What is a māndala?

It means both circle and world in Sanskrit and expresses, in microcosmic form, a story of meaningful connections. Energy radiates out from the center and back in. Nothing is excluded. Māndalas are used for contemplation and visualization in Tibetan Buddhism, which is where I first encountered them. They exist in many spiritual traditions: the Medicine Wheel, the Mesa of South American shamans, the Rose Window, the Yantra from Hinduism, etc. 

I started making māndalas at a difficult time in my life as a sort of Dharma art therapy. I learned that a personal mandala represents the whole universe as experienced by the artist in that moment. The images that appeared on my paper were surprising and instructive. For example, there was more beauty and balance than I thought. 

Later in life I found myself frightened of sleeping. I’d been having nightmares. It occurred to me that I could make a māndala of friendly night beings to help usher me into sleep, like an enhanced portal for my mind. That’s how I got into making māndalas daily. I made māndalas that tracked the phases of the moon to attune myself and viewers to the rhythms of the natural world. Then I started drawing māndalas with thousands of tiny circles. I like the texture of the finished product as well as the meditative process of creating them. 

As someone who studied painting in college, it surprises me that most of my māndalas are made digitally. I have significant fatigue issues, and frequently need to take to my bed. Now, with an app on my phone, I can work supine.