Mandala: The Architecture of Enlightenment

by Denise Patry Leidy, Robert A.F. Thurman

The mandala appears in many forms - painted, made of sand, modelled three-dimensionally or constructed completely in the mind of the meditator. This volume presents the art and philosophy of the intriguing design in 100 examples, including the Copper Palace of Padmasambhava from Bhutan, a painted and gilded star mandala from Japan and the Kalachakra Father-Mother from Tibet. In addition, a history and overview of mandala art throughout the Eastern world is presented, chronicling its development, beginning in India and moving to countries as far afield as Japan and Indonesia. An essay by Robert Thurman, Head of Tibet House, comments on uses of the mandala in Buddhist philosophy and mediation, describing esoteric visualizaiton practices intended to perfect the self. The volume is based on an exhibition at The Asia Society Galleries and Tibet House, New York.

Genres: Art, Buddhism, Nonfiction

176 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1997

About the author

Denise Leidy, Ph.D. (Columbia University), is Ruth and Bruce Dayton Curator of Asian Art, Head of the Department of Asian Art at the MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies at Yale University.

Reviews

[Marsha Altman · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lot of photographs of art with explanations in here, but the explanations are a bit on the esoteric side, and expect either you know a lot about Buddhism and the protective deities depicted or you learn more quickly than the text allows you to. The best part was possibly the appendix, which went into detail about how a sand mandala is created and included excerpts from other books about mandalas.

[Marsha Altman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not entirely comprehensible, but good art.