The golden wheel and a pair of deer

Dharma wheel or "kore-low" in the Tibetan word. The golden wheel or Dharma wheel symbolizes the auspiciousness of the turning of the precious wheel of Buddha's doctrine, both in its teachings and realizations, in all realms and at all times, enabling beings to experience the joy of wholesome deeds and liberation.

This golden wheel is also called the Dharma chakra or the Dhamma chakka and is often used to represent Buddha himself. It has also universally become the symbol for Buddhism. The Dharma wheel has eight spokes, which represent Buddha’s Eightfold Path. 

The Golden Dharma Wheel With A Pair of Deer

As Buddhists, when visiting a monastery, the first thing we see is a pair of male and female deer at either side of an eight-spokes Dharma wheel at then highest point of the monastery root.

Regarding the essential meaning of the Dharma wheel, from a historical perspective it is said to have been offered in the form of a thousand-spoke wheel to Buddha Shakyamuni by heavenly god Brahma when requesting Buddha to teach the sacred Dharma. 

At that moment, from the forest came a pair of male and female deer, the deer is also commonly known as the "krishnasara antelope" of compassion. With unblinking gaze, the pair of deer looked at the wheel with joy and delight and subsequently, Shakyamuni Buddha related the noble eightfold path with the wheel.

Likewise, the Buddha related the male and female beings whose mind streams are touched by the path with the pair of deer. Ever since then, the golden Dharma wheel flanked by a pair of deer has been a special symbol for Buddhists.

The symbolism of the deer

The male (on the right) and female (on the left) deer represent both male and female disciples who one-pointedly enjoy and take pleasure in listening to the teachings of the sacred Dharma. The pair of deer represent skillful means and wisdom, Buddha hood can be attained.

The symbolism of the Dharma wheel

The eight-spokes wheel represents the first turning of the Dharma wheel by the Buddha Shakyamuni.The interior eight-spokes Dharma wheel represent the moral conduct of discipline from among the Three Trainings. The intermediate eight-spokes represent the training in wisdom and the noble eightfold path.

The outer eight-spokes Dharma wheel represent the training in samadhi or meditative concentration stage. The entirely of the Buddha's teachings are contained within the Three Trainings and noble eightfold path.

In brief, just as all the world's different religions and countries have their own symbols and insignia, the Dharma wheel with the pair of deer is the sign of Buddhism. Furthermore, this symbol was also the seal of the glorious Buddhist University of Nalanda in India long ago.

Thank you for reading, may you find peace and great bliss. With your support it helps to spread the Buddha’s precious teachings and turning the Dharma wheels in the world.

Aspiration For Bodhichitta

For those in whom the precious Bodhichitta has not arisen

May it arise and not decrease

But increase further and further.

Dedication of Merit

By this merit may we obtain omniscience then.

Having defeated the enemies wrong-doings.

May we liberate migratory from the ocean of existence.

With its stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness and death.

*Note

I do not own or infringe any copyright of these pictures.

Pictures courtesy and credit to the rightful distributors and or studios.

Pictures are intended for editorial use only.

Nurturing compassion - Releasing and saving lives

Actually, you are the Buddha. Not such an effective Buddha, perhaps, but... a Buddha, a small Buddha... We need to nurture our inner Buddha, our child Buddha.” 

Nurturing Compassion Book - His Holiness The 17th Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje

It is said that in the past in India, there lived a king named Trichen, who enjoyed eating meat so fresh that the blood was still warm, and he has killed ten thousand animals for his craved.  Through the karmic ripening of these actions, the king Trichen was reborn in Vajra Hell, one of the eighteen hell realms, where the extent of his sufferings such that the King died a hundred times and each time he fell back into hell as he revived.

The venerable Ananda saw the sufferings of him and asked the Buddha about it. The Buddha replied, This is the karmic ripening of a man who enjoyed killing and eating fresh meat and who enjoyed killing animals. Ananda asked the Buddha Shakyamuni , is there any way to liberate the "king" ? Buddha replied, "if you want to liberate this man from hell, save the lives  of animals in the worldly realms and he will be freed, so, Ananda saved many lives for the king's benefit, and the king was liberated from Vajra Hell. 

What is lives releasing ?
Generally, there is no difference in the size or species of any animals to be saved. However, buying and liberating animals that were certainly destined to be killed by butchers in a slaughterhouse naturally brings the greatest benefits.

Life release is a Buddhist tradition of saving lives of animals that are destined to be killed. Although every life is precious, the fact of being alive inevitably causes taking lives of other beings. We cannot completely prevent this situation because as long as we walk, breath, eat, and so forth, we cause the deaths of many creatures. However,  we can cultivate mindfulness, and try to reduce taking lives to the best of our ability. We can also offer a gift of life and protection through the practice of life release.

No matter what our lifestyle, we can do this practice. It benefits those who offer the gift of life as well as those who receive it. Regardless of what religion, we practice, its result will be strengthened if the practice is concluded with an aspiration that all beings without exception enjoy happiness and a life free from any harm.

If we are Buddhists, we dedicate the merit from the practice of life release for the benefit of all beings, to the long life of Buddhist teachers and to His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama and His Holiness 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje in particular, we dedicate the practice to His Holiness long life, and to the flourishing of his activity in the world.

His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje said that the meaning of life release is broad, that the practice can be done in a variety of ways, and that we should use our intelligence in deciding what way is most suitable in our particular circumstance. His Holiness has also encouraged His students to engage in saving lives through abstaining (at least periodically) from eating meat and in his address about protecting the environment, His Holiness the 17th Gyalwa Karmapa encouraged the Sangha to engage in planting trees as a form of activity that accords with the spirit of life release.

How to do the practice? The practice has two aspects:-
1. The act of saving lives, 
2. The blessing of the prayers that accompany life release. 

When releasing animals such as animals, fish, bait fish, insects, earthworms, please make sure that the species you are releasing the native to your locations. Invasive species are plants or animals that do not belong where humans have intentionally or accidentally brought them and the effects are immense, insidious, irreversible.

IUCN, the World Conservation Union, states that the impacts of alien invasive species are immense, insidious, and usually irreversible. They may be as damaging to native species and ecosystems on a global scale as the loss and degradation of habitats. Hundreds of extinctions have been caused by invasive alien species. The ecological cost is the irretrievable loss of native species and ecosystems.

At the time of saving a life, Lamas or Rinpoches and so forth will cleanse the animals by wafting the smoke of burning incense over them and burning juniper, throw charmed mustard seeds and so on in order to expel obstructing spirits, and perform ablution rituals. The Lamas will then recite the ritual chant such as the Long Life Amitayus Buddha's sutra or Dharani and aspire that the animals may enjoy long lives. They will then remove the halters from their heads, the saddles from their back and so on, and vow never again to make use of these animals, and then send them off.

When is the right time to save "lives" ?
Every day should be a good and meaningful day for practising and saving lives. If according to the Tibetan traditions,  the main days of the Tibetan lunar calendar for releasing animals are (-)

1. 8th  ( Medicine Buddha and Arya Taras day ) 
2. 10th ( Guru Rinpoche day )
3. 15th ( Amitabha Buddha and full moon day )
4. 25th ( Dakini day )
5. 29th ( Dharmapala day )
6. 30th and 1st ( Shakyamuni day )
7. The Four Great Miracle Buddha's Days 
8. Any Buddhist festivals

This is because if one free animals on these days, the resulting virtue is hundred, thousand, ten millions times greater  than other days. If one who is unable to attend for releasing lives on such auspicious days, it is advised that you should have observed or practised for  a full vegetarian diet - including no onion, garlic, egg

His Holiness The 17th Gyalwang Karmapa, Ogyen Trinley Dorje himself a pure vegetarian, then turned to his own life as an example. “When I spoke about this, I was primarily thinking about the way I lead my own life. I can’t really do anything about how other people lead their lives, but in terms of thinking about myself there are some reasons for this.” 

He then explained two key reasons that he personally does not eat meat. The first reason is the intense suffering that the animals who are killed go through. Every single day millions of animals are killed to feed us, and many are subjected to terrible conditions to provide us with food. Just a few days previously the Gyalwang Karmapa had shared a story of how, as a child in Tibet, when animals were killed for his family’s food he felt unbearable, pure compassion for them.

The second reason he doesn’t eat meat, the Gyalwang Karmapa continued, is because of his Mahayana training in seeing all sentient beings as his mothers. “We say I am going to do everything I can free sentient beings from suffering. We say I am going to do this. We make the commitment. We take the vow. Once we have taken this vow, if then, without thinking anything about it, we just go ahead and eat meat, then that is not right It is something that we need to think about very carefully.” 

Benefits of Releasing Lives.
The benefits obtained by releasing the lives of animals are similar to the benefits obtained by holding full monastic vows. By freeing a single life, a single rebirth in the lower realms is purified. Even if one has committed the harmful actions in this world, the act of saving lives  can purify  those harmful actions and obscurations.

If one releases life on behalf of someone, whose life is coming to an end, their life will be extended. At the same time, in the sutras, it is said that killing  a single liberated animal ( i.e , an animal that has been released ) is equal to killing  one hundred animals, and that such an action brings countless other negative karmic consequences. 

Thank you for reading, may you find peace and great bliss. With your support it helps to spread the Buddha’s precious teachings and turning the Dharma wheels in the world.

Aspiration For Bodhichitta
For those in whom the precious Bodhichitta has not arisen
May it arise and not decrease
But increase further and further.

Dedication of Merit
By this merit may we obtain omniscience then.
Having defeated the enemies wrong-doings.
May we liberate migrators from the ocean of existence.
With its stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness and death.

*Note
I do not own or infringe any copyright of these pictures.
Pictures courtesy and credit to the rightful distributors and or studios.
Pictures are intended for editorial use only.

The Flowers offerings

I pray to the Buddha with these flowers;

May this virtue be helpful for my emancipation;

Just as these flowers fade,

Our body will undergo decay.

In Buddhism, symbolic offerings are made to the Triple Gem, giving rise to contemplative gratitude and inspiration. The type of material offerings involve simple objects such as a lit candle or oil lamp, burning incense, flowers, food, fruit, water. 

Why we give offerings to the Enlightened ones -The Buddhas?

The  Buddhas and the Enlightened beings they do not requiring these kind of offerings. We make these offerings is for accumulation of merits and wisdoms, enlightenment, Buddha hood, is achieved through these great qualities - accumulation and purification. As we knew the Buddhas had limitless of qualities which were attained through these two mentioned qualities.

From the traditional of Buddhist framework of karma and rebirth, offerings also lead us to a better rebirth in the cycle of birth and death and progress towards release from suffering. We are offering the best of something or something affordable to the enlightened ones,  so that we can one day, aspire to attain liberation like the Buddhas, Bodhisattvas.

The act of offering is an act of Dana. An act of generosity to the:-

1. Buddha himself – the Perfectly Enlightened One. 
2. To the Dharma – the Truth. 
3. To the Noble Enlightened Ones-the Great Compassion of Bodhisattvas.

In the Vajrayana and Mahayana traditions, flower offerings might be imbued with the following indications:-

Flowers are the most beautiful things in the world, we are offering the most beautiful things in the world to the Buddhas. When they fade, it is also a reminder those things of the world also fade,   it has reminded us of the teaching that “Whatever is of the nature to arise is also of the nature to cease”.  

Flowers represents the aspiration to achieve the body of the Buddha with the thirty-two marks of the Buddha as well as the teaching of impermanence.

From the sutra Distinguishing the Aspects of Karma (Lanam Je): There are ten benefits of offering flowers to the Buddhas, statues, stupas, scriptures, holy places and monastery. 

1. One becomes like a flower in the world. (You will be very beautiful; everyone will be attracted and amazed to look at you and will remember seeing you.)
2. The sense of smell will never degenerate. (Some people have sicknesses in the nose so that the sense of smell doesn’t function.)
3. One will never have bad body odor. (This will be completely purified.)
4. A smell of scented nectar will come from the body.
5. The smell of the morality of the person will spread in all directions and corners.
6. One will be a leader of the world. (One will be a leader of people, of the world, of holy beings.)
7. One will achieve beautiful attractive things.
8. One will have great wealth.
9. One will be reborn in a higher rebirth.
10. One will quickly achieve the sorrow less state and achieve enlightenment, the great liberation.

Thank you for reading, may you find peace and great bliss. With your support it helps to spread the Buddha’s precious teachings and turning the Dharma wheels in the world.

Aspiration For Bodhichitta

For those in whom the precious Bodhichitta has not arisen

May it arise and not decrease

But increase further and further.

Dedication of Merit

By this merit may we obtain omniscience then.

Having defeated the enemies wrong-doings.

May we liberate migratory from the ocean of existence.

With its stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness and death.

*Note

I do not own or infringe any copyright of these pictures.

Pictures courtesy and credit to the rightful distributors and or studios.

Pictures are intended for editorial use only.

The Fire Puja Offerings

Fire Puja offerings are ritual offerings of smoke, smell and flaming made Offering to the Four Guests:-

• First, to all Buddhas and Bodhisattvas throughout the ten directions (ordinate and cardinal directions plus above and below) and the three times (past, present and future) as well as to the Yidam deities of all the Mandalas.
• Secondly, you are offering to the Dharmapalas, the Dharma protectors , wisdom Dakinis, and very high spiritual gods who protect the Dharma.
• The third class of guests includes all sentient beings, particularly local worldly deities and elemental worldly spirits.
• Finally, you are offering to hungry ghosts and to beings with whom you are karmically indebted.

There are three different types of fire-related pujas:-

1. Smoke Offering (Sang)
2. Smell Offering (Sur)
3. Fire Offering (Jinsek)

The major principle of fire Pujas is offering. One casts onto a fire and flame a dry powder of juniper, rhododendron, and other plants, mixed with the three white [milk, yogurt and butter] and the three sweets [honey, molasses and white sugar]. You put the food and whatever ingredients in the fire. As the fire burns it, it is totally consumed and in this way it is offered.

In the "Sang" - You are offering the smoke, in the "Sur" - You are offering the smell or scent. In the "Jinsek" - You are offering fire itself, the flame itself, and burning itself.  If one is making the sang and sur offerings, consistency is important as the guests for whom the offerings are made come to anticipate the ceremony. 

However, the inability to carry out the practice daily or even weekly should not dissuade one from making the offering as often as one is able. Also, it is always possible to make donations to the lamas at the monasteries, temple to carry out the practices on the behalf of yourself or others, including whatever prayers, Puja you wish.

Smoke offerings (Sang) 

Sang is mainly dedicated to what is referred to as “elemental spirits”– the gods of the mountain, the gods of the sky, the gods of the river, and the gods of all aspects– and “local deities.

Though only seen through expansive and refined sense perceptions, we can experience these classes of beings through observing signs in the natural world. including animals, features of the land, and weather patterns.  In addition to these particular guests, we also offer to the aforementioned “four guests”.

Where and when is Sang best offered

Sang is generally practiced in the daylight hours (usually before noon) and offered near one’s dwelling or on the top of a mountain. It can be offered anywhere that one wishes to renew and repair the connection with the elemental constituents of the area. 

The offering and intention create the causes and conditions for harmonious internally among the beings that inhabit the place, as well as externally in the environment itself. In this way, it can be an important step in the process of purifying gross and subtle levels of environmental pollution.  

The offering can also effect change in the experience of the beings that inhabit the place, for example, healing discord in one’s family or pacifying animals and pests.

What is offered

It is very important for the Sang offering to be clean. The offering of the short morning fire Puja can be quite small, a few teaspoons of the “sangdze” (Tibetan word literally means offering substance) is sufficient, though elaborate versions can consist of 10 or more large trays of heaped offerings along with beer and wine.  We then infinitely expand the offerings by visualizing them as billowing clouds that fill the extent of space.

What substance to offer

The offering substance, consists of a mixture of “the three white” and “the three sweet”

The three white substances are  flour, butter, yogurt.

The three sweet substances are  sugar, molasses, and honey.

Other substances are included of incense, 5 colored cloths, medicine, alcohol, and precious stones or jewels. 

What not to offer

No onion, garlic, meat, or eggs. A minor eggs ingredient that has made in some baked goods can be allowed.

Smell or scent offering (Sur)

Is mainly dedicated to the unseen beings and spirits that including the hungry ghosts that with whom you have a karmic debts.

Where and when is Sur best offered

Offered in locations similar to those of Sang.

Typically offered in the afternoon or evening. 

Offerings and prayers are given on behalf of the deceased loved ones throughout the entire 49 days that they may exist in the intermediate Bardo state. It is a common practice among Tibetan Buddhists to make personal offerings for their deceased loved ones to relieve  from attachment to their previous existence and facilitate an auspicious rebirth.  

What is offered

It is ideally consists of all kinds of food and drink that beings desire, including meat and alcohol.  Vegetarian food will be ideally and a better way of offering. In this way one can practice compassion and Bodhichita by abstaining of killing and animals scarified.

As with any practice, the merit generated is multiplied by the number of people who participate in the chanting or donation of offerings.  Everyone is welcome to assist in the preparations of the fire and offerings. This can include procuring the wood as well as purchasing the food.

Fire offering ( Jinsek )

Fire Puja, or fire offering, is a ritual practice of offering into the fire, a ritual of generously burning offerings, using the fire element to accomplish an enlightened action quickly and powerfully. 

According to the secret Vajrayana teachings include the practice of Jinsek. Every item offered in burning Pujas is good for some purpose.

What substance to offer

By offerings grains pacify sickness and to give strength.

By offerings crepe grass to gain healthy long life.

By offerings Kusha grass to purify pollutions.

By offerings butter to gain wealth.

There are various substances that are offered to the deity during the fire Puja. Each mentioned substance has the potential power to affect your life. Like this, all the substances offered are to actualize different potentials and types of success.

There are four Jinseks of fire Pujas are performed to accomplish the enlightened activities. Each Jinsek is performed by a different lama and corresponds with specific colors, directions, times of day and energies.  The benefits of performing Jinseks, or even making a connection with them, are immense, both relatively and ultimately.

The four Jinseks practices 

1) Pacifying (Zhiway Jinsek in the morning)

"Heals imbalances of physical elements that result in sickness; removes negative energy for us personally and the world in general; pacifies karmic defilements of countless lifetimes and liberates us from unwanted circumstances."

2) Wrathful (Drakpo Jinsek in the evening )

"All enemies, obstructed and those who bring harm both to worldly life and the path of enlightenment are eliminated and liberated.

3) Magnetizing (Wang-gi Jinsek in the afternoon)

"Any worldly desirable qualities and glorious qualities of the Dharma path, such as meditative experience, realization and enlightened wisdom qualities are magnetized and brought under one's control."   

4) Enriching (Gyaybay Jinsek in the morning) 

"Longevity, merit, glory, wealth, splendor, powerful influence, fame, good reputation, wisdom and all enlightened qualities are enriched and expanded."

Generally, the burning Puja is offered at the end of great nearing retreats, three-year retreats, or short retreats of the enlightened being deities. These retreats are done with mantra recitation that brings you closer to the deity. 

The fire Puja is offered to restore parts of the practice that were left out, or mantras that have been incorrectly recited or mixed up, performed with unclear concentration. It also generally purifies defilements and negative karma.

*Footnote

For those who had received the empowerment of this Tantric practice, you are reminded not intentionally or unintentionally to disclose the mantra to the public or anyone who may not have the empowerment or permission to practice, and by disclosing the mantra intentionally or unintentionally is a form of breaking your Tantric Samaya vows to the lineage masters and Dharma protectors. 

Please consult your Guru or a qualified lineage master for Vajrayana practice! Should a devotee even want to start studying and contemplating the Vajrayana practice, then it is truly necessary to first have completed the preliminaries and to be certain and sure that Bodhicitta has arisen and developed in one’s mind.

Vajrayana features countless skillful and powerful methods which, if they are practiced in the proper way, can make the process of accumulation and purification incredibly swift and direct. It is absolutely necessary to have the pure motivation and to know that Vajrayana practice is not carried out to increase one’s own ego, power and self-interest.

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Do you earnestly cherish our devoted work? Assuming this is the case, would you consider making a donation for our Buddhist research and development. We need you to help secure the future of scholarly interaction with Buddhism. 

Your generosity will certainly help us improve our works and to achieve for a better and brighter prospect to come. 

Thank you for reading, may you find peace and great bliss. With your support it helps to spread the Buddha’s precious teachings and turning the Dharma wheels in the world.

Aspiration For Bodhichitta

For those in whom the precious Bodhichitta has not arisen

May it arise and not decrease

But increase further and further.

Dedication of Merit

By this merit may we obtain omniscience then.

Having defeated the enemies wrong-doings.

May we liberate migrators from the ocean of existence.

With its stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness and death.

*Note
I do not own or infringe any copyright of the picture(s).
Picture(s) courtesy and credit to the rightful distributors and or studios.
Picture(s) is/are intended for editorial use only.

The Sacred Universe of The Buddhas - Mandala

Mandalas in Tibet, within the tradition of Tantric Buddhism, are sacred geometric figures that represent the Universe according to the Vajrayana Buddhism. Mandalas have complex geometrical shapes and it has become a generic term for any diagram, chart or geometric pattern that represents the cosmos metaphysically. 

The Mandala is also a part of Hindu Tantrism and in other traditions like North American Indians, but this article will only focus on the Buddhist Mandala. 

Mandala comes from Sanskrit meaning "circle." Even though it may be dominated by squares or triangles, a Mandala has a concentric structure. Mandalas are far more than geometrical figures, however. For Tantric Buddhists, they are rich with symbolism and sacred meaning. In fact, the etymology of the word "Mandala" suggests not just a circle, but a "container of essence."

A Mandala becomes a sacred area that serves for deities and a collection point of universal forces. By mentally entering a Mandala and proceeding to its center, a person is symbolically guided through the cosmos to the essence of reality.

In Tibetan Buddhism, contemplation of sacred images is central to religious ritual, and a Mandala is one of the most important of these sacred images. A Tibetan Mandala is usually made with careful placement of colored sand, and accordingly is known in Tibetan as "dul-tson-kyil-khor", or Mandala of the colored powders. 

The symbolism of the Mandala  in the tradition of Vajrayana Buddhism, Mandalas are rich with symbolism that evokes various aspects of Buddhist teaching. This is part of what makes the creation of a Mandala a sacred act, for as they work, the monks are imparting the Buddha's teachings. In the Tibetan Buddhism, Mandalas have been developed into a sand painting. They are also a key part of * Anuttarayoga Tantra meditation practice. 

* Anuttarayoga Tantra or Highest Yoga Tantra is a term used in Tibetan Buddhism.  In accordance with the three lineages of Kagyu, Sakya and Gelug of Tibetan Buddhism, Anuttarayoga Tantra is the highest of four classes and is associated with the route to enlightenment.  

Nyingma tradition and the teachings of Dzongchen or the Great perfection is the Highest Tantra. Nyingma lineage is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, and founded by the great Indian master of Guru Rinpoche, Padmasambhava who came to Tibet in the eighth century C.E.

Footnote

The practice of Anuttarayoga Tantra in the Vajrayana tradition of Buddhism is characterized by the requirement of empowerment from a qualified Guru, Lama, use of ritual techniques, and the practice of various meditative and subtle body yogas, to effect personal transformation and to attain enlightenment through the realization of the mind stream as a Meditational Deity, or a Yidam. Mandalas have complex geometrical shapes and are often used for meditation. 
For more teachings of the Tantra, please visit and click here

Construction of the sacred Mandala

The basic form of most Mandala is a square with four gates containing a circle with a center point. Each gate is in the general shape of a "T".  The process of constructing a Mandala is a sacred ritual. It is a meditative, painstaking process that can take days or even weeks to complete. Before a monk may participate in the construction of a Mandala, he must undergo a lengthy period of artistic and philosophical study. 

Commonly , there are four monks are working together to construct a Mandala. The mandala is divided into quadrants with one monk assigned to each. Midway through the process, each monk receives an assistant who helps fill in the colors while the primary monk continues to work on detailed outlines.

Mandalas are constructed from the center outward, beginning with a dot in the center. With the placement of the center dot, the mandala is consecrated to a particular Buddha or Deity. This Buddha or Deity will usually be depicted in an image over the center dot, although some Mandalas are purely geometric.

The symbolizes of the sacred Mandala
Lines are then drawn through the center dot to the four corners, creating triangular geometric patterns. These lines are then used to construct a square "palace" with four gates. The monks usually keep to their own quadrant at this point.

From the inner square, the monks move outward in a series of concentric circles. Here the monks work in tandem, moving all around the mandala. They wait until each section is entirely completed before moving outward together. This ensures that balance is always maintained.

Outside the square temple is several concentric circles. The outermost circle is usually decorated with stylized scroll work resembling a ring of fire. This ring of fire symbolizes the process of transformation humans must undergo before being able to enter the sacred territory within. It both bars the uninitiated and symbolizes the burning of ignorance.

The next circle inward is a ring of thunderbolt or diamond scepters, which stands for indestructibility and illumination. This is followed by a circle of eight graveyards, representing the eight aspects of human consciousness that bind a person to the cycle of rebirth. Finally, the innermost ring is made of lotus leaves, signifying religious rebirth.

The Five Dhyani Buddhas Mandala

The square structure in the middle of a mandala is a palace for the resident deities and a temple containing the essence of the Buddha. The square temple's four elaborate gates symbolize a variety of ideas, including:
- The four boundless thoughts: loving-kindness, compassion, sympathy and equanimity

- The four directions: south, north, east and west

Within the square palace or temple are images of deities, which are usually the * Five Dhyani Buddhas (the Great Buddhas of Wisdom). The iconography of these Buddhas are rich in symbolism in itself. Each of the Five Dyani Buddhas represents a direction (center, south, north, east and west), cosmic element (like form and consciousness), earthly element (ether, air, water, earth and fire), and a particular type of wisdom. 

Each Buddha is empowered to overcome a particular evil, such as ignorance, envy or hatred. The Five Dyani Buddhas are generally identical in appearance, but are each represented iconography with a particular color, mudra (hand gesture), and animal. See the article on the Five Dyani Buddhas for more information.


In the center of the mandala is an image of the chief Buddha or Deity, who is placed over the center dot described above. Because it has no dimensions, the center dot represents the seed or the center of the universe. 

*For more detailed of the Five Dhyani Buddhas, please visit our article as follows:-
http://max-tibetanbuddhism.blogspot.my/search?q=Dhyani+Buddhas+

The Destruction of The San Mandala

Although some Mandalas are painted and serve as an enduring object of contemplation, the traditional Tibetan sand Mandala, when completed, is deliberately destroyed. The destruction of a sand mandala is also highly ceremonial. Even the Deity syllables are removed in a specific order along with the rest of the geometry until at last the mandala has been dismantled. 

The sand is collected in a jar which is then wrapped in silk and transported to a river (or any place with moving water), where it is released back into nature. This symbolizes the ephemerality of life and the world.

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Thank you for reading, may you find peace and great bliss. With your support it helps to spread the Buddha’s precious teachings and turning the Dharma wheels in the world.

Aspiration For Bodhichitta
For those in whom the precious Bodhichitta has not arisen
May it arise and not decrease
But increase further and further.

Dedication of Merit
By this merit may we obtain omniscience then.
Having defeated the enemies wrong-doings.
May we liberate migrators from the ocean of existence.
With its stormy waves of birth, old age, sickness and death.

*Note
I do not own or infringe any copyright of the picture(s).
Picture(s) courtesy and credit to the rightful distributors and or studios.
Picture(s) is/are intended for editorial use only.