Unknown, Garbhadhatu (Taizōkai) mandala, 9th Century

On the first day of Art History class, the students were told to walk across the room towards a wall consumed by pictures of art and tear off all the pictures except one that caught our attention the most. Initially, as I tore at the pages taped to the classroom wall, I was caught by the rich reds and cobalt blues that echo the repetition within the Garbhadhatu (Taizōkai) mandala -  translated as Womb World. However as I looked closer at the 9th century art piece, it became strangely familiar, drawing me back to my childhood memories.

From what I can recall, my mother had dragged me along to what seemed like the fifteenth furniture store as she tried to satisfy her obsessive redecorating phase. We stepped into a local oriental shop overwhelmed by Buddhist statues and golden gongs, and before I knew it I was scrambling for my mother whom I had lost a few seconds before hand. While I was searching, my eye caught this Womb World mandala that stretched from ceiling to floor. Alone, I stared at the piece in confusion and awe, trailing the shift in colors and interactive pattern until I was awoken by the familiar sound of my mother's scolding as she bargained with the owner for a cheaper price on a Buddha head.

The Womb World mandala represents a metaphysical space within Vajrayana Buddhism. In the center sits the Vaicrocana Buddha, and surrounding him are eight buddhas and bodhisattvas. Within the Buddhist ideologies, the Vaicrocana Buddha represents a concept of emptiness, more commonly known as selflessness and the act of liberation by learning from one's surroundings. While this piece meant nothing to my childhood-self, the Buddhist ideologies illustrated in the Womb World mandala now resonate with the start of my last year of high school. As I catch glances of the light at the end of this tunnel, I find myself looking at this ending the way I looked at the artwork when I first saw it: in confused and awe. Conclusively, I don't want to be awoken by the sounds of familiarity. Instead, I hope to achieve as the Vaicrocana Buddha does by becoming enlightened with selflessness, and rather opening myself up to unknown perspectives, people, and experiences in this finale.