Toh 105The Dharma Discourse on the Eight Maṇḍalas

An Explanation of the Sutra of the Eight Mandalas

Context

The Sutra of the Eight Mandalas (Maṇḍalāṣṭakasūtra) is a precious Dharma teaching belonging to the Northern canon, recorded in the Kangyur, the fundamental scriptural collection of the Tibetan tradition. This scripture focuses on the teaching of the eight mandalas, absolute structures of the cosmos and consciousness in Vajrayana Buddhism.

A mandala, from the Sanskrit “mandala,” meaning “circle” or “that which includes the whole,” is a sacred geometric symbol representing the supreme, all-encompassing world of the buddhas and bodhisattvas. In Mahayana Vajrayana, especially in the Northern tradition, the mandala is not merely a painted image or architectural design, but a manifestation of the most profound truth of the Buddhadharma.

This scripture was transmitted in the context of Buddha Shakyamuni or other buddhas teaching the Dharma in order to instruct disciples to clearly recognize the structure of buddhahood and the path of practice leading to that fruition.

Main Content

The Sutra of the Eight Mandalas presents eight sacred mandalas, each symbolizing a different aspect of awakening and the embodiment of the Buddhadharma:

First is the mandala of Mind (Cittamandala), representing the luminous and pure nature of mind. Second is the mandala of the Cosmos (Lokadhatu), expressing the entire system of the three-dimensional world. Third is the mandala of the Five Enlightened Buddhas (Pañcabuddhakula), each corresponding to a spatial direction and a faculty of consciousness. Next are the mandala of the bodhisattvas of the ten bhumis, the mandala of the Dharma protectors, the mandala of visionary insight, the mandala of the seven continents, and finally the supreme mandala of the Dharmakaya.

Each mandala has a special structure: at the center is the Buddha or Supreme Teacher, surrounded by layers from outer to inner, each layer representing a level of awakening or a type of spiritual being.