The Mandala is a representation of the universe and everything in it; it is the most basic form in nature. Khyil-khor is the Tibetan word for Mandala and means "Center of the Universe in which a fully awakened being abides." Circles suggest wholeness, unity, the womb, completion and eternity.
They are used as tools for reconsecrating the earth and its inhabitants, and are formed of a traditional prescribed iconography that includes geometric shapes and a multitude of ancient spiritual symbols. In general, all Mandalas have outer, inner and secret meanings.
On the outer level they represent the world in its divine form; on the inner level they represent a map by which the ordinary human mind is transformed into enlightened mind; and on the secret level they depict the perfect balance of the subtle energies of the body and the clear light dimension of the mind.
The Mandala originates as art- and meditation form probably in ancient Tibet but the more we'll look the more we'll find them in ancient cultures all over our planet. We'll find them through the microscope looking at a snowflake, in the wheel of a bicycle and in the mysterious stone circles of Ancient Times. The Mandala lies at the core of our human preception of what is whole, the beginning and the end, the infinite
The Traditional Mandala is a complex design that is used in religious practice for meditation or contemplation.
The images are prescribed by tradition and are drawn, painted, modeled as in sand sculpture, or danced.
Plastic structures of this kind are to be found, for instance in Tibetan Buddhism, and as dance figures these circular patterns occur also in Dervish monasteries.
Wherever a center is found
radiating outward and inward, there is wholeness--a mandala.Representing the universe itself, a mandala is both the microcosm and the macrocosm, and we are all part of its intricate design. The mandala is more than an image seen with our eyes; it is an actual moment in time. It can be can be used as a vehicle to explore art, science, religion and life itself. The mandala contains an encyclopedia of the finite and a road map to infinity.