The Social Brain - Mandalas Make
Meaning
by Karen Selsor
It’s a classic example of "East" meeting "West." Mandalas, a key component of Buddhist tradition,
are variously being used in American educational seminars as active learning tools. The Sanskrit
word for "circle" or "centre," a mandala is a circle composed of intricate designs formed with
coloured sand. The patterns within the circle follow Buddhist religious writings. Traditionally, once
a monk has completed a mandala, which can take weeks to make, it is tossed into a river to
symbolize the transient nature of life.
In training, mandalas are especially useful in exploring the affective domain, which is concerned
with the emotional aspect of learning and in developing interpersonal skills. Its use as an active
learning tool can be traced back to the renowned psychologist Carl Jung, who introduced the
technique to the United States and incorporated it into his therapy. The mandala technique is
primarily used to encourage self-reflection, with a goal of enhanced personal openness and a
better understanding of knowing one’s boundaries.
Learning Circles
As an active learning tool, mandalas can be used in a variety of settings, including focused, group
process situations. The University of Texas Health Science Centre used the mandala concept to
develop interpersonal competence, self-awareness and self-reflection in a group of nursing
students (Marshall, 2003). Participants were assigned to groups of seven to ten members. Each
group worked for ninety minutes with a large, circular piece of paper measuring four feet in
diameter. The groups were instructed to use various markers, art supplies and pages from
magazines to create a mandala that would define them as a group. This exercise was done at the
beginning of a fifteen-week semester (when students were strangers to each other) and again at
the end of the semester.
Faculty observed the students during each ninety-minute session, noting the roles that each
student played (who took the lead, etc.), the amount of participation by each individual, any
conflicts and themes that emerged and other aspects of group dynamics. At the end of the
semester, the groups compared their two mandalas and discussed them within the framework of
group process. The emphasis of this activity was on how the mandalas differed and what this
meant about group development. Participants were also asked what they learned about
themselves, their groups, the group process, verbal and nonverbal communication, the Buddhist
culture and spirituality.
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Foster Community
Mandalas have also been used to foster team spirit, which many experts feel is an important
element of success in both life and work. Barry Heermann (1998) describes one exercise that
uses mandalas to heighten group identification. After learning that the mandala represents a way
to visually describe one’s values, beliefs and attitudes, participants create a mandala with four
quadrants, labelled "Source of Pride," "Gift I Bring to the Team," "Team Spirit Goal" and
"Frustration with the Team." Beneath the four-quadrant mandala is a place for the person’s
"Credo."
Participants spend fifteen minutes preparing a personal mandalas, using images, icons, and
pictures as symbols in each of the four quadrants. They also write a personal credo to
accompany it (beneath the mandala on the same piece of paper). After completing the
assignment, participants are placed into teams of four to six people. Within the groups, each
participant describes his or her mandala and answers questions from the team. At the end of this
session, all participants share their individual goals for the seminar and explain one quadrant
from their mandalas. The culminating activity is a discussion of how individual goals relate to the
overall training goal, as set forth by the instructor.
Mandalas offer a rich, active learning technique that helps individuals reflect on their own
behaviour and viewpoints and those of others. Through the experience of making a mandala,
participants will learn about their strengths and weaknesses and develop strategies for
improvement.
Action Steps
•
Share with participants the advantages of using mandalas in their own classrooms. The
website, www.mandalaproject.org/education/Workshops/AnacortesMS/Main.html, has many
suggestions for incorporating mandalas into academic subjects.
•
Mandalas are not limited to circles divided into sections. Experiment with different
representations of circles, including intersecting circles, or other round shapes.
•
Extend mandalas beyond building team spirit and incorporate them into long-term goalsetting discussions or brainstorming sessions.
•
Use mandalas as templates for informal assessment to determine if your training objectives
are being met.
•
Visit the website, http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/george/mandala.html, for more information about
mandalas within the Buddhist tradition.
References
Heermann, B. (1998, Aug). A personal mandala for team spirit. Training & Development, 52(8),
46–9.
Marshall, M. C. (2003, Nov). Creative learning: The mandala as teaching exercise. Journal of
Nursing Education, 42(11), 517–9.
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The Mandala of Insights Types
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