Cosmos Mandala (046), 2017

Shanker Raj Bhatta  

Thangkas are painted on fine cotton fabric, specially treated and primed; the fabric is coated with diluted lime and vegetable gum, then sanded, some are painted on silk, others, immense, are applied and embroidered. Traditional painting uses colors based on minerals and plants. Mineral colors allow thangkas of the past to keep their wonderful colors fresh and intact. Mantra is a sacred sound, a sacred formula recited or sung, the repeated sound of which possesses powerful powers, creator, transformator, protector, and used in prayers or meditation. Esoteric formula of Tantrism. Tantric Buddhism is sometimes referred to as "mantrayana", "path of mantras". Each deity is associated with a particular mantra. For over three thousand years, South Asian civilizations have attached great importance to speech. Words, pronounced or sung correctly, are not mere descriptions of the objective world, but sacred sounds imbued with the very essence of the reality to which they refer. Sound has a creative power, a real capacity to transform the world. Words and word sequences endowed with this power are designated by a technical term, mantra, literally meaning "instrument of thought". Some mantras are presented as a random sequence of sounds and words, devoid of any logic. However, each mantra is intended to produce a specific effect on the individual and on his environment and fulfills a specific function in the liturgy or in meditation. This cosmic mandala consists of an outer circle and an inner circle. The inner circle of the mandala represents the "first movement" of the universe. Emerging elements are painted blue around the center. These are the rotating winds that condense the basic elements representing their aggregation from their gaseous state.