Mandala Iconography
Mārgadarśaka Mandala
The Way-shower Mandala
The Way-shower mandala is the primary mandala of Wayism. The Sanskrit name is मार्गदर्शक, transliterated as mārgadarśaka, which translates as way-shower, guide on the Way, or teacher of the Way. The mandala contains elements that guide the practitioner through the ontology of Wayism. This mandala is often seen on devotional artwork associated with Avalokitesvara. The Margadarzaka Mandala, or Mandala of Enlightenment as it is called is directly linked to Wayism. No other for of Buddhism or Hinduism make use of the Mandala of Enlightenment as it is particular to the Wayist school of thought.
The outer (black) circle
This circle is symbolic of The One, the Tao, and the ineffable Divine force that is the All. Wayist literature tells us that we cannot comprehend It, we cannot speak of It, we cannot fathom It and can most definitely not define it because our mind is that of a fairly insignificant finite creature, which cannot approach the infinite. The One is the Source of All.
The devotee meditates on this outer circle to allow soul-mind time to listen to the teaching of one’s spiritual guides (call them angels, the Lord, or however one would like) regarding the Ultimate Reality.
The second (red) outer circle
This symbolizes the veils of Maya that pervade all Reality. It creates perceptions of reality, or many layers of reality within Reality. Creatures perceive different realities, each applicable to its level of wisdom. Depending on a creatures’ level of awareness and wisdom, they can penetrate the veils of Maya and perceive more of the ultimate Reality. These veils create our perceptions of duality, temporality, ego, and many other attitudes that are shed over time as we mature in wisdom and grow awareness.
The Yin & Yang
According to Wayist literature, the YinYang symbol represents the Two forces that proceed or emanate from the One[http://wayism.org/learning-about-wayist-spirituality/spirituality-articles-for-everyone/wayist-iconography/mandala-of-enlightenment/11-cradle-mountain#ftn1|1]. The Two forces uphold The Way in a sense but it is also understood that it embodies The Way, that The Way exists in it, because of it, and nothing about The Way exists outside of it. According to the book on this topic, “The Way is the process within which we flow. That energy of The Way permeates all things that pertain to our universes, and our purpose of life. In that vein, Wayism leaves room for the question, “are there other universes that do not pertain to our existence, and are perhaps upheld and animated by other forces emanating from the One?” The answer to the question is obviously that we don’t know, we cannot know, yet we conceive of it as being possible even though it does not concern us whatsoever.”
The Divine’s Energies are therefore present among us, within, and throughout all creation. Wayists often refer to this concept by quoting the Upanisadic saying, God is closer to you than your hand.
Yantra Square
The square around the YinYang connotes a yantra.
Yantras are encapsulated or contained in squares and not circles. The four corners, or four elements of the square has significance in the meaning of number 4.
The cross is the sign of free will decisions. We are always faced with decisions; even now as you read this your body-mind is trying to decide what to do with this information and your soul-mind is about to make a decision whether to go forward with it (embrace it and build on it toward future development), reverting back to a previous state (totally rejecting the information), go left (use it for left-hand purposes often to the detriment of someone or go right (use it for right-hand or orthodox often religious purposes. Free will is central to being human, it is a privilege particular to humans, it can be our undoing or the reason for successful completion of the purpose of life. The decision is entirely ours to make.
Dorje / Vajra
The main figure in the mandala is the double dorje (Tibetan) or vajra (Sanskrit). The symbolism of the vajra is immense and wayists have their own particular interpretation.
Vajra symbolizes enlightenment, or perfection of the soul. The purpose of life of the soul is to grow in wisdom over many incarnations to the extent that the accumulated wisdom (consciousness) one day impregnates or awakens the seed of spirit that is imbedded in the soul. When this happens, the soul-mind typically experiences a flash of spiritual awareness that most people refer to as being struck by a thunderbolt of enlightenment. Vajra therefore are sometimes referred to as a thunderbolt.
There is more to the vajra. It has a lotus with four elements and a centre stem on each side. The esoteric tradition pays a lot of attention to these elements and concentrates on it during its practices.
The Ohm symbol in the Lotus of the Varja
The symbol of the Aum is one of the most ancient symbols of the primordial sound (force/energy) emanating from the One. We know this vibration / energy or so-called sound as the Two, or the Yin & Yang. The Ohm symbol does not correspond to the Taoist Tao, but to an emanation which proceeds from the Tao. Wayists try not to talk of the Tao, or the One, because any such talk attempt to define the One, which would automatically impose limits of language, limits of human faculties, and conditions on the One and we humans are absolutely not qualified to do that.
The mantra, Om Mani Padma Hum is central to Wayism and can be said to mean, “Behold the Wondrous Presence of the Divine in the Lotus” In a way, the lotus head of the vajra with an Ohm symbol inside is a graphic representation of that mantra.
The 8-pointed Star
The eight-pointed star is the symbol of spirit-heaven and cosmic balance and completion of the cycles of heaven. Spirit-heaven is not in this star system, which humans refer to as the solar system. Spirit-heaven is in the star system Sirius, right next door. Sirius has been associated with the abode of the gods since the foundation of humankind. It has been associated with the work of our highly esteemed elder kin variously known to us as Isis, Issa, Iesous, Yesu, Jesus, and Avalokitesvara.
Heaven is our goal, and the object of the purpose of life.