Buddhist Cosmologies Reflected in Rice Mandalas
Geshe Damdul Namgyal, a very knowledgeable Tibetan monk who was also one of the Dalai Lama’s translators, discussed the structure and purpose of offering rice mandalas.
Namgyal explained the purpose of offering mandalas is to cultivate favorable, positive merit, so we can reach whatever goal we are aiming to achieve as a samsaric being; be the aim to be wanting a better rebirth or wanting to become a bodhisattva. There are four types of mandala offering: outer, inner, secret, and thusness. The out mandala offering makes an offering to the external world-systems described in buddhist cosmology; the form of outer mandalas includes rice mandalas and sand mandalas.
There are two types of single world-systems that the mandalas are constructed after, the Abhidharma single world system and the Kalachkra world system. These world systems are described in buddhist mythologies as all-encompassing, representing our planet, galaxy, and cosmos. For instance, the Abhidharma single world system has Mount Meru as the center of the universe, surrounded by four continents and other smaller islands. The continents are then surrounded by water, and the water is surrounded by wind. When one is offering a mandala, one can imagine the offering is going out to the entire universe and benefiting all sentient beings. Namgyal said that this is a great way to accumulate merit for the offerer. Thus, offering mandala in a sense is a type of wise-selfishness because in the process of giving merit to the world, the offerer has benefited the most from the practice.
The mandala is usually consisted of a flat bottom with layers of concentric rings, topped with a diadem. The diadem represents the formless realm, or 4 heavens of the mental-bodied according to the Kalachakra cosmology. Mandalas are usually made of gold, silver, copper, bronze, or stone. However, Namgyal said the material making up the mandalas doesn’t really matter, it is the purity of the mind and the flexing of the imagination makes the offering meaningful. The heaps filling inside the mandala is usually made of rice, pearls, gemstones, and precious metals. I think the point of using the best material possible for the mandala offering may be to show dedication that one is willing to offer the best to the universe.
Namgyal also explained the mental qualities of the practice. The practitioner should have a purified mind, lacking attachment, ego, or unwillingness. Once all the mind impurities are removed, the performance of the offering will be very easy. The practitioner can then use the vastness of the imagination to make sure the offering is all-inclusive, not leaving anything out, which may result in a mass accumulation of merit. Lastly, Namgyal showed an alternative mandala offering in the form of a hand-mudra, which is a convenient, simple way to accumulate merit that is practiced by most Tibetan monks.
