Mandalas have been used by Buddhists, Hindus, Tibetans and Native Americans in prayer, meditation and for healing. In ancient Tibet, as part of a spiritual practice, monks created intricate mandalas with colored sand made of crushed semi‐
precious stones. The tradition continues to this day as the monks travel to different cultures around the world to create sand mandalas and educate people about the culture of Tibet. The monks destroy the sand paintings afterwards, to illustrate the change of time and universe. In Asia, the Taoist "yin‐yang" symbol represents opposition as well as interdependence. In the Americas, Indians have created medicine wheels and sand mandalas. The American Navajo people also create sand paintings used in spiritual rituals. This ritual may last from five to nine days and range in size from three to fifteen feet or more. The circular Aztec calendar was both a timekeeping device and a religious expression of ancient Aztecs. Mandalas in Architecture
Christian churches built in medieval times or designed with a Gothic style feature a rose window – a circle of intricate stained glass – that resembles a mandala. A stupa is round in shape from its base to pinnacle, representing the entire Buddhist path as well as the result of the path – the body, speech, and mind of an enlightened being. The Muslim mosque with a domed roof is another round structure built around a center. Native American teepees are conical shapes built around a pole that represents the world axis.