Reading #3: Mandalas and Class Projects

Mandala Reading:

I appreciated a reading about spirituality in schools that was not condescending and loaded with pre-conceived notions about religion and spirituality in schools. In this article, I learned that sensitivity and empathy can be learned through studying religious artwork. It is not illegal to study this because it is part of the world's history, and many current student's lives. We shouldn't be so afraid of something that we pretend like it doesn't even exist. As we read in the article,"Approaching sacred traditions from an artistic vantage point using a holistic approach made it possible for students to gain a sympathetic understanding of the significant issues surrounding religious art and to work with issues of importance in their own work, as opposed to teaching students explicitly about other culture’s religious beliefs, which may either provoke scientific skepticism or cause conflicts with the student’s own religious views".

The mandala is simply a medium to start spiritual conversations in a school setting. A lot of beliefs from different religions can be found in the practice and beliefs surrounding Tibetan mandalas. A quote that highlights this from the reading is, "Jung recognized the mandala’s psychological functions, which might be more comfortable addressed in public schools. For example, Jung felt that meditating on the mandala could function as an antidote for chaotic states of mind, and he also through they expressed an archetypical structure of the inner self; this explained why mandala like structures are found in many cultures through out the world". These ideas, such as meditation, a sense of calm, discovering the inner self, and enlightenment are things that the soul craves. Schools can be one of the most chaotic and disorienting experiences adolescents go through, but what better place than the art room to become a refuge and haven from what happens outside. This can be achieved through deeper conversations about spirituality, tolerance and understanding of different religious beliefs, and personal transformations.