Enlightenment Legacies

Enlightenment Legacies

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Enlightenment Legacies
Enlightenment Legacies
Story #1 Figura Mundi
Essays

Story #1 Figura Mundi

The first Mandala of the Modern West

Martino Dibeltulo Concu, Ph.D.'s avatar
Martino Dibeltulo Concu, Ph.D.
Jan 20, 2024
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Enlightenment Legacies
Enlightenment Legacies
Story #1 Figura Mundi
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The Latin name of this image is “Figura mundi,” in English “image of the world.” It is the earliest representation of a Buddhist maṇḍala (Sanskrit for “circle”) in modern Europe. The maṇḍala represents the world as conceived in Buddhist scriptures.

The “Figura mundi” first appeared in a book called Alphabetum Tibetanum, published in Rome in 1782. The aut…

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