The Theory and Practice of the Mandala: With Special Reference to the Modern Psychology of the Unconscious

by Giuseppe Tucci

This intriguing, thought-provoking study by one of the world's leading authorities on the subject examines the basic doctrine behind the theory and practice of the Mandala in India and Tibet, by both Hindus and Buddhists. "As a whole," as the author says in his Preface, "the spiritual background is the same: ...the yearning to find out a way from time to eternity, to help the primeval consciousness...to recover its integrity." Individual chapters consider the doctrinal basis of the Mandala, the Mandala as a means of reintegration, the symbolism of the Mandala and its various parts, the liturgy of the Mandala, and the Mandala in the human body. Of special interest to students of Eastern philosophy and art, this volume will also fascinate New Agers and anyone interested in the symbols and psychology of Asian cultures.

Giuseppe Tucci was born to a middle-class family in Macerata, Marche, and thrived academically. He taught himself Hebrew, Chinese and Sanskrit before even going to university and in 1911, aged only 18, he published a collection of Latin epigraphs in the prestigious Review of the Germanic Archaeological Institute. He completed his studies at the University of Rome in 1919, where his studies were repeatedly interrupted as a result of World War I. After graduating he traveled to India and settled down at the Visva-Bharti University, founded by the Bengali poet and Nobel Laureate, Robindranath Tagore. There he studied Buddhism, Tibetan and Bengali, and also taught Italian and Chinese. He also studied and taught at Dhaka University, the University of Benares and Calcutta University. He remained in India until 1931, when he returned to Italy.