After the Buddha’s death, his followers spread his teachings throughout southeast Asia, reaching China, Korea, Japan, and eventually Tibet by the seventh century C.E. Siddhartha Gautama, better known as the “the Buddha,” was born in Nepal, India, and founded Buddhism. The very first mandalas date back to the first century B.C.E. In fact, mandalas have their roots in Hindu and Buddhist teachings. A mandala is also an important symbol in many different cultures, playing a significant role in the consecrated rituals of Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism. Many of these exercises can be found in mandala coloring pages. Mandalas often serve as tools in spiritual and psychological practices such as meditation. Mandalas can be either geometrically precise or organic and free-flowing.Ī mandala can be a visual representation of the universe as well as a symbol of the internal world. The outer circle imitates the circular nature of many things in the organic world: the Moon, the Sun, a water droplet, or a flower. The center of the mandala suggests the beginning of a journey or life itself. The repetitive nature of mandalas represents the endlessness of the universe, an idea, or an individual themselves. They can also take the form of a square with a gate on each side. According to the Ancient History Encyclopedia, the word mandala is Sanskrit for “circle.” Mandalas often take the form of a circle with multiple hues, patterns, and geometric shapes radiating outwards from the center.
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