Interpret the meaning of Mandala by using economics principal. 10 marks.

In the present day educationalists and theoreticians alive needed to produce graphics to help them to plan the economy for the years ahead. So they produced this Mandala Diagram. It is the summarization of the practice on the level of a purely material goal and to make it look a little more sacred. In the old days when monks used to go to houses for inaugural blessings then they used to mark a Mandala Diagram or some time they used to write the abbreviation in Thai but in the khom language of earlier age. Earlier everyone could know the meaning of it but later generations needed to change it to Thai character from khom character. Presently I am talking about the centre of the Mandala and when we go to talk about the other parts; we see that a second layer of economic abbreviation was added around the original one in order to denote practice on the level of a material and spiritual goal.

If we want to go all the way and have an economic aim that will take us to Nibbana, we need to add the noble eight fold paths to each corners of Mandala. For my interpretation I think first one is just the Thai ancient writing and Second Square is the four noble truths and third square is the full practice noble eightfold path. These days’ mandalas can be found in many places like Yantra clothes, gold, silver or other metals and even necklaces but each of them seem to give similar definition.

This Mandala is the skillful means of ancient Thai Buddhists which tried to integrate Buddhist teachings into everyday life on every level and specially so as not to get carried away with madness for material wealth and in order to focus on cultivating spiritual values practicing livelihood.

Practicing one’s livelihood was not to accumulate demerit in one’s life and if not one would involve in the wrong livelihood prohibited by the Buddha. So finally I may say that this Mandala shows how to interact economically in life without abandoning one’s Dhamma principles.