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A little more. Anything will do
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Introduction to Mandala creativity.idv/
Chapter 1 What is Mandala?
Sanskrit: mandala
Transliteration: mandala, mandala, mandala, mandala, mandala, manna
Language Translation: The Sanskrit mandala is composed of manda, which means "essence", "essence", and "daigo", and la, which means "get" and "all".
Therefore, the word "mandala" means "obtaining essence" or "something with essence". That means attaining the supreme enlightenment of the Buddha.
Translation: 1. Original meaning: altar, mandala, dojo.
When practicing Tantra in India, in order to prevent the intrusion of demons, circular and square areas were drawn or earth altars were built, where Buddhas and Bodhisattvas were placed and sacrifices were made.
New meaning: round and complete, gathering.
The mandala uses a certain method to gather the holy images of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in one altar, fully expressing the essential truth of the deities, as perfect as a round wheel.
Chapter 2 The Meaning of Mandala
Mandala is the world of the deities, or it can also be said to be the world of ordinary people. The space where the deities and mortals live is just a mirror. There is a difference between the inside and the outside, so the "Sixth Patriarch Altar Sutra" says: "Confusion is the Buddha, enlightenment is the Buddha: foolish Buddha is the living being, and wisdom is the living being."
The main meaning of the mandala , it is for us to enter it ourselves, capture its essence and receive the blessing ourselves. If you enter the majestic mandala, you will surely receive blessings and achieve enlightenment. Therefore, the mandala is the place where the essence is captured. - *** Lama
The mandala depicts the "essence of Buddha" with pictures and conveys the world of enlightenment of all Buddhas.
The mandala-style pattern is the entirety of human psychology (including the self at the center of consciousness and the unconscious heart) and is also its center. Furthermore, it is a mental image intended to harmonize the conscious and unconscious realms. Normally you are not aware of it, but it will have an effect when you encounter a psychological crisis. Will become conscious and display a mandala-like image. Swiss psychologist Jung
The mandala is the place where we, living in the phenomenal world, integrate with the sacred Buddha.
The visual mandala is expressed in a visual and objective image, so that anyone can understand it at a glance.
The mandala is a sacred space, and it is also a place where "reality" appears.
Mandala is a figure that shrinks and flattens the three-dimensional world.
There is a saying in Buddhism that "faith starts from solemnity." Human beings need confidence. Mandala is the source of solemnity. Only with solemnity can confidence be generated.
The performance of mandala is "constant rotation".
Mandalas can work from the inside out and from the outside in.
The mandala is a cosmic diagram, representing life that appears and then disappears, and represents the entire universe.
Only when offerings are made repeatedly can the center of the mandala continue to transmit messages to the outside world.
The mandala is a diagram of the interactions between Buddha and people.
The picture of mandala can be "understood" from the Buddha's standpoint, and can also be "believed" from the human standpoint.
The mandala is the ontology (body) of the universe, which is presented (appearance) through various activities (uses).
Three chapters of development process
Basic development process
From the end of the second century to the third century, Mahayana Buddhism emerged, with the Pure Land Sutra, Lotus Sutra, Mahayana classics such as the Avatamsaka Sutra were gradually established, and many Tathagatas, Bodhisattvas, and pure lands of Buddhas appeared. Mandalas with altars and images emerged from them. With the passage of time, individual mandalas with the altar as the center came into being. , gradually turned into a *** body. In the mid-seventh century, the Mahavairocana was established, and later the womb mandala based on the Mahavairocana appeared. In addition, from the seventh to the early eighth century, the "Vajra Sutra" was established, and later the Vajra Realm Mandala based on it appeared. The esoteric Buddhism that began from this period, that is, the esoteric teaching centered on the Tathagata Mahavairocana, was called "pure esoteric Buddhism." What comes before that is called "miscellaneous secrets". During the Tang Dynasty, the crepe secrets were quickly consolidated and the two-realm mandala was established, consisting of the womb-level mandala and the vajra-level mandala. Later, Huiguo passed it on to Kukai, a Japanese monk who entered the Tang Dynasty, and it became the "modern mandala" spread in Japan.
Tantra and Mandala
Tantra is a branch of Buddhism, not a religion alongside Buddhism. Tantric Buddhism was originally the Shingon sect of Buddhism, focusing on the practice of "secret mantra", so it was called Tantric Buddhism. It is Mahayana Buddhism that allows the whole body to experience the mystical experience through the intuitive expression of Buddha and self.
Tantra believes that the world is composed of six forces (hereinafter referred to as the six elements): earth, water, fire, wind, space, and consciousness, which also constitute the phenomenal world of humans and nature.
He also called the Buddha's breath, which cannot be experienced physically or verbally, and is inconceivable, the three secrets of "body, speech, and mind." The situation of communication between people and Buddha is drawn into a "mandala" picture.
When you are in the world of Tantra, you must not rely solely on theories and words. As a result of being obsessed with language and theory, ordinary people will remain ordinary people throughout their lives, and the Buddhist realm will always be an unattainable pure land world.
Tantric Buddhism uses the ontology of the universe and the ontology of the real world to establish "the great body", "the great body" and "the great body", collectively called the "three greats". The six elements of earth, water, fire, wind, and consciousness are the "body", the four mandalas such as the three Dharma are the "appearance", and the three secrets of the body, speech, and mind are the "function".
"Big body" means that the physical nature of the hearts of all living beings is truly equal, has no birth or death, no increase or decrease, and will always remain the same.
"Xiangda" means that the nature of the heart of all living beings is fully equipped with all merits such as great wisdom, great compassion, and always being happy and pure.
"Yongda" means that the nature of the heart of all sentient beings has all the merits and virtues. It can ignite the delusional mind internally and manifest the two bodies of retribution to educate and transform all living beings. It uses both internal and external functions to enable people to practice good deeds in the world and obtain good fruits in the world, and to cultivate good deeds beyond the world to obtain wonderful fruits in the world.
Tantric thinking is not superficial. It uses various forms such as color, shape, and sound, that is, plastic arts, music, etiquette, etc., so that we can absorb its thoughts with the most basic senses. ; It is not just a monochromatic world like Zen Buddhism, but a world of distinct primary colors. Just thinking in your head is too far-fetched. You must use all the sense organs such as eyes, ears, nose, tongue, body, etc., that is, "mobilization of the five senses". If you don't do this, the truth will not belong to you.
Chapter 4 Basic Structure and Production Types
1. Basic Structure
Because the mandala is the manifestation of the sacred world, it cannot be an infinite space. . Of course, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t take any form. In this case, the basic shapes most often adopted are circles and squares (especially squares). From the word "complete" we can know that the circle is the most complete shape. The square shape has four sides that are indispensable to the plane space, and it also implies development and expansion.
In terms of specific structure, the mandala of the *** system, generally speaking, without exception, is divided by the outermost round wheel. One of the reasons is that the circle is the most suitable to express the sacred world of Buddha. This kind of round wheel is composed of two or three layers; the outermost is a fire wheel burning with flames, the middle is a vajra wheel composed of three cobalt pestles and five cobalt pestles, and the innermost is a continuous painted wheel showing from the inside. Radial lotus petals.
However, the mandalas found in Japan do not have these peripheral patterns. It may be that the relationship between Japan's climate and natural environment is better than that of hot India and cold Japan, so-called "knot" appears. "Boundary" is a human-made sacred space.
The interior of the mandala is usually a square city pavilion building with four square doors. This kind of building stands in a balanced vertical direction. Inside the city gate is the world of consciousness, and outside is the world of unconsciousness.
As for the statues inside, there is one style in which the head is upward, taking the composition of heaven and earth; the other style is in which the statues themselves are arranged in a radial pattern. .
2. Production type:
*** Mandalas are mostly murals. Chinese and Japanese mandalas are colorfully painted on silk paper, or are decorated with gold and silver clay. depicted.
Building an earthen altar
Drawing a mandala on the wall
Drawing it on paper.
Painted on a wooden board
"Cloth mandala" painted on canvas such as hemp or silk
Made of "sand mandala" with five-color sand
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"Three-dimensional mandala" made of various materials
Chapter 5: Distinguishing expression form and content
1. Expression form:
Usually we call mandala, which refers to the image mandala, and according to the way it is expressed, it can be divided into the following four forms: statue, symbol, text, three-dimensional form, etc., respectively. The Big Mandala, Samaya Mandala, Dharma Mandala, and Karma Mandala are the representative ones, referred to as the Four Mandalas.
The large mandala: represents the body of the deities. It collects the altars of the deities and the shapes of the deities, and uses pictures to express the panoramic view of the altar, as well as the shapes and positions of the deities. Because it is the overall expression of the mandala, it is called big. It is equivalent to the attainment meeting of the mandala in the Vajra Realm.
Samaya Mandala: represents the sticks held by the deities. It depicts the sticks and seals held by the deities, expressing the original oath, vow-compassion and surrender to save all sentient beings (compassion and surrender) Overcoming nausea), all the deities also used this to express that they would never violate their vows. It is equivalent to the samaya of the Vajra Realm Mandala.
Dharma mandala: represents the Dharma taught by the deities, and is also called "seed mandala". It depicts the "seeds" of the deities and all the mantras, each of which is a Sanskrit seed. They all symbolize the power of Tantric Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, and use them as the Dharma Door Body of the Great Sun Tathagata. It is equivalent to the subtle meeting of the mandala in the Vajra Realm.
Karma Mandala: represents all the deeds of the deities. Karma means "karma" in Sanskrit, indicating all the majesty of the deities, as well as the work of casting statues and clay sculptures, and also includes the movement of the universe. and human body behavior. It is equivalent to the offering ceremony of the mandala in the Vajra Realm.
2. In terms of performance content:
Two parts of the mandala: namely, the two parts of "gold and womb". The "Vajra Crown Sutra" has the "Vajra Realm Mandala". The Mahavairocana contains the "Womb Treasure Mandala". The latter is a method that belongs to the inherent rationality of all living beings, and is matched with reason and cause. The former belongs to the door of the beginning of fruition, and is matched with wisdom and fruit. Although the two schools are independent of each other, they are both the door to attain Buddhahood. However, Tantra combines the two schools into a pair of doors. The combination of the two shows that the nature and activities (intelligence) of the Great Sun Tathagata (the universe and human beings) are originally one. .
When the two mandalas are placed, the womb mandala is in the east and the Vajra Realm mandala is in the west. The east is the beginning of all things, and the west is the end of all things. Each other corresponds to the principle of cause and effect. In terms of direction, the left side is the womb treasure mandala, and the right side is the Vajra Realm mandala.
The Vajra Realm Mandala, the Womb Mandala, and the two mandalas called both, all belong to the "urban mandala" or "universal mandala" ( Ministry Mandala)".
Special Mandala: "Metropolitan Mandala" is a large mandala composed of various statues. If it is not composed of many Buddhas, but is dominated by a specific single Buddha, and other related Buddhas are auxiliary, and small mandalas arranged around the main Buddha are called "partial mandala". There are different deities and other deities according to the purpose of practicing the Dharma, such as:
Taking Tathagata as the deity: Lotus, Rain-inviting Sutra, Treasure Pavilion, Bodhi Field Mandala, etc.
Take the Buddha’s eyes and Buddha’s top as the original deity: Buddha’s eyes, one-word golden wheel, Zunsheng Mandala, etc.
Taking Bodhisattva as the deity: eight-character Manjushri, Maitreya, five secret mandala, etc.
Taking King Ming as the deity: Peacock Sutra, Renwang Sutra, Twelve-Heaven Mandala, etc.
Taking heaven as the deity: King Yama, Tongzi Sutra, Auspicious Heaven, Earth Fighting Mandala, etc.
Chapter 6: The Mandala in the Womb
1. Based on the Classics
The full Chinese translation of "Mahayikana Sutra" is "Great Vairochana Becomes a Buddha" "The Sutra of Divine Transformation and Blessing", Vairocana is another name for "Sun", so it is called "Mahayani Sutra" for short. It is a translation of Shanwuwei Sanzang and his disciple Thich Nhat Hanh in the Tang Dynasty. The eleventh volume is the scriptures of this sutra, and the seventh volume is the offering method, which is the tantric sutra of the fetal treasure. It is also one of the three major sutras of tantra. The content is that the Great Sun Tathagata uses the inconceivable blessing power of the Buddha to expound the internal realization method. classic.
The Mahavairocana Sutra compares the Mahavairocana Buddha to the sun that dominates the universe. He emits light with the wisdom of the Tathagata and pours it into all sentient beings.
On the whole, the "Great Sun Sutra" begins with "entering the mantra door and abiding in the first place of mind". It is the mentality, thoughts and teachings of Tantra practitioners, and it is also the teachings of Tantra, which is theoretical. Commentary. Starting from "The second part of the mandala with the conditional mantra" and below, it is the practical practice, which is the aspect of Tantra. It is centered on the "dwelling of the mind" and the practice method of the teaching is explained in detail.
The first article narrates that the secret lord of Vajrapani (Vajrasattva) asked Vairocana Buddha:
"What is fundamental wisdom (all wisdom)?" 』
The Great Sun Tathagata answered:
"With bodhicitta (the heart seeking sudden enlightenment) as the main cause, great compassion as the foundation, and expediency (altruism) as the ultimate goal, that is "all "Zhi Zhi", that is, the wise person among the wisdoms"
This sudden enlightenment is said to "know one's own mind as it really is."
Tantric Buddhism takes "Bodhisattva's heart as the cause, compassion as the root, and convenience as the ultimate" as the "Three Sentences" method. It is the top and most authentic wisdom among all wisdoms. You must first seek to complete the Three Sentences. Only in this way can we obtain absolute wisdom and open the door to enlightenment. The original purpose of thorough enlightenment is to observe one's own mind, that is, to use the wisdom of the Tathagata to know one's own views as they really are (to know one's own mind as it really is), and then to obtain the wisdom of the Buddha. In order to achieve enlightenment, observation and analysis of the mind become very important topics.
The second chapter of the Mahavairocana talks about the method of setting up an altar for a mandala, and the method of determining the location and location. From the third breath barrier level to the thirtieth level, the important practice methods of Mantra Tantra such as mandala, initiation, huma, seal, and mantra are described.
"Mahivi Sutra" talks about the sutra from the standpoint of great compassion, and is the scripture of the womb treasure. Based on the "Mahivi Sutra", the mandala of the womb treasure is depicted. The "Dainichi Sutra" explains that it uses "the lotus flower of the twins" as a metaphor, which is why it is called the fetal treasure. Its meaning is briefly described below.
Pregnancy
The mother carries the fetus in her body, and allows the fetus to develop and learn in the womb, accomplishing various undertakings, just as a practitioner can arouse his mind according to all wisdom, learn all the actions of great compassion, and manifest After purifying the mind, one can then develop the expedient to achieve self-benefit and altruism, and the ultimate perfection, which is why it is called the birth of great compassion.
Lotus
Represents the world hidden in the womb, implying that the "seeds" of the lotus can grow stems and leaves, and finally "Kaifu Lotus (blooming lotus)".
Therefore, the womb is the principle of the universe contained in the womb of the Great Sun Tathagata, showing a world based on all compassion. The content of the Mahavairocana is expressed in images and is called the "Great Compassionate Embryo-Residing Mandala", abbreviated as the "Womb-Resident Mandala". Some scholars call it the "realm" mandala of the womb. However, the original mandala does not have the word "jie" in its name. It is only to correspond to the Vajra Realm mandala that the womb has the additional word "jie".
The structure of the Mandala in the womb
The meaning of the mandala in the womb represents the inherent virtues of all living beings, which is the lotus flower that equals the fruit of virtue, which is also the bodhicitta. The seed of Buddha is nourished by the mother's womb (i.e., the womb) of the Great Compassion until it attains the fruition of Buddhahood. From the Buddha's self-realized virtue of Bodhi, the body of the Great Sun appears in the eight-leaf womb. From the virtue of the Great Sun, the first and even fourth levels of deities appear. These all symbolize part of the virtue of the Great Sun.
Among them, the picture of the eight-leaf courtyard in the middle: the great sun is located on the flower platform in the center of the eight-leaf (eight-petal) lotus, with a treasure-leaf banner in the east and a blooming flower in the south. In the west is Infinite Life, in the north is Tiangu Electronic Music, in the southeast is Samantabhadra, in the southwest is Manjusri, in the northwest is Avalokitesvara, and in the northeast is Maitreya. Above, the Great Sun represents the physical wisdom of the Dharma Realm, the four Buddhas represent the four wisdoms, and the four Bodhisattvas represent the four lines (Bodhi, merit, wisdom, and karma).
The Womb Treasure Mandala is a world governed by the Tathagata Mahavairocana. Although the functions and personalities of the deities under it are different, their thoughts are unified. Under the principle of unifying thoughts, the entire womb mandala is divided into three parts: the Buddha part, the Vajra part, and the Lotus part.
Buddhist Department: Centered on the Eight Leaves Courtyard in the middle and six east and west courtyards, it expresses the profound world of Buddhism.
Lotus Flower Department: Guanyin and Ksitigarbha in the north, showing the compassionate world of the Tathagata.
Vajra Department: The two houses of Vajra Hand and Obstacle Remover in the south show the wisdom of the Tathagata.
The Outer Vajra Division belongs to the three divisions and is commonly known as the Vajra Division. In this way, practitioners who visualize or pay homage to the womb mandala sometimes correspond to the compassion of Avalokitesvara of the Lotus Division and ignite their faith (i.e., Bodhicitta); sometimes they correspond to the Vajras of the Vajra Division and experience the ocean of human troubles and suffering. It is so profound; further entering the holy realm of the Great Sun Tathagata with lofty thoughts.
Chapter 7 Diamond Realm Mandala
1. Based on the classics
The "Vajra Sutra" is a classic that came out after the completion of the "Mahivi Sutra". It is different from the Mahavairocana in that it is not an independently established scripture. "Vajra Sutra" and "Mahayikava Sutra" are both listed as one of the three tantric sutras. The original sutra is the six Sanskrit texts of the Eighteen Chapters of One Hundred Thousand Verses (Sound Notes). Fu Kong Tripitaka was obtained from Ceylon and brought back to the Tang Dynasty. Its summary was translated into "Eighteen Huizhi Returns".
The "Vajra Crown Sutra" is a sermon preached by the Tathagata Mahavairocana in the Great Mani Palace of the Ultimate Form. It begins with the view of the five-phase body formation and ends with the birth of the thirty-seven deities in the Vajra Realm, establishing the Great Mantra of the Vajra Realm. The rituals of the mandala, as well as the practice method of introducing disciples and sentient beings into the mandala, realizing the practitioner's own Tathagata nature, and achieving the Buddha body.
Among the sutras currently circulating in the Vajra Realm, the following three volumes are the main ones:
Bu Kong’s translation of the three volumes of “The Vajra Top All Tathagata’s True Photography Mahayana Present Enlightenment Great Teaching King Sutra” contains the following three volumes: It is only the first rank among the four ranks of the first rank of the Eighteenth Group.
Shihu of the Song Dynasty completed the translation of all four volumes, and called it "The Buddha said that all Tathagatas truly capture the Mahayana and realize the Samadhi King Sutra", which has thirty volumes.
The Tang Dynasty Vajra Wisdom translation of "Slightly Outlined Chanting Sutras in Vajra Top Yoga" talks about the attainment, karma, samaya and support gatherings in the nine mandalas of the Vajra Realm.
These three sutras are all called the Vajra Sutra, the first two are abbreviated as "Jiaowang Sutra", and the latter are abbreviated as "Lüchu Sutra". As for the "Eighteen Chapters of Guidance", it was originally called "The Eighteen Chapters of the Vajra Yoga Sutra". It was created by excerpting the outline of the Sanskrit Sanzang Sanzang's Eighteen Chapters of One Hundred Thousand Verses because he thought it was too large. Therefore, in a broad sense, the "Diamond Crown Sutra" refers to the Sutra of "One Hundred Thousand Gathas and Eighteen Meetings". In a narrow sense, the "Vajra Crown Sutra" refers to the "Chuhui Crown Sutra" of the first meeting, that is, the King of Teachings Sutra that is not empty, or abbreviated as the "True Photography Sutra". It is a ritual that sets out the practice of making offerings. This sutra is the result of the Great Sun Tathagata and the eight great Bodhisattva Mandalas, mainly Vajrapani, in the Mahamani Hall of the Ajani Palace, and they exchanged questions and answers with the Buddha, talking about how to use the practice of the Vajra Realm to achieve complete enlightenment. The realm of classics.
"Vajra Top" is the top of the Vajra, that is, the wisdom (top) that is as solid as the Vajra Treasure, and contains words that express the wisdom and virtue of the Great Sun Tathagata. Rather than grasping the truth through reason, it is better to have a rational understanding of the outside world and use yoga to realize the Vajra Summit. It is a specific practical philosophy, based on the "contemplation of the five-phase body" asked by the Tathagata Mahavairocana in reply to the Buddha's question. It is divided into five stages of contemplation. It is also a unique contemplation method for practitioners to complete the Buddha body of the deity.
The so-called "five characteristics" are: 1. Understanding the original mind, 2. Cultivating Bodhicitta, 3. Accomplishing the Vajra Mind, 4. Realizing the Vajra Mind, 5. Perfecting the Buddha body; understanding the original mind, making one's own mind The pure light makes the bodhicitta as solid as a diamond, realizes the nature of the diamond, possesses the five characteristics, and becomes one with the Buddha, achieving the body of the deity.
Then the Buddha and the Great Sun Tathagata successively entered the palaces of the thirty-seven Buddhas in the Vajra Realm to preach the mantra. Each of them also had the Buddha mind of the Great Sun Tathagata, received the initiation, and received the name of Vajra. Practitioners of the "Contemplation of the Formation of the Five-Phase Body" must use all the deities to transform their body into the body of the Great Sun Tathagata.
After reaching the state of enlightenment, the next step is to face the Vajra Realm Mandala.
Structure of Vajra Realm Mandala
5
Four Seals Association 6
One Seal Association 7
Reasoning and Interesting Meeting
4
Offering Meeting 1
Coming of Age Meeting 8
Falling into Three Lives
Karma Meeting
3
Micro Society 2
Samaya Society 9
The Three Worlds
Samaya Society
p>The Vajra Realm Mandala was originally the first meeting of attainment, while the Jiuhui seemed to be the first nine types of mandala. The meaning of the picture is that the Vajra system represents the wisdom body of Bodhi, which is solid and indestructible and has the function of destroying everything. The order of the pictures is as follows:
Starting with the Samaya Association, the lowest is the Samaya Association of the Three Worlds. This means that the Tathagata teaches all living beings and plays the role of transforming them, under the "from effect to cause" The revolving door,
from the adult meeting down to the offering meeting, represents the four virtues. The four seals would mean that the four mantras are inseparable from each other, while the one seal association would mean that the four mantras are the absolute reality and are contained in the six elements.
The above six assemblies are the mandala of the self-nature wheel body among the three wheel bodies.
The rational interest will be the mandala of the Vajrasattva of the True Dharma Wheel, which represents the signs of desire, contact, love, and pride.
The Karma Society of the Three Worlds and the Samaya Society of the Three Worlds means that due to the above two-wheeled body, the sentient beings who are difficult to teach are shown the wrathful teaching wheel body and the appearance of the King of the Three Worlds of Ming Dynasty, and they are subdued. .
In addition, the three-generation samaya association is followed by the reverse attainment association, which represents the order of the Bodhisattva's practice, and is a "revolving door from cause to effect. The three-generation samaya association symbolizes the great compassion" The bow and arrow shoot down the ignorant enemy, initiate the vow to pray for enlightenment and transform all sentient beings, and even the attainment of the body will represent the completion of the majestic Mahayana Tathagata (i.e. the karma body)
Or follow the diagram above*. There are various explanations for the sequence of **********. It is said that this is from self-realization to transforming others, and from transforming others to returning to self-realization. Tuara.