The World's Largest Public Domain Media Search Engine
Chinese Base for a Mandala, Ming dynasty

Similar

Chinese Base for a Mandala, Ming dynasty

description

Summary

Public domain photograph of Asain artwork, free to use, no copyright restrictions image - Picryl description

Mandalas are Buddhist devotional images often deemed a diagram or symbol of an ideal universe. Mandalas come in many forms. Often they are painted on scrolls and taken with travelers over long distances across the Eurasian continent. Learn more about Buddhism through understanding one of its more iconic artworks. A mandala is a symbol of the universe in its ideal form, and its creation signifies the transformation of a universe of suffering into one of joy. It can also be used as an aid to meditation, helping the meditator to envision how to achieve the perfect self. Mandalas were created in the service of one of the world's great religions, Buddhism. They were produced in Tibet, India, Nepal, China, Japan, Bhutan, and Indonesia and date from the 4th century to present. Now they are created throughout the world, including New York City. A special sand mandala painting is a gift to New York City from the Tibetan Buddhist monks of Drepung Loseling Monastery as a tolken of healing and goodwill following the terrorist act against the city on September 11, 2001. The construction of the mandala begins with a ceremony in which the monks consecrate the site and call forth forces of goodness through chants, meditation, and music. Then, over the course of ten days, the monks will pour millions of grains of colored sand from traditional metal funnels (chak-purs), purifying and healing the space and its inhabitants in the process. Shortly after its completion the monks will dismantle the mandala to symbolize the impermanence of all that exists and disperse the sand in order to share its blessing.

date_range

Date

1400 - 1499
create

Source

Metropolitan Museum of Art
copyright

Copyright info

Creative Commons CC0 1.0 Universal Public Domain Dedication ("CCO 1.0 Dedication")

Explore more

asian art
asian art