Mandala

Mandala designs have played a very important part especially in Indian culture. The word "Mandala" came into common use in the West because of the interest which Carl Jung took in these patterns after noting their importance in dreams, and as signs of what he termed the individuation process. Though Mandalas belong to what Carl Jung termed the collective unconscious of the human psyche, and have had a very important place in all cultures, there has been a systematic philosophy and practice related to the making of mandalas in Indian religions as we find in Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. The theory underlying the Mandala relates to alchemical speculations that can be found in "Tantra", and which have played an important part in the practice of yogic meditation techniques.