the best for his or her work. Display the mandalas with the most appropriate titles. Discuss the relevance of each mandala in relation to the artist’s intention, design and title.

Curriculum Connections

Transfer the mandala design to a printmaking format such as silkscreen (for junior high and high school students) styrofoam or block printing. Print mandalas on T-shirts, paper and fabric. (Creative Arts)

Look for circular forms in nature and the immediate environment. Have students draw and/or photograph circular forms they encounter. Create a poster of the images and display it in the classroom. Discuss the functions of circular forms and their relevance in the function and design of organic and non-organic materials. (Science)

Part of the Kalachakra tantra involves seven initiations that relate to important events in childhood (see text). Discuss the notion of important childhood events with your students. Have them write down what things happen to most children which they think are very important. (Social Studies)

Play circle games. Dance circle dances. (Physical education)

Sing rounds. (Music)

Use the mandalas as inspiration for creative writing. Have your students look at their mandalas and free associate, writing down as many words that describe their work as possible. They can use their word lists to create descriptive paragraphs or poems. (Language Arts)

Look at mandalas from other cultures such as Indian and Native American. Compare and contrast the similarities and differences. How do the mandalas reflect the values of the cultures that create them? (Social Studies)

Observe the mandalas the students made as a group. Discuss their similarities and differences based on color and design. Use overlapping circular diagrams to organize the results of your discussion. Older students may determine the dimensions and area of their mandalas. (Math)