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The Coloring Mandalas here are free for you to download, print and color!
You'll find very complex and mesmerizing patterns which contain a high level of detail.
For best results print the Coloring Mandala using a laser printer to insure that your work will not smear while you color it.
Use the calming Beauty of the Mandala to help you on your own personal Journey to Wholeness. Explore the magnificent patterns and textures. Rejuvinate and invigorate you mind!
WHAT IS A MANDALA? A Mandala is considered "A Sacred Circle." It's the focal point that symbolizes our spirit, which, like the circle, has no beginning or end.
Mandalas embody the transcendental qualities of the Ineffable -- the metaphysical principles from which the Universe is made.
The Word Mandala is thought to have been brought to european culture around 1900 by Dr. Carl Gustav Jung. Mandala means circle and community in the ancient Indian language, Sanskrit. The Doctor felt that his personal Mandala was much more than a geometric shape, he thought the Mandala represented the archetypal symbol of wholeness. The Mandala has existed throughout history in almost every culture's mythology and teachings of spirituality. The Doctor used Mandalas to help his patients uncover insights about their inner life and true nature.
The most popular definition of Mandala comes from Tibetan Buddhism, where the Tibetan Sand Mandala, the meticulous creation of the Mandala using colorful sand. In this process the creation of the Mandala is extremely meaningful and perhaps even more so than the finished result. The process is traditional and spiritually meaningful.
The Sand Mandala typically is square. Within are rings and rays eminating throughout. The outer ring, an intricate combination of designs symbolizes things like wisdom, fortitude, consciousness and total surrender to the greater spirit, all attributes necessary to approach the essential center of the Mandala, the center of Being, The Unity of Existance.
Within the rings appear more squares, representing a four-walled, gated palace. To pass thru the gates the supplicant must have the proper state of piety and conciousness. The center represents the presence of The Buddha, the representation of Freedom of the purest level of being that exists within all natural beings.
Once complete, the sands of a completed Mandala are swept up and released into a river, symbolizing the constantly changing nature of Life.
The Tantric Mandala, or Yantra, also incorporates rectangular symmetry. It surrounds a sphere, on which there can be an intricate web of triangles and lotus flower petals. This specific construction is likened to a musical instrument in that its geometry generates a tuned vibration helping the supplicant, or observer, to achieve higher planes of consciousness, and ultimately, The Absolute. This is why a Yantra is considered "visual music" by those observers of the meditative process.
The rectangular encasement is called the Bhupura. It represents the containment and preservation of the the energy of the Yantra. Within the Bhupura are rings called Chakra, within which are an arrangement of lotus petals, called the Padma. Further inside, are triangles, or Trikona whose position is as significant as the orientation of the Cross of Jesus Christ. These represent Shakti which is the feminine in all that Is. When pointing down, it represents Shahti Kona, the prime mover of Creatiom. When it points down, it represents Shiva Kona, the blaze of aspiration.
Surprisingly the Mandala, in it's basic sense, appears in Chritianity as well. There are three "Sacred Circles" in Christianity that stand out: the Halo, the Host, and the Celtic Sun Cross. Each can be thought of as the Mandala used as an aid to help followers focus on spirituality.
The Halo - can be thought of as the Aura, Holiness, and Grace associated with religious icons, people, and entities.
Communion Bread (the Host) takes on the form of a Mandala in that is it a a thin disc of bread. The Host is eaten in remembrance of the life, death, and rebirth of Jesus Christ.
The Celtic Sun becomes the Cross of Christianity. Early Christians and Celts intermingled and with this joining, the Celtic Cross was embraced in the teaching of Jesus.
Bailey Cunningham, in her book "Journey to the Center," circles in nature lend themselves perfectly to be subjects of meditation as they are pathways to a deeper understanding of the profound mystery of Life.
The Mandala symbolizes for all The Unity of Everything, just as a snowflake a part of the whole cycle and recycle of life in the universe. By focusing on this interconnection and cycle we begin quiet our minds and come closer to our own Unity with the Divine.
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Mandala Terminology and Anatomy:
Cardinal points are the major points of the compass - North, South, East, West.
Chakra - [Origins: Sanskrit, meaning circle or wheel] This is a Hindu term that defines a person's various centers of energy, or prana, which exist within a person's "astral body". There are seven foundation chakras which lay along the vertical axis of the numan body and are typically symbolized by mandala- or yantra-like circular designs.
Kalachakra - [often referred to as the 'wheel of time'] Represents a few different concepts ranging from the secret teachings of the Buddha which were recorded in the Kalachakra Tantra, the deity itself associated with the teaching and/or the Indian system of belief that we commonly associate with modern day astrology. The Wheel of Time Sand Mandala is a visual representation of the entire Kalachakra Tantra. It is a representation of the five-story palace of the Kalachakra deity and those who make this sand mandala are believed to actually 'place themselves within the realm of the deity.'
Labyrinth [lab´ rinth´] from the frame of reference of Mandalas and related beliefs are thought to be a circular pattern featuring a serpentine but unobstructed path to the center. You will find many labyrinths set into the floors of gothic cathedrals with tile. They represent the symbolic journey to Jerusalem. The idea being that pilgrims walk the labyrinth to the center and back out to achieve a state of 'walking meditation'.
Mandala [Origins: Sanskrit, meaning circle and/or center] The mandala describes a very traditional design involving the circle, which is the symbol of the cosmos, coupled with the square, representing the man-made or physical world in which we currently exist. Typically, mandalas have a center, radial symmetry, and cardinal points.
Bet you didn't realize that the 'rose windows' commonly found in Gothic cathedrasl are mandalas! Yup, we're talking about those stained glass windows that are round, or circular, that have symmetrical rose-like tracery.
Sand painting is a traditional ritual where images are created using, you guessed it, sand. However, in most cases it refers to the ritual sand artwork created by Native Americans of the Navaho tribe and should not be confused with Tibetan sand mandalas. Navaho sand paintings are employed in ceremonial "sings" by tribal healers.
Stonehenge can also be viewed as a basic Mandala. The circular arrangement of monoliths [massive shaped stones] are primarily located in Salisbury, England. These are thought to date from the neolithic age and were probably created to help track celstial events as a form of observatory. However, the actual use, meaning, and method of construction remain unknown and modern-day researchers can only speculate.
T'ai chi is also known as the "yin and yang". It is a circular Chinese symbol which represents the universe as the harmony and comingling of opposites -- light and dark, hard and soft, male and female. This opposites tension is thought to create invigorating energy and rejuvination.
Thangka [ Origins: Tibetin for picture or painting] is a Tibetan Buddhist painted scroll. Thangkas are important in rituals and help followers with visualization.
People and Mandalas in History:
Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) A Benedictine abbess who was an artist, musician and theologian. Hildegard's illuminated manuscripts contain many mandalas.
Jung, Carl Gustav (1875 - 1961) Swiss psychologist and psychiatrist who drew his first mandala in 1916. Jung's discovery of the mandala provided the key to his entire system. Some of Jung's writings on mandalas are available in the volume Mandala Symbolism.
