Mandala known as Khil-khor (dkyil 'khor) is a symbolic representation of landscape of the "Buddha-land," or the enlightened vision of a Buddha, which inevitably represents the nature of experience and the intricacies of both the enlightened and confused mind, or "a microcosm representing various divine powers at work in the universe." Such mandalas consist of an outer circular mandala and an inner square (or sometimes circular) mandala with an ornately decorated mandala "palace" placed at the center. Any part of the inner mandala can be occupied by Buddhist glyphs and symbols, as well as by images of its associated deities, which "symbolise different stages in the process of the realisation of the truth."

 

 

 

 

Mandalas are used in the rituals of a monks initiation and are called the 'Architecture of Enlightenment' Mandalas made of sand are usually swept away after a prayer ceremony to symbolize the impermanence of life. The designs of the Mandala follow an ancient tradition and consist of concentric circles and intersecting lines. 

All monks at Buddhist monasteries in Ladakh are required to learn the intricacies of constructing sand mandalas as part of their training. The learning process is two-fold, including the memorization of texts that specify the names, lengths, and positions of the primary lines that define the basic structure of mandalas, as well as the manual techniques of drawing and pouring sand using the long narrow metal funnels called chakpu. The movement of one chakpu against the other causes the sand to flow, creating a meditative sound. For the Buddhist practitioner this sound suggests the approach of higher consciousness, the teaching of interdependence and emptiness. The presence of both chakpu is necessary for this purpose; one symbolizing wisdom, the other compassion; a recurrent theme in Buddhism. 

The Kalachakra Mandala, sometimes referred to as “The Wheel of Time”, is one of Tibetan Buddhism’s most complex works of sacred art. This virtual floor plan for a multi-leveled palace houses five separate yet interrelated mandalas. Each has its own purpose to purify body, speech, mind, and then consciousness, culminating in the ultimate tier of Great Bliss. 

As a meditation on impermanence (a central teaching of Buddhism), after days or weeks of creating the intricate pattern of a sand mandala, the sand is brushed together and placed in a body of running water to spread the blessings of the mandala.