Wednesday, July 22, 2009

MANDALA (Shri Yantra) THE GROUP-ITG's logo

MANDALA - The Group's logo

A mandala is most commonly a diagram or painting that one uses during meditation. The painting is usually brightly colored and extremely complicated. In Sanskrit (the language of the Vedic culture--the 1st civilization in the universe), mandala means "circle", and the most important symbolic function of mandalas is as circular containers of "sacred space." Beginning at the other perimeter of the picture and gradually working inwards (sometimes pausing at certain parts to contemplate), the meditator becomes completely absorbed. By the time that the center is reached, all normal egoistic notions should have been dissolved and the profundities of the mind should have been opened. Other religions have various other ways: mass, chanting, sacraments, reciting holy scripture, contemplating. These too become their mandala -- their objects or means of worship. But it is not enough to go to church or temple once a week, or to read a bit of a holy book every morning. Can God (Krishna, Christ, Tao or whatever name you use) be confined to such simple rituals? No! We could fly to the very height of the cosmos, plunge to the greatest depth, breadth of eternity, and still not come to the limits of God. Therefore, we should look for God in every day. We should ask ourselves each day how God manifested itself to us. Our daily activities are our mandala. God reveals itself to us in our mundane doings.