Natural Mandalas

Mandalas are symbolic patterns used for meditation, especially in the Tibetan Buddhist tradition. The book recreates the mandala in a new idiom, starting with a natural image of the extraordinary swirling pattern of a sunflower. The text explains the meaning and use of mandalas, and includes an illustration of a beautiful traditional Tibetan sand mandala, which symbolises the transience of life. One particularly amazing image is the eye of a panther chameleon, which embodies a pattern of rare beauty and design. The main part of the book consists of original mandala patterns accompanied by instructions and quotations from many sources. Images include cherry blossom, a red rose, trees, leaves, sky, a diamond, water, the sun, fire, shells, birds and fish. One can't help thinking that it is better to go out and contemplate in nature rather than using a book, but Lisa Tenzin-Dolma's illustrations are worthy objects of contemplation.