A wisdom mandala is an ancient tool for organizing the world and understanding inter-relatedness. In a colorful circle divided to hold the directions, elements, psychological aspects, and wisdom of the world, humans have understood the importance of depicting the world’s knowledge in a concise and evocative manner. In Karuna, we draw from the Wisdom Mandala of the Five Buddha Families, which has an outer aspect, the five elements of space, water, earth, fire, and wind, an inner part, which is the way of emotions, and a secret aspect that has to do with transmuting confusion into wisdom. The Five Buddha Family Mandala arises from the Bön tradition, the indigenous religion of Tibet, which melded with the Tantric Buddhist teachings. Together this wisdom mandala adds daily direction and guidance. So come and explore the magic of invoking a wisdom mandala.
The word Karuna means compassion in Sanskrit. Karuna Training brings together a community of people who trust the wisdom of the world to awaken our compassionate hearts. We can learn to resource ourselves and integrate our experiences to live a more empowered life. The world needs all of our compassion, health, and wisdom. For 27 years, Karuna Training has offered time-tested skills-based mindfulness and compassion programs in Europe and North America.
Melissa Moore Ph.D. has been the steward of Karuna Training North American since 2014 and a co-founder of Karuna Europe in 1996. Melissa has her MA in Contemplative Psychotherapy from Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado, and her Ph.D. in Psychological Anthropology from the California Institute of Integral Studies. Melissa has been a student of Vajrayana Buddhism and Chogyam Trungpa Rinpoche since 1979. Melissa has taught Karuna Training in nine countries and five states in the U.S. She is the author of the newly published book, The Diamonds Within Us: Uncovering Brilliant Sanity Through Contemplative Psychology: https://thediamondswithinus.org.