Editing Mandala (section)

{{Short description|Spiritual and ritual symbol in Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism}}
{{Other uses}}
{{Distinguish|Mancala|Nelson Mandela}}
[[File:Manjuvajramandala con 43 divinità - Unknown - Google Cultural Institute.jpg|upright=1.35|thumb|[[Thangka]] painting of Manjuvajra mandala]]
[[File:Taizokai.jpg|upright=1.35|thumb|The Womb Realm mandala. The center square represents the young stage of [[Vairocana]]. He is surrounded by eight [[Buddharupa|Buddhas]] and [[bodhisattva]]s (clockwise from top: [[Ratnasambhava]], [[Samantabhadra (Bodhisattva)|Samantabhadra]], Saṅkusumitarāja, [[Manjushri]], [[Amitābha]], [[Avalokiteśvara]], [[Amoghasiddhi]] and [[Maitreya]])]]

A '''mandala''' ({{langx|sa|मण्डल|maṇḍala|circle}}, {{IPA|sa|ˈmɐɳɖɐlɐ|}}) is a geometric configuration of symbols. In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of practitioners and [[adepts]], as a spiritual guidance tool, for establishing a [[Ganachakra#Sacred space|sacred space]] and as an aid to [[meditation]] and [[trance]] induction. In the [[Eastern religions]] of [[Hinduism]], [[Buddhism]], [[Jainism]] and [[Shinto]] it is used as a map representing deities, or especially in the case of Shinto, paradises, [[kami]] or actual shrines.<ref>{{cite web | title = mandala | url = http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mandala | year = 2008 | publisher = Merriam–Webster Online Dictionary | access-date = 2008-11-19 | archive-date = 2018-12-26 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20181226074446/https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/mandala | url-status = live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | title = Japanese Mandalas: Representations of Sacred Geography | issue = 1/2 | pages = 186–188 | year = 2001 | journal = Japanese Journal of Religious Studies| volume = 28 | jstor = 30233691 | last1 = Tanabe | first1 = Willa Jane }}</ref>