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V. MANDALA
Mandala or 'Dan' or Bodhi Mandala is a complex term. It
literally means donation, gift, generosity, or a raised platform for
the purpose of worshipping.
In the Mahavairocana Sutra, Vajrapani Bodhisattva asked:
“Supreme master, why is this called Mandala?” Buddha replied,
“The place where Buddhas appear is called Mandala to indicate
the highest position possible”. In India, the procedure of
worshipping God starts with cleaning and flattening the ground.
In Secret Buddhism, a Mandala has other factors of ritual
such as the Yantra, the Three Mysteries, and the Four
Intelligences. Mandala is also called the “incomparable wheel”
complete with all of its gears which includes the axle, bolt,
spokes rim and ring circle. However the name for all of these
components is too long and people prefer the simple Sanskrit
term “Mandala”.
There are various structures of Mandala. The
Mahavairocana Sutra indicates 4 types: round, square, triangle
and crescent. The Vajrasekhara indicates 5 types: square, round,
triangle, lotus and diamond.
According to the Mahavairocana Sutra, the square Mandala
corresponds to earth; the round Mandala to water and space; the
triangular Mandala to fire, and the semi-circle Mandala to air or
wind. The square represents equality because the appearance of
the ground is square. The round represents complete fullness
because water and space are round. The triangle represents
submission because the fire burns up in a triangular shape. The
semi-circle represents elimination of disasters as the wind can
destroy all obstacles by knocking them down.