Unit 3 - India

Hindu Mandalas

Warm-Up

• Share your Hinduism Acrostic Poem with your group.

• Create a new group acrostic poem using the various components from the entire group. Make them pretty enough for display.

• You have 15 minutes from the late bell to complete the poem.

Review

• 1. Hinduism• 2. Brahman• 3. Deities

(gods/goddesses)• 4. Dharma• 5. Karma• 6. Samsara• 7. Reincarnation

• A. Reborn• B. universal spirit• C. consequences of your

actions• D. life cycle• E. religion from India with

nearly 1 billion followers• F. Divine law or rules• G. representatives of

Brahman: three main are Brahma, Vishnu, and Siva

Mandala

• Mandala means "circle" in Sanskrit. Mandalas are circular diagrams that originated with Hinduism and are used in both Hinduism and Buddhism to increase spiritual awareness.

MandalaHindu mandalas usually consist of a combination of lines and triangles within a circle and a square, and designs range from simple to very complex.

Mandalas symbolize the circular nature of the universe, and people often use mandalas to focus themselves during meditation (prayer).

• Traditionally, mandalas are divided into four quadrants.

• Each detail in all four quadrants of the mandala faces the center, so that it is facing the resident deity of the mandala.

Activity• Create a Mandala with symbols

representing basic Hindu beliefs.– Brainstorm symbols which

can represent each of the following: Brahman, Deities, Dharma, Karma, Samsara/Reincarnation.

– Once the symbols have been decided upon, begin designing your mandala.

– Use color– Glue onto construction paper– Write a 5 to 7 sentence

explanation of the mandala. What do the symbols mean and why?