A yantra is a visual mantra (a verbal repitition – usually a positive affirmation). It is a symbol or icon – particulary of a goddess (devi) in geometric form.
A Mandala literally means a circle, and is viewed as sacred, normally allowing the observer to settle into a higher or hightened state of awareness. This works very well with our mission with the Virtual Sacred Circle Project. We are a virtual sacred mandala.
Given this, a yantra mandala may be considered to be a geometric embodiment of a Hindu deity enveloped in a sacred circle. Such an embodiment is said to arouse our awareness and point our concentration to the attributes of whichever deity represented in the yantra. Sri yantra is called the mother of all yantras because all other yantras derive from it.
The Sri Yantra Mandala is a configuration of nine interlacing triangles centred around the bindu (the central point of the yantra), drawn by the super imposition of five downward pointing triangles, representing Shakti ; the female principle and four upright triangles, representing Shiva ; the male principle.
Man's spiritual journey from the stage of material existence to ultimate enlightenment is mapped on the Sri Yantra Mandala. The spiritual journey is taken as a pilgrimage in which every step is an ascent to the center, a movement beyond one's limited existence, and every level is nearer to the goal.
Each of the circuits of the Sri Yantra, from the outer plane to the bindu (the center), corresponds with one of the stages of the spiritual journey.
The goal of contemplating the Sri Yantra is that the adept can rediscover his primordial sources. The circuits symbolically indicate the successive phases in the process of becoming.
The Sri Yantra is believed to be the image of the OM mantra, which in the Hindu tradition is understood to be the primordial sound of creation. In his book Rhythms of Vision, Lawrence Blair writes that when the OM is correctly intoned into a tonoscope (a device that transforms sound into a visual representation on a screen), it first produces a circle. As the tone is completed, the circle is filled sequentially with concentric squares, triangles and finally, as the last traces of the "mmm" have died away, the Sri Yantra.
Now this blog posting is not meant to promote the Hindu belief system or any other belief system. It was meant to convey the sacredness of circles, the energy they create for healing and manifesting, and how we as a global consciousness can do our part and create a world of peace, love, and harmony through the use of various ancient or modern tools (Sri Yantra Mandala, medicine wheels, internet, etc.).
How to Use the Sri Yantra Mandala
The secret key to using Yantras in meditation is Resonance. The process of Resonance is established by mental focus on the image of the Yantra. As long as the mind is tuned into the specific mood associated to that Yantra, the energy flows, but when the Resonance is stopped, the energy disappears.
Instructions for Sri Yantra Mandala meditation (Can be done with any Yantra):
1. Hang the Sri Yantra mandala on a wall facing North or East, placing the center of the Yantra at the level of your eyes.
2. Adopt your favorite posture or, if you want, sit on a chair maintaining a straight spine.
3. Breath in through the nose and out through the mouth, but do not force at all, just let the breath flow normally.
4. Look into the center of the Yantra, trying to blink as rarely as possible; you don't want to look at the particular details of the Yantra, just keep your sight right in the center and observe the whole Yantra at once.
This exercise should last at least 15-30 minutes every day; the experience will be indescribable.
After at least seven days of Sri Yantra Mandala meditation you will be able to tap into the same yantric energy even without a Yantra (at the beginning you may fix your sight on an exterior or imaginary point or evoke the Yantra with your eyes closed)
When executing this technique it is recommended that we maintain a state of aspiration and intense longing for experiencing the beatific energies of the consciousness.
In superior phases the Sri Yantra Mandala absorbs the practitioner's complete attention, and he can no longer tell if the Yantra is within himself or if he is within the Yantra; this is the state of non-duality.
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