Mandalas: the Buddhist wheels used in meditation

Mandalas are one of the artistic and cultural elements associated with meditation.

They are used in some Buddhist rituals, but it is also common to resort to them as a form of therapy. This can be confusing at first glance, so let's move on to see how the mandala is used and what it really is.

Related article: "35 Buddhist phrases to find inner peace"

What are mandalas?

Summing up a lot, mandalas are circular and concentric drawings related to symbolic elements of Hinduism or Buddhism.

Thus, all mandalas have a similar structure, which is usually a circle filled with symmetric and concentric figures. Beyond this, all mandalas can be created as the person who draws them wants, including certain details and not others, choosing the details, etc.

What does the word "mandala" mean?

The meaning of the term mandala has its origins in the Sanskrit language, and can be translated as "holy wheel". This simple fact already indicates the relationship between the mandala and religion, and it is that It is considered a symbol of healing and meditation, in addition to representing a facet of the cosmos

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This symbolism is reflected in the shapes that are presented in the mandala, all of them drawn inside a circle. Some shapes, such as spirals or stars, are associated with certain meanings, and the same occurs with the shades that are used when painting the mandalas.

In fact, the color palette used in the elaboration of a mandala symbolizes the nature of each one of the chackras that according to the cultures related to Hinduism occupy different parts of the Body. Thus, blue represents the fifth chakra and the feeling of calm, red symbolizes the first chakra and is related to passion, etc.

Beyond the classic representation of mandalas, which is usually circular, also there are other types of mandalas with alternative shapes, such as with a square-shaped outline. However, in all these drawings their direction from the outline towards the center is always emphasized and vice versa.

Mandalas and meditation

Knowing the symbolic nature of the elements that make up a mandala, one can come to think that these are simple pieces of folklore. However, it is not necessary to embrace mystical beliefs to use mandalas. Because yes, these wheel-shaped drawings have a use beyond religion.

As with relaxation techniques, virtually all meditation exercises they focus on one basic task: managing attention and having an effect on normally automatic bodily processes, such as breathing.

The use of mandalas is no exception in this regard, and their use during meditation sessions implies that we fully concentrate on them. In this way, drawing mandalas resembles some forms of entering a trance used in all kinds of religions.

The usefulness of the mandala

Thus, the use of mandalas is relatively simple, since it basically serves to be drawn and painted. That is, what is useful is not so much the mandala itself as the process of creating these figures and their coloring.

Of course, the way in which the act of drawing and painting mandalas is useful, however, it is a personal and totally subjective matter, since its use cannot be equated to the use of scientifically validated therapeutic proposals. For something is that mandalas are the result of religion and popular culture, and not of the years of research carried out from the use of the scientific method.