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Lesson Title: Mandalas
Course: Painting
Grade Level: 9-12
Objectives: As a result of
instruction, students will be able to...
* Identify the basic structure and symbols found in Tibetan
mandalas.
* Describe how mandalas are made and used in Tibetan monastaries.
* Discuss how art can be a form of religious expression.
* Compare Tibetan mandalas to those used in other cultures.
* Create a large painted mandala as a class.
* Teach elementary students about mandalas.
Materials:
4' x 4' sheet of wood
drawing paper
drawing pencils
colored pencils
paint
paintbrushes
opaque projector
Intructional Resources:
* Book: The Mandala: Sacred Circle in Tibetan Buddhism, Martin
Brauen, Shambala, 1997.
* Book: The Sand Mandala of Vajrabhairava, Daniel Cozort, Snow Lion,
1994.
* Video: Mandala: The Sacred Circle of Vajrabhairava, South Mountain
Productions, 1997.
* Handouts: Tibetan Buddhist Mandalas, Tibet Education Network at
Global Source.
* Handouts: Mandala: Sand Painting from the Festival of Tibet, UMass
Amherst, Oct. 1996.
* Web sites: Early
Tibetan Mandalas: The Rossi Collection
Symbolism of the Mandala
Mandala: Buddhist Tantric Diagrams
Mandala Sand Painting
Sand Mandala
Vocabulary:
Mandala- a geometric
design often used as a sacred representation of the universe. The word itself
means
circle in ancient Sanskrit.
Sanskrit- the ancient language of India
Kalachakra- literally means the "wheel of time,"
a type of teaching which helps its followers imagine what
enlightenment would be like, using the mandala as a visual
guide.
Yantra- a geometrical diagram that makes up the
outer form of the holy circles of a mandala.
Chak-pur- the traditional metal funnel through
which colored sands are poured onto a mandala.
Motivation:
* Students will watch video.
* Students will read Tibetan Buddhist Mandalas and answer the accompanying
questions.
* Students will read Mandala: Sand Painting.
* Students will look at pictures on the web and in books.
* Students will identify common symbols, shapes, composition, and form
prevelant in many mandalas.
* Students will find images of mandalas from other cultures
throughout South, East, and Southeast Asia,
and in native cultures of North and South America and other
religions such as Hinduism, Taoism, and
Christianity.
* Students will compare and contrast the Tibetan Buddhist mandalas to the
other ones they found.
* Students will brainstorm symbols they could use in their mandala that
represent them.
Procedure:
* Students will sketch out ideas for the group mandala.
* Students will present their ideas to the class.
* Students will agree on which ideas to incorporate.
* Students will make a drawing that incorporates all the ideas agreed upon.
* Students will critique the drawing as a group.
* Students will create a final draft.
* Students will project the final draft onto the 4' x 4' sheet of wood and
trace it.
* Teacher will review color harmonies.
* Students will each color a copy of the final draft using a harmony.
* Students will present their color drafts to the class.
* Students will agree on the best color harmony to use.
* Students will paint the mandala.
* Students will go to the elementary schools and teach younger students
about mandalas.
* Students will help elementary students create small mandalas.
Evaluation:
Did students...
* Identify common symbols, shapes, composition, and form in
Tibetan mandalas.
* Describe the process by which sand mandalas are created and how they are
used by Tibetan monks.
* Compare and contrast Tibetan mandalas with those from other cultures.
* Create a large group mandala that incorporates symbols that represent
the class members.
* Teach elementary students and help them create small individual mandalas
that represent them.
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