Mystery of the Mandalas…. Oh they aren’t mysterious?

In my house, prayer meant holding hands and giving credit for every detail of our lives to the invisible. But it’s another form of prayer that piqued my curiosity today.  In several Eastern religions, the most sacred form of prayer is art of creating mandalas. A mandala is a circular but radially symmetrical geometric design that begins from the center and increases in complexity towards the outer edge. Considered to represent the vastness and order of the universe, mandalas are intended to place the individual in a meditative state.

In Hinduism each section of the design is the literal home of a god and the act of the design creates a link to the realm of universal consciousness. In Buddhism there are many forms with various associated beliefs. One of which is that the symbol creates a “Buddhafield” to protect you from reality and place you in a realm of god- Nirvana. I can only assume this is copyrighted, otherwise I’m sure most American Christians would be creating force fields all over the place.  

The Tibetan Buddhist monks have developed their own method which is creating mandalas through sand art, which is equally detailed with vividly colored sand. But due to the concept common in Buddhism and the writings of Deepak Chopra of disallowing attachment and the valuing letting go of material objects, the designs are immediately swept away. Impermanence is embraced as an ultimate truth of life.

You can find similar designs through western religions as well in stained-glass windows and elaborate designs in the Sacristy of the cathedrals. Even the Celtic crosses and some depictions of Christ are done in this style.

Islamic art is even primarily geometric symbols arranged within circles. This is especially common within mosques in domes found throughout the traditional buildings.

So why does this common thread exist? Why do people the world over consider this form of art to be especially peaceful and almost transcendent? Is it possible that the secret behind these mystical designs relates to an intrinsic order we’re hard wired for? I speculate that it is.

In his 1952 paper entitled Symmetry from the Princeton University Press, Hermann Weyl described “…Symmetric means something like well-proportioned, well-balanced, and symmetry denotes that sort of concordance of several parts by which they integrate into a whole. Beauty is bound up with symmetry”.

 

It’s clear throughout our world, in everyday lives that we have a tendency for symmetry and attribute beauty to symmetrical objects. We create elaborate patterns for plates, clock faces, linen, jewelry and home décor. We regard the natural symmetry as beautiful in flowers, snowflakes, butterflies and jewels.  A study done by Little and Jones in 2003 demonstrated that our natural attraction to symmetrical faces in based on an innate tendency toward symmetry rather than for a biological or evolutionary indication of health. 

A study performed by the Neuroscience program at Bucknell University published in 2012 found that our preference for symmetry runs even at the neural level with use of a test which is a common tool for diagnosis of OCD.  It also made 82 paranoid that they have Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and I’m sure that a great deal of googling quickly ensued.

So do Mandalas contain mystical power to cross into some other-worldy realm? So far, our answer is no. So far, the data leads me to think that creating patterns of symmetry is simply a way to relax and enjoy something deeply satisfying to our neural structure.