Functions of mandala in Indian Tantric Buddhism

Abstract

Buddhist mandalas are multifunctional, religious artifacts typical of Tantric Buddhism. The primary ritual function of the mandala (along with other magical instruments) is to present supernatural beings in the ritual space. The purpose of this presence is to use the miraculous power of Buddhas, Bodhisattvas, etc. for the purposes specified by the participants of the rites. The meditative function of the mandala, which emerged a little later, is to provide a model for the community of supernatural beings in the proces of visualization. The adept was supposed to internalize the mandala by methodically imagining and identifying with the beings it represented. In the strong interpretation, the result of identifying with the visualized ruler of the mandala is the attainment of Buddhahood. According to traditional Buddhist soteriology, however, Buddhahood is the result of an elite experience. To make the new soteriological method credible, it was necessary to attribute a cognitive function to the mandalas.