Mandalas In Judaism

Mandalas are symbols used in Hinduism and Buddhism that represent reality. They have religious value and are used to represent the cosmos and utilized for meditation. They have geometric or iconic symbols on them which each hold specific symbolic meanings (McFarlane). Mandalas have many mathematical aspects to them in addition to the religious and spiritual characteristics for which they are known. Mandalas have been around for so long that there is uncertainty whether the geometric patterns were intentional or the geometry was intuitive and was used before mathematics was formally founded (“Ritual Geometry, the Mandala, and its Symmetries”). Mandalas incorporate the mathematical concepts of lines, concentric circles, symmetry, radial balance, …show more content…
In the Sanskrit language it would roughly be translated to circle (mandalaproject.org). However, when the word is broken up into its root manda, which means essence, and its added suffix la, which means container, it is translated to mean container of essence, which provided more insight to its religious meaning and original use (Kuman). These two definitions provide insight on what mandalas appear like and how they are used. In the original mandalas used by the Buddhists, the center and the beginning of the mandala is a dot, which is important because it has no dimension. This is where the deity would be located. Then, lines would emerge from the got and intersect to create triangular geometric patterns. The outside of the mandala would consist of a drawn circle and outside of that a square. The circles represented dynamic consciousness and the square represented the chaos the physical world. All figures would face the center, where the deity would reside. Today, mandalas do not all follow this pattern because the definition has been broadened to a more generic term …show more content…
The lines, circles, and symbols all have important meaning. There are different types of mandalas, but Sri Yantas demonstrate the use of mathematics in mandalas well because they use geometric symbols rather than iconic ones. In Sri Yantas, instead of the iconic symbols having meaning, the space and its relationship to the symbols carry the meaning. Almost all mandalas are represented on a two dimensional plane where the lines and circles used both hold meaning. The lines are used to represent reality, the conscious, and the physical world. The only complexity in the lines comes from the idea that infinity is impossible to reach. Circles can have more complex meaning though and are used to show perfection because of their perfect symmetry. Circles have both right/left and upper/lower reflection symmetry in addition to radial symmetry. Since they are so perfect they can represent transcendent elements or manifest items. Concentric circles are often used in mandalas and circles can become complex because are the circle grows, the curvature vanishes and appears to become a straight line, like how the Earth appears flat to people because of its enormous size. Circles are continuous and used to show unity. The theologian Cardinal Nicholas of Cusa though the best way to represent divine things was through math, so he used geometry to try to explain the physical world compared to the diving