Making Mandalas

Today, my students made personal Buddhist mandalas. You can see two samples above.

A mandala is a Hindu or Buddhist symbol in the shape of a circle. Monks make them out of sand. The symbols represent deities.

The monks destroy the mandala soon after they complete it, demonstrating the impermanence of life.

“According to Buddhist scripture, ” notes the Freer Sackler Museum, “sand mandalas transmit positive energies to the environment and to the people who view them.” While constructing a mandala, Buddhist monks chant and meditate to invoke the divine energies of the deities residing within the mandala.”

My students did not chant or meditate but they did follow directions that explained the different circles and symbols.  Seth Brady, a high school teacher in Illinois, developed the directions which you can see here.

The clip below shows how Buddhists make a mandala.

And here’s a clip that shows students how to create a mandala.