MANDALAS OF BALI

OUR PLACE IN THE WORLD

DEWA NYOMAN BATUAN

TABLE OF Foreword by Dewa Nyoman Batuan
Introduction by Lawrence Blair

CONTENTS MANDALAS IN LIFE — LIFE IN MANDALAS

Why mandalas?
Balinese concepts of harmony in the mandalas
Dots, lines, symbols, and signs

CREATION

Gods and Goddesses

Universe and its elements
Lingga-Yoni

LIFE

Humans in the world

Meditation
Other creatures
Plants
Sacred places — mountains

DEATH, REBIRTH, AND MOKSA

ARTIST’S BIOGRAPHY

Life story
Exhibitions, awards, collections

V I I
 MANDALA OF CIRCLES
Everything in life comes from a very small circle.
MANDALA IN
LIFE — LIFE IN
MANDALA
WHY MANDALAS?
I know that “mandala” is a Sanskrit word for “circle.” The
term is used to refer to various kinds of magic circles,
circular images of microcosm and macrocosm, and
various shrines for ritual and meditation found across
the Hindu-Buddhist world. It is also the name of the
chapters of the Hindu holy book, Rig Veda. In the West,
the psychologist Carl Jung also described the mandala
as a symbol of the self and inner harmony.
Because my paintings bear some relation to all of
these ideas, I call them by this popular term: “mandala.”
While mandala paintings are not traditional in Balinese
art, my own understanding of mandalas, and my choice
to paint them, grew out of my direct personal experi-
ence and practice of Balinese religion and culture.
In Bali, we believe that all life and experience is
grounded in a dual reality. This includes both tangible
reality — all aspects of life we can know through our
senses, which we call sekala, and intangible reality —
all aspects of life we cannot know through our senses,
which we call niskala.
For me, the significance of the mandala — and
the practical purpose for making and meditating
on mandalas — is to delineate the circle that con-
nects the tangible (sekala) and intangible (niskala)
reality of life within infinite space and time, in order
to move toward sacredness, purity of hear t, and
peace of mind.
Let me offer some simple analogies to explain what
I mean.
Everything in life seems to come in threes and to
move in circles.
For example, the earth turns on its axis, giving us
morning, day, and night. We experience time as a circle
of three: yesterday, today, and tomorrow. We are hungry,
we eat, we eliminate. We wake up, work, and sleep. We
are born. We live. We die.
Although our perceptions of life are defined by finite
times and spaces, the process of life is actually infinite.
Beyond the horizon we can see, there is always another
horizon; beneath the ground that supports us there is
always another layer of earth. There is always something
further right of what is on our rightmost edge, left of
what is on our leftmost edge; before yesterday there
was another yesterday, and after tomorrow there will
be another tomorrow.
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 MANDALA OF EXPANDING AWARENESS
From the center of our own small circle, our awareness can expand to the whole universe

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 MANDALA OF SEEING EACH OTHER
We see others from inside out; they see us from outside in; our mutual perceptions form a shared circle.

M A N D A L A I N L I F E — L I F E I N M A N D A L A 3
 MANDALA OF LOTS
Rich, poor, wise, stupid — whatever our lot in life, all of us are just tiny points in infinite time and space.

4 M A N D A L A S O F B A L I
 The same is true in the realm of knowledge. We
search for meaning in our lives, yet the more wisdom
we gain, the more we may come to feel as if our lives
are insignificant. The more science and technological
know-how we acquire, the more ignorant we become,
the more we still need to know. We have to keep learn-
ing again and again.
In the material realm, we wish to possess things, but
the more we own, the more we feel we lack and desire
to have more. (That is why we need to be able to limit
ourselves. Without limits, it is hard to achieve content-
ment in this fleeting life).
So we can conclude that:
Life is ever changing, perpetually turning like a wheel.
Sometimes we are on top, sometimes on the way up or
down, and sometimes we just have to be at the bottom.
The only constant is change itself. Whatever exists
must also cease to exist. Whatever lives must die. We
cannot have the one without the other.
From this holistic perspective, it follows that what is
non-existent in fact exists, or is part of existence, and
what dies is in fact still alive, or is part of life.
For example, if you take a stone or a clump of earth,
and you break it up into small pieces, and keep break-
ing it up into smaller and smaller pieces, it will turn to
powder, and then eventually disappear, leaving nothing
tangible behind. But the power or energy of that stone
or clump or earth still continues to exist.
Modern physics confirms that all matter is made up
of empty space, composed of energetic particles so tiny
they cannot even be seen under a microscope.
Similarly, most religions teach that there is an invisible,
yet eternal, spiritual reality that underlies, yet transcends
our visible yet transient, material reality.
I personally believe in a Creator God who created
existence out of non-existence. I am sure He is there
M A N D A L A I N L I F E
even though I have never seen Him. Because He dwells
in everything, He has no finite form. He exists even
though He does not exist in material terms.
Based on either point of view — scientific or spiritual
— all the contents of life essentially come from, and
boil down to, tiny points or dots that form circles within
infinite time and space.
That is what my mandala paintings are all about.
Giving form (goba), power (bayu), and sense (rasa)
to the living circle through which existence transforms
into non-existence, and non-existence transforms into
existence.
Fathoming the line that connects the tangible and
intangible dimensions of life — which, when we can
instill and hold it in our consciousness, leads us toward
the sacred.
Serving as tools for meditation: to help us find the
balance, purity of heart, expanded awareness and peace
of mind we need, in rapidly changing, uncertain times.
BALINESE CONCEPTS OF
HARMONY IN THE MANDALAS
The mandala paintings reproduced in this book arose
out of my daily meditations on the nature of being:
Why are we here? Where do we come from? What
is our purpose in the world? These and many other
questions of this kind emerge from my heart ever more
insistently as I grow older.
My mandala paintings are inspired and informed by
the following core concepts from Balinese-Hindu phi-
losophy, culture and spirituality, which I have been slowly
learning, practicing, and integrating into my life and work
throughout my journey.
— L I F E I N M A N D A L A 5
DIVINE ONENESS
According to Balinese Hindu teachings, the All Holy and
Almighty God, known as Ida Sang Hyang Widhi Wasa,
Sang Hyang Tunggal, or Sang Hyang Cintya, created the
universe with divine supernatural power. There is only
one God, but He is indescribable (Nir) and unknowable,
Omnipotent and Omnipresent, the one and the many, at
once empty and full, dwelling everywhere yet nowhere
(Wyapi Wyapaka). To strengthen human faith and facilitate
understanding of the Oneness of everything, Sang Hyang
Widi Wasa is personified in many different forms and
called by many different names.
In Balinese-Hindu religious and community life, this
divine creative source is most commonly conceived in
terms of Tri Murti — a trinity of powerful functions,
personified by Brahma, the creator, Vishnu, the caretaker
or protector, and Shiva, the destroyer, or dissolver and
recycler of life. As the creator, protector, and destroyer,
the divine is manifest in all of creation, including all living
things that reproduce by growing, laying eggs, or giving
birth. It is in the course of the cycle of birth, life, death,
and rebirth that each being evolves his or her individual
character as a unique point within the whole.
OUR PLACE IN THE UNIVERSE
In Balinese cosmology, human beings occupy just one
part of the whole universe, or macrocosm (Bhuana
Agung), but each contains the structure of the universe
in miniature, as a microcosm of the whole (Buana Alit).
The universe has a three-part structure: the middle
world that we inhabit; between the world of the Gods
and heaven above, the world of demons and hell below.
The microcosm has a corresponding structure: head,
body, limbs. As dwellers of the middle world, one of our
6 M A N D A L A S
main jobs is to maintain balance between the worlds
above and below us.
INTERCONNECTEDNESS
All living creatures are interconnected and mutually
need one another. The sun provides a source of energy
for all other forms of life. Plants, animals, and all the
other resources of nature help us by giving us all we
need to live. As humans we have souls (Atman) and
minds, characterized by kindness (Budhi), intelligence
(Cita,) and ambition (Manah). Everything we say and do
comes from our minds, and so, we must use our minds
well to care for the rest of nature wisely, in order to
sustain life.
FIVE ELEMENTS
All forms of life are composed of Panca Maha Bhuta,
or five elements, namely: ether or space (akasa), water
or liquid (apah), wind or air (bayu), fire or heat (teja),
and dense matter or earth (pertiwi). When we die, all
the elements we are made of are recycled back to the
universe at large.
FOUR DIRECTIONS
The concept of Catus Pata, or four directions, is that
from each person emanate four directions — north,
south, east, and west, meaning that our identity as
humans comes from our orientation in relative space
and that we have an intrinsically social nature; we need
to interact with our environment and other people in
order to live. Wherever you are located, you are in the
center. You need to adopt a “middle view” to maintain
balance with what is around you. Extending from this is
O F B A L I
 MANDALA OF FOUR DIRECTIONS

M A N D A L A I N L I F E — L I F E I N M A N D A L A 7
 MANDALA OF PHILOSOPHY

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 MANDALA OF “I’S” OR EYES

M A N D A L A I N L I F E — L I F E I N M A N D A L A 9
the belief that each of us is born with four spirit siblings
(Kanda Empat) who can protect us from all four direc-
tions throughout our lives.
THREE CAUSES OF HARMONY
A core guiding principle for how to live in balance with
the world is encapsulated in the concept of Tri Hita
Karana — the three causes of harmony, or kinds of
harmony necessary for peace and well-being: harmony
with God (Parahyangan), harmony with other people
(Pawongan) and harmony with other creatures and the
environment (Palemahan). Harmony with the rest will
arise only when we ourselves are mentally and physi-
cally balanced, that is, when what we think, say, and do
are in harmony.
Another clue to achieving harmony is given by the
expression, Tat Tvam Asi, meaning: You are Me, I am You.
This again underlines the idea that life is both individual
and collective, and so, whatever we do to others we
are in fact doing to ourselves.
Simply applied, this means: do not hurt anybody if
you do not want to get hurt. What goes around comes
around (the law of Karma): good deeds will bring good
results, bad deeds will bring bad results, whether in the
short or long term. At a deeper level, it means we must
learn to recognize the divine spirit in each person or
living creature we meet, and realize that we are all part
of the One.
DUALITY
Coming full circle to the starting point of the first chap-
ter of this book, we find the key concept of Rwa Bhineda,
which means that life is duality. Male and female energy
(Lingga-Yoni) are necessary to reproduce life. Physical
1 0 M A N D A L A S
and spiritual, tangible and intangible reality co-exist.
Everything has positive as well as negative potential. It is
important to realize that both good and evil are equally
essential. We cannot ignore or get rid of either. All we
can do is to keep them in balance, so that neither side
dominates and they keep one another in check.
DEVOTION — PRINCIPLES IN PRACTICE
The basic premise of Balinese community life is that
we exist, with the rest of creation, by virtue of divine
compassion. So we must strive to love the world, to
promote peace and contentment, both inward and out-
ward, in this world and the next (Moksartham Jagadhita
Ya Çaiti Dharma).
The concepts discussed above — along with many
other ideas, too many to describe here — are not
generally taught by talking about them, but by apply-
ing them in everyday practice, expressed through acts
of devotion without expectation of material reward
(bhakti). These include: building temples to honor vari-
ous manifestations of God; designing homes and villages
to reflect cosmic principles; and creating artworks —
dance, music, sculpture, painting, calligraphy, and offerings
of palm leaf, flowers and incense — that are combined
in the performance of a continuous cycle of ceremonies
of thanks to the Creator. Such activities take up such
a substantial portion of our time and resources that
it seems we are always involved in devotion in every-
thing we do.
Today, rapid development has brought sophisticated
new technologies into every facet of life. We com-
municate instantly with people on the other side of
the earth, watch the world on TV, find information on
the internet. We travel in cars and planes and have all
sorts of remote control gadgets and toys to make our
O F B A L I
 MANDALA OF THE WORLD’S BEAUTY
Lines, forms, and colors give us a sense of how beautiful the world is.

M A N D A L A I N L I F E — L I F E I N M A N D A L A 1 1
 MANDALA OF THE BEAUTY OF SIMPLICITY

1 2 M A N D A L A S O F B A L I
 MANDALA OF COINS
Old Chinese kepeng coins are used in sacred rituals to bring harmony.
Money can support happiness and bring us to heaven as much as it can ruin happiness and bring us to hell.

M A N D A L A I N L I F E — L I F E I N M A N D A L A 1 3
lives easier. Yet we still need spiritual guidance to avoid
becoming soulless slaves to our own creations. Today,
more and more Balinese are engaged in endeavors to
meet financial needs, which shifts attention away from
the ideals of bhakti. Yet many, especially ar tists and
others who study and preserve the age-old principles
of harmony, still give priority to bhakti.
***
Bali is one tiny place among a diversity of nations and
cultures with a multitude of different belief systems. Yet
despite our many differences, we still share one source.
We are all living in an increasingly complex, intercon-
nected age of accelerating change, environmental
degradation, violence and discord. It seems the more
we “advance,” the more we forget our divine origins,
the more unbalanced our world becomes, with little
promise of peace.
Yet we can and must remain optimistic. By looking
inward, each of us can begin to remember who we
really are; to re-experience our fundamental oneness;
to find a place of inner harmony amidst the chaos and
complexity. Only from this place can we succeed in
creating peace in the world around us.
DOTS AND LINES,
SYMBOLS AND SIGNS
The mandalas presented in this book are composed
of dots and lines, symbols and signs embodying the
concepts of harmony described above. Some of the
main recurring graphic elements are identified and
explained here.
1 4 M A N D A L A S
s
Dot: Each of us, and everything else that exists or
can be imagined, originates from a single tiny point and
consists of clusters of tiny points or dots, invisible to the
eye. Accordingly, each painting begins from such a point
and is made up of dots of color.
|
Line: I move my hand up, down, left, right to form
lines, which may be curved, straight, or angled. I call
these “three spiritually powerful and magic lines,”
because with them, I can bring for th all the shapes
— circular, triangular, rectangular — needed to draw
any form or symbol from imagination or experience.
Straight, curved, and angled lines in my paintings also
represent three types of life path or orientation:
individualistic (angled), social (straight), and spiritual
(curved).
!
Triangle: Triangles represent the three divine powers
of life; the eternal triad of birth, life and death; the three
causes of harmony (tri hita karana); as well as mountains,
which are considered to be sacred, the abodes of the
Gods of Bali.
!s
Rectangle: I use the rectangle — comprised of four
corners and a center — to stand for the five elements
that make up creation (panca maha bhuta), and also
to signify how we are always situated in the center in
relation to four directions (catus pata).
!
Circle: As a Balinese painter, I feel I must be able to
portray the nature of God by abstraction. So I depict
God as a circle, to represent the unity of the Creator
and the Created. The circle, of course, is also the orga-
nizing framework for every mandala composition, and
symbolizes the circular nature of life and the self.
O F B A L I

Padma (lotus): The lotus is the seat of Shiva; its eight
petals represent the eight powers of Shiva and eight
directions of the compass, while its heart stands for the
Oneness of God and world. It is a symbol of the mac-
rocosm and microcosm, since the lotus seed contains
within itself a perfect miniature of the future plant. As
a flower that roots in mud, grows in water, and flow-
ers in the air, the lotus is also a metaphor of the three
phases of mutation from spirit to matter to spirit in the
tripartite structure of the universe.
" traditionally used in ceremonial drawings on leather or
Tapak dara: a cross based on tapakdara — a plant with
a cross-patterned leaf (vinca rosea/periwinkle) with heal-
ing properties, chewed by lactating mothers and people
recovering from illness. Both the plant and the symbol are
used in various life cycle ceremonies to ward off negative
influences and attract goodness and peace.
Swastika: also deriving from tapakdara, the swastika
is an ancient Hindu symbol of the wheel of eternal
change, the path of the sun, and the rotation of the
earth on its axis.
Pengider buana: the sacred compass that organizes
the world, composed of nine cosmic directions or ori-
entations (nawa sanga), represented by eight cardinal
directions emanating out of a center. Each direction is
a station where divinity is manifest or dwells in spe-
cific forms, signified by different names and colors, for
example:
North: Visnu, black
Northeast: Shambu, grey
o East: Isvara, white
M A N D A L A I N L I F E
Southeast: Mahesvara, pink
South: Brahma, red
Southwest: Rudra, orange
West: Mahadeva, yellow
Northwest: Sangkara, green
Center: Shiva, all colors mixed together
Eye: symbolizes the “eye” of the soul, the “I” that sees,
and the fact that God always keeps an eye on us. This,
along with many other symbols of divine protection, is
cloth made to request divine protection (kekasang).
Genitri: a holy string of 108 prayer beads symbolizing
balance and the boundlessness of knowledge, which
requires continuous learning.
Banten: the cutout and woven palm leaf offerings
used in all Balinese rituals, each containing shapes (cross,
circle, triangle, and square) and bits of food, flowers, and
other ingredients representing different aspects of the
cosmos.
s
Cili: a particular type of offering (banten) representing
the Goddess of rice, to request and/or give thanks for
fertility.
Kayon or Kayonan: symbol of the world tree, which
marks the neutral center between the positive and nega-
tive energies of the universe in Indonesian shadow puppet
theater, where it is used to signal the start of a play and
scene changes, as well as to represent natural landscapes.
— L I F E I N M A N D A L A 1 5
 Calligraphic symbols

: Ongkara or “Om,” a Sanskrit symbol of Ida

Sanghyang Widhi Wasa, which breaks down into the
three sounds or letters: Ang, Ung, Mang.

: Ang, Ung, Mang represent the three divine

powers of Brahma (creation), Vishnu (sustenance), and
Shiva (destruction and transformation).

: Ang – Ah also stands for duality (rwa bhineda,

positive-negative, male-female energy).

Turtle and serpents (naga): Bedawang Nala, the world

turtle, who carries the world on its back, is a symbol of
world balance. The turtle is flanked by two naga who
are the prime movers that look after our mortal needs
for safety, food, shelter, and clothing.

1 6 M A N D A L A S O F B A L I
 MANDALA OF SIGNS AND SYMBOLS

M A N D A L A I N L I F E — L I F E I N M A N D A L A 1 7
 MANDALA OF WORLD SYMBOLS

1 8 M A N D A L A S O F B A L I
MANDALA OF STRAIGHT, CURVED AND ANGLED PATHS

M A N D A L A I N L I F E — L I F E I N M A N D A L A 1 9
 MANDALA OF THREE SIGNIFICANT LINES
Three significant lines in the cycle of growth, maintenance, decay of the flowers of life.

2 0 M A N D A L A S O F B A L I
 MANDALA OF THE CROSS (TAPAK DARA)
Physical and mental balance with what is above and below, before and behind, right and left of us.

M A N D A L A I N L I F E — L I F E I N M A N D A L A 2 1
 MANDALA OF EIGHT DIRECTIONS
Ask for harmony and protection in eight cardinal directions.

2 2 M A N D A L A S O F B A L I
 MANDALA OF SHARPENED INTELLIGENCE

M A N D A L A I N L I F E — L I F E I N M A N D A L A 2 3
 MANDALA OF CHANGING TIMES
As individualism increases, and collectivism decreases, our connection with the divine decreases, too.

2 4 M A N D A L A S O F B A L I
 MANDALA OF MENTAL GROUNDWORK
The hard work of our hands and feet clears the ground for the work of our minds.

M A N D A L A I N L I F E — L I F E I N M A N D A L A 2 5
 MANDALA OF POSITIVE-NEGATIVE BALANCE
Seek balance between positive and negative, body and spirit.

2 6 M A N D A L A S O F B A L I
 MANDALA OF COLOR MIXING

M A N D A L A I N L I F E — L I F E I N M A N D A L A 2 7
 MANDALA OF CONNECTING LINES AND SHAPES

2 8 M A N D A L A S O F B A L I
 MANDALA OF JEWELS

M A N D A L A I N L I F E — L I F E I N M A N D A L A 2 9
 MANDALA OF THE DIVINE COLOR COMPASS

3 0 M A N D A L A S O F B A L I