Gaudy Mandala
Acryl on paper
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Symbolism of lotus
Lotus
The lotus
is an ancient polyvalent
symbol in Asian culture. Hindus revere it with the gods Vishnu,
Brahma and to a
lesser degree Kubera,
and the goddesses Lakshmi
and Sarasvati .
Often used as an example of divine beauty and purity,
Vishnu is often described as the 'Lotus-Eyed One'. The lotus springs
from the navel of Vishnu
whilst he is in Yoga
Nidra. The lotus blooms uncovering the creator god Brahma in
padmasana.
Its unfolding petals suggest the expansion of the soul. The growth of
its pure beauty from the mud of its origin holds a benign spiritual
promise. Particularly Brahma and Lakshmi, the divinities of potency
and wealth, have the lotus symbol associated with them.
The lotus flower is one of the Vajrayana Ashtamangala,
representative of creation and cosmic renewal and 'primordial purity'
(Wylie: ka dag) and shares in the chakra
and mandala
symbolism of the Dharmachakra,
is also cited extensively within Puranic
and Vedic
literature, for example:
One who performs his duty without attachment, surrendering the results unto the Supreme Lord, is unaffected by sinful action, as the lotus is untouched by water.
—Bhagavad Gita 5.10:
This has also taken root in Chinese cultures with a famous
statement made by the 11th
century Confucian
scholar Zhou Dunyi:
"I love the lotus because while growing from mud, it is
unstained."
The padma is held to be a flower with a thousand petals and is
therefore associated with the Sahasrara
and indeed all the chakra. The padma appears as an endemic dais upon
which deities rest and indeed upon which Hindu
iconography is founded.
In Buddhist
symbolism the lotus is symbolic of purity of the body,
speech, and mind as while rooted in the mud, its flowers blossom
on long stalks as if floating above the muddy waters of attachment
and desire. It is also symbolic of detachment as drops of water
easily slide off its petals.
It is also to be noted that most Buddhist,
Chinese, Hindu, Japanese, amongst other Asian deities are often are
depicted as seated on a lotus flower. According to legend, Gautama
Buddha was born with the ability to walk and everywhere he
stepped, lotus flowers bloomed.
Mandalas in Architecture
The Buddhist stupa
In architecture the Buddhist stupa is the oldest and most prevalent form to reflect the structure and flow of the mandala. Stupas are a dome shaped structure designed to hold sacred relics.
You can also see the structural representation of a mandala
in the construction of most cathedrals and churches of 12th century.
These are structures build around a center point and include beautiful
stained glass rose windows. These windows reflect a great spiritual
presence.
Tibetan Mandalas
Tibetan Mandalas
The Tibetan Monks are most famous for creating mandalas
from colored sand. Monks study for about three years to learn all the
symbols to be used in creation of a mandala. They learn the geometric
shapes to be used and strive to become one with their work as they add
sand to the creation. In most cases, four monks create four sections of
the mandala each, with a helper that colors in the outlines they make
in the mandala. The eight must work as one person and that is the
beauty of creating the mandala in the first place.
It is interesting to know that after spending weeks and weeks making the Tibetan sand mandalas
a broom is taken to the creation and the sand is collected and taken
to the nearest body of water. It released into the water so that all
that use the water will benefit from the blessings of the mandala.
Think of the mentality of those monks that created the masterpiece
only to have it brushed away. This would truly take a feat of
selflessness.
There are a set of plans and instructions for creating mandalas
within each spiritual entity. There are set symbols and set rituals
for creating the symbols. There is often a set order in which to place
the symbols. Constructing a mandala is sometimes painstakingly intense, yet that is the beauty of creating one.
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