What is a Mandala?

The word “Mandala“ (language: Sanskrit) means: “What encircles a center.“

It is a symbolic circular structure with a center – a two-dimensional, abstract description. Originally the Mandala was used in a religious purpose (Re-ligio = reconnection with the source).
The abstraction of a Mandala leads to a deeper mental concentration and has an effect on the subconscious. Certain parts of the psyche are touched and stimulated through colour and form.
“Attachement to the ego“ (in Buddhism, the cause of all suffering) is considered to diminish while considering the symbolic abstraction.Mandalas are common in Hinduism, in Buddhism and Tibetan Buddhism, but are also found in Native American cultures. An orbital symbolism shows up as well in African cultures, old Nordic cultures and several other indigenous, shamanic traditions.

A recurrent, archetypical symbolism seems to exist worldwide, suggesting the existence of a common collective understanding among many different civilisations through all time.
The methods of “training consciousness“ seem to lead to similar cornerstones of awareness in different religions and spiritual methods, consistently expressed in a similar symbolism.
Also in modern science, several scientists (such as C.G. Jung) point to a common collective archetypical symbolism in their research.