Friday, September 07, 2018
"The Celestial Gallery" ––Romio Shrestha
"The Celestial Gallery"––Romio Shrestha (Riverside Press)
"Mandala":
A mandala (emphasis on first syllable; Sanskrit मण्डल, maṇḍala – literally "circle") is a spiritual and ritual symbol in Hinduism and Buddhism, representing the universe.
The basic form of most mandalas is a square with four gates containing a circle with a center point. Each gate is in the general shape of a T.
In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of practitioners and adepts, as a spiritual guidance tool, for establishing a sacred space and as an aid to meditation and trance induction." (Wikipedia)
This book is magic. It consists of a collection of mandalas created by a a contemporary artist who draws on the age old traditions and archetypes of both Hindu and Buddhist art work to offer stunning new representations of these ancient creations. You need not be either Hindu or Buddhist to experience their power. Without sound, without words, they offer entry into "vastness," the state so often referenced but not always experienced by the practitioner.
If you meditate on these images you may enter a realm both strange and familiar, a domain that beckons you to become part of the cosmos you contemplate.
This gorgeous book is fairly inexpensive to purchase. It is a sacred text, a rare offering in our time. Occasionally you can find a single page reprinted and for sale in a Buddhist or Hindu store.
I meditated on these images while I was in rehab and indeed entered an arena I did not know existed.
