MANDALAS AND WHY I RECYCLE PLASTIC BAGS
by Rev. Eva S. Hochgraf

Meditation 
I would like to offer you a section of a poem, the third stanza, of "Song of the Four Mindfulnesses" by Kaysang 
Gyatso the Seventh Dalai Lama (Buddhism of Tibet, 214).  It speaks about the mandala using the English 
translation "divine mansion."  It reads:
In the divine mansion of great bliss, 
pleasant to feel,
Abides the divine body 
which is your own body of pure aggregates 
and constitutes,
A deity with the  Three Bodies inseparable is there.
Not conceiving yourself to be ordinary, 
practice divine pride and vivid appearance
Not letting your mind stray, 
place it within the sacred
and the profane,
Making your attention unforgetful, 
maintain it within the sacred and the profane." 
 
Sermon:
	Mandala, it is a word that has many forms and uses, many cultures--however origin of the word is Sanskrit 
and it means simply circle.   It is used in the sacred texts of India, however, to mean  sacred enclosure.
	Like the layered circles of the mandala, this sermon examines the different layers of meaning I have found 
in studying the Tibetan--and I have stayed in the Tibetan realm--the Tibetan use of the mandala.  These layers or 
levels of understanding also reflect the journey my understanding of the mandala has undergone in the past few 
years of reading and studying.
	My introduction to mandalas came in the form of this handmade necklace given to me by my mother in-
law many years ago.  It was of many colors and textures of yarn, woven in circles around a circular frame.  The tag 
said it was a mandala, or magic circle.  It immediately reminded me of American Indian art.  Only mildly curious at 
the time, I soon forgot about my curiosity and just simply remembered that it was called a "mandala".
	It wasn't until I began my studies of Religions of the Far East in seminary that I ran across the name 
"mandala" again.  Quick mention was made of them in a reading on Tibetan Buddhism.  Now my curiosity was 
truly sparked.  What actually was a mandala?
	From this, I went and checked out books on mandalas.  But finding material was a slow and elusive 
process.  In the beginning it seemed like nothing was available.  (At least in English, it was there in the Tibetan 
language!)  Then slowly I found more and more on Tibetan mandalas.  Much of what I found was Western 
commentary.  The best I found was Tibetan commentary of the Tantras, some of it very old.  I was able to read 
some translations of instruction and commentary by the ancient founders of Tibetan schools. 
	Now, I donÕt know how familiar you are with Tibetan Buddhism, but in case its not so familiar to you, 
you probably want to know that this is very different from some of the more popular types of Buddhism here in this 
country, like Zen.  Buddhism developed in India, as you may know, and Tibetan Buddhism has maintained that 
wonderful dramatic sense of religion, with many armed deities, and colorful ritual and artwork.  
	The first books I found were beautiful color-photo, art books with mostly pictures and little commentary.  
So my first understanding of mandalas came in their technical delineation from other Tibetan art; as well as simple 
descriptions of their use and symbolism.  So let me first describe the physical mandala, or what a Tibetan mandala 
looks like.
	The basic features common to most all Tibetan mandalas, are a set of concentric circles, set within a 
square, and then further enclosed by a circular boundary.  The square, which is regularly has a door on each of its 
four sides, the main one being toward the East, and all are adorned with an elaborate portal--this square, represents 
the normal Indian four-sided temple, as seen from above.  Since the temple is usually thought of as the home of a 
particular deity, the significance of the mandala as a stylized two-dimensional pattern with the same meaning and 
intention becomes quite obvious.  
	Let me read this description from an art book, telling how the mandala is seen as a 'celestial palace.' 
Ò. . . the classical Tibetan Mandala, . . . is often conceived of as a palace or fortress of sumptuous appearance and 
awesome dimensions and levels of defense.  Not only is the Mandala literally a cosmic plan, but also a celestial 
palace.  Such Mandalas are the "homes" of the Deity.  In the example we have chosen it is the home of 
Durgatiparisodhana -an aspect of Vairocana, "The Illuminator."  The basic features of this Mandala are:  a 
protective circle comprised of fire, a vajra, and a lotus band;  the four portals or gates of the palace; and the inner 
lotus which is the bodhi-manda, the seat of the Deity.  On the lotus petals and placed around the inner square are 
other figures embodying aspects of the Illuminating wisdom.  As in Mandalas of this type, the outer protective circle 
symbolizes "a barrier of fire," which at once prohibits access to the initiate and symbolizes the metaphysical 
knowledge that 'burns' ignorance.Ó

	In looking through the books , I found that mandalas were different from one another.  There were some 
that were very detailed and had many deities contained within them, and others were very simple with one or no 
deities drawn in them at all.  The central deity could be one of many different deities.  But whatever their variation, 
they all  maintained a sense of enclosing the sacred from the profane.                                  
	After beginning to grasp the complex symbolism of the physical entity, I read some more and the purpose 
of the mandala started to become clearer.  The mandala is used as a functional tool in the spiritual practice of 
Tibetan Buddhists.
 	Ye-shes rgyal-mtshan who was the tutor of the Eighth Dalai Lama,  writes, "Meditation has to be done by 
focusing your attention on the pure radiant light.  In contemplating the deities of the vast mandalas, in which they 
(and you) reside, you have to feel the pride of being divine like them. "
	The actual drawing of the mandala in a meditative fashion is the main way that these images are used.   The 
drawing of mandalas can be done in several different media.  I have read of them being drawn by initiates using 
strings dipped in colored dust or chalk pressed onto cloth.  Or they can be drawn on the ground using colored sand, 
or painted on a clay covered surface.  The drawing itself is a sacred process, and demands absolute perfection.
	In Chicago, before the Parliament of the WorldÕs Religions began, some of the monks who study with the 
Dalai Lama, created a mandala over a several day period at the Field Museum of Natural History.  And then its 
sands were scattered in the lake.
	The purpose of drawing a mandala is not just to "have one around."   Actually, they may be destroyed soon 
after they are completed.  Although you may see one of canvas, at the Field Museum, if youÕre ever in Chicago.  It 
is the process of creating the mandala which serves as a form of mediation of its own.  This is a practice frequently 
done by novices.  The actual creation of the mandala, carefully, meticulously, and with the right mind becomes the 
meditation itself.  This also serves a practical role of helping them to become acquainted with the various parts of 
this object which, as they advance, is used a lot in a visualization meditation.  		
	As the practitioner develops spiritually,  they are instructed to allow the mandala to lose its physical 
confinement.  They are taught to visualize a mandala while meditating.  First the elaborate details of each of the 
many elements of the mandala are brought to mind.  ( And these things are very elaborate!)  And then slowly, over 
time, the practitioners learn to visualize the entire mandala.  After that can be done easily and readily, than the 
practitioner begins to imagine him or herself in the center of a three-dimensional mandala, as the divine incarnate. 
	As this practice continues, the mandala becomes a kind of symbolic framework in which many of the 
religious concepts are explained and understood.  It is an Òinner mandalaÓ--the place within you where you work 
out experiences of life.  Now, you see, the mandala has been removed entirely from the realm of the physical.  This 
is a mandala within, having no form or substance, only related to the physical entity called 'mandala.'
	Mandala meditation teaches the practitioner the basic understanding of how the world is, both macro 
cosmically and micro cosmically.  In other words, it provides a framework to relate the inner world of the individual 
to the outer world of the universe by exerting that they are in essence both mandala worlds.
	So we see how the mandala goes, not only in my understanding as I studied, but in the usage in Tibetan 
Buddhism, from being a physical object used in initiation and acquainting initiates with the deities, to the central 
frame of reference of the practicing yogi.  It is at once an art form and the basis for understanding your relation to 
the world.
	Tibetan Buddhist Tsong-kha-pa speaking on the nature of what is called the ÒDeveloping StageÓ--or the 
point at which you can begin to imagine yourself in the mandala--says: 
It has been said that the Developing Stage in which one imagines the world to be a divine mansion and the beings in 
it as transfigured beings ('gods', 'goddesses') counteracts the common way of appearance and the appetence [hunger] 
for the latter;  by familiarizing oneself with the appearance of the world as a divine mansion and of its inhabitants as 
transfigured beings, the ordinary mode of appearance is abolished; and by the certain feeling of being Aksobhya or 
Vairocana or any other deities, the common self-complacency is left behind.  The transition from this self-
complacency to the feeling of transfiguration is as follows: when one has reached real knowledge, the former belief 
concerning one's identity is discarded and the idea that one is of a divine nature sets in .
	And  he also says, Òin imagining the world and its inhabitants as a mandala  and in feeling oneself as 
transfigured, both the capacity for feeling transfigured and the mandala  are clearly present before one's mind.  It is 
not enough to bring about a little change for a while, it must be a stable experience.Ó
	My understanding  of the mandala changed drastically in the time that I studied it.  It has been very 
interesting, although frustrating to study.   There is a certain illusiveness about it.  It seemed every time I had finally 
gotten a handle on what this mandala thing really was, I'd read something else that would open up whole new 
understandings.  It reminded me of that Buddhist image of the unfolding Lotus flower, each opening petal bringing 
new understanding and meaning.
	But I hope that you have stuck with me here, and begun to see how the mandala is both a physical and non-
physical thing, both representing the sacred place used for focusing oneself towards transformation from the profane 
to the sacred.
	You may be beginning to understand the Tibetan mandala, but youÕve got to be wondering, so what does 
recycling plastic bags have to do with any of this?  I am working up to explain it all to you.
	One of the hardest things about Unitarian Universalism, is that in our individualism regarding beliefs, it is 
up to us, as individuals to find ways to keep ourselves focused on our own specific understandings of how to 
actually live our faith.  We donÕt have the ritualized practices that many of the faiths have to help keep us focused 
and centered in our our beliefs.  We canÕt create a mandala for UUÕs, something which encompassed sacred space, 
cosmology, meditational focus and was deity centered.  Imagine trying to build consensus around that one, if you 
think our discussions about our new building have been difficult!--But I do feel that just as it is important that we 
wrestle with Òbuilding our own theologyÓ so that we can articulate our own beliefs, we also need to contemplate in 
what ways are we going to create physical reference in our spiritual lives.  The kind of physical reference that is 
going to help us remember and keep focused on our beliefs.  It is in the creation of such ongoing physical 
reminders, or Mandalas that we find we can bring ourselves from the heady realm of theology into the everyday 
practice of our lives.
	Now I want to tell you a story.  It is a woman from another country I met when we were living in married 
student housing in Reno.  And we spent a lot of time talking together.  This was a woman who had a religion (which 
she respected), a husband, (who she was still friends with) and a child, (who she enjoyed spending time with)--but 
somehow, she was a woman who was totally lost, totally without a sense of being at home in the world.  Now I 
believe, from everything that this woman told me, that she was a strong woman, and happy and purposeful woman, 
when she had been at home her old country.  But when I knew her, she was completely lost, and she didnÕt know 
how to get back to the place where she truly felt at home in the world.  And I think that we all, maybe not to the 
same extent, but we all have moments in our lives, when we too are wishing we knew how to feel at home in our 
world, how to make it all make sense, how to truly feel at like we were standing with strength and power at home in 
our own mandala world.
 	And this is what I want to encourage you today to really think about.  What serves as your mandala?  What 
serves as a physical reminder of your own non-physical sacred place, a place that focuses you in your own spiritual 
path, so that can be at home in your world and even have , (just like in the mediation), practice a vivid appearance .  
For me, one of the most important reminders of my faith are the simple everyday acts which set me aside from the 
ÒnormalÓ activities of our consumer-based,  human-centered, taking and taking, using and using culture.  And 
perhaps my favorite is recycling plastic bags.  When I say ÒrecyclingÓ what I actually mean is reusing these bags.  
IÕm one of those people who wash out sandwich bags, dirtied with peanut butter and jelly juices or vegetable bits.  
I bring a lunch bag home with me everyday still partially full of packaging to be cleaned up.  In part I do these 
things, and many more like them because I am environmentally conscious--but there is more to it than that.  
Because in remembering to bring home those bags and wash them out, and use them over again I have a physical 
reminder of my sacred place on Earth and my sacred place within my being.  In having a Òused bagÓ drawer in my 
kitchen, I am frequently reminded of my faith.  My actions of environmentalism are deeply rooted in a reverence for 
nature and sense that the divine, by whatever name, is somehow inextricably a part of all life.  
 	It is the plastic bag recycling that makes up one of many elements of a sacred enclosure I have created for 
myself, the physical (plastic bag) referring me back to the non-physical (my faith).  So, now I want to tell you 
another story.  Another important piece of my mandala, is to keep in touch with nature.  And last night, our family 
decided--because it was our younger dogÕs birthday, to take her on a birthday walk on our church land.  It was such 
a beautiful evening.  The sun had set, but the sky still had a glow to it, and one part of the sky still had a reddish 
hue.  We walked, and IÕll describe this for those of you who know the land, we walked over to the clearing near the 
little stream.  And we just stopped and looked around.  It was so beautiful.  And we heard owls calling.  And it was 
like magic.  And even though the dogs were running around making noise, and even though the kids were cold--and 
you know how kids can be when theyÕre cold,  I was just so special.  It is a memory IÕll carried around with  me, 
and from time to time, when IÕm feeling a little less centered and little down, IÕll just remember that moment.  
That incredible moment.  Like Tibetan Buddhists, once I can feel myself safe in  a sacred space of my own creation, 
I am freer, stronger, more focused on the things which matter to me, and I am able to work out the experiences of 
life.
	I believe most UUÕs may have created, at least in part, a mandala for themselves--because I see so much 
social action, outdoor activities, church attendance, and special attention to childrenÕs lives.  But I think that must 
of us are unaware of the benefit of having a safe, sacred enclosure, where we can grow in our beliefs.  
	So I ask you again, what makes up your mandala?  Are some of your walls tumbling down like ancient 
Greek ruins, due to neglect?  What would your mandala look like if you drew one? What places feel special, sacred 
to you--where you go to get energized, that you could encompass in the sacred circle?  What would make up the 
walls to keep you safe?  What would be the resources to keep you wise and help you in your transformation, like the 
many boddhisatvas in our Tibetan mandala?   And what do you look like when you feel like a divinity seated in the 
throne of your palace?  Imagine drawing your own mandala.  We canÕt as UUÕs have a mandala for all of us, but 
we can each of us have our own mandala.
	Another name for the Mandala practice of Tibet is the Diamond Land.  I believe this refers, not to the 
wealth of diamonds, but to the sharp, clear brilliance and light of a diamond.  And when you find yourself in a 
crystal clear, brilliant place, you will know that you have created and centered yourself in your own mandala.  And 
once you can feel yourselves safe in  this sacred space of your own creation, you will be freer, stronger, more 
focused on the things which matter to you, and you will find transformation in the experiences of life.

Copyright 1997, Rev. Eva Hochgraf