Notes on Methodology and the Rsi Mandala Yantra
By Ellen Gough
Summary
Ellen Gough critiques conventional text-centric approaches to teaching Jainism by drawing on her 2007 ISSJS experience, where she was introduced to Jainism primarily through its material culture, particularly the Ṛṣi Maṇḍala Yantra, a ritual diagram shared across Śvetāmbara and Digambara traditions and dated to the early Common Era. A) Methodological Argument Instead of beginning with ancient scriptures like the Ācārāṅga Sūtra, which are largely unfamiliar to contemporary Jains, Gough follows John Cort’s suggestion to study ritual objects first. This approach, she argues, provides a more authentic and lived perspective of Jainism as practiced by millions today. B) Ritual Focus: The Ṛṣi Maṇḍala Yantra Gough studied over a dozen temples during ISSJS and focused on the yantras, especially the Ṛṣi Maṇḍala Yantra. Contrary to views dismissing Jain mantra practice as derivative of Hinduism (e.g., Padoux), she demonstrates that this yantra reveals a distinctly Jain cosmological and philosophical structure. The yantra consists of concentric symbolic rings progressing from worldly to transcendent, each layered with meaning: i) Outer rings: Digpālas (guardians), goddesses, and four classes of deities (Bhavana, Vyantara, Jyotiṣa, Vaimānika). ii) Middle rings: Siddhis (powers), avadhis (clairvoyant knowledges), and the ratnatraya (faith, knowledge, conduct). iii) Inner rings: Pañca-parameṣṭhis (5 supreme beings), Devanāgarī syllables, and hrīṃ, the seed syllable. iv) Center: The 24 Tīrthaṅkaras, representing ultimate liberation (mokṣa). C) Philosophical Implications The yantra reflects Jain ontology (tattvas), epistemology (types of knowledge), and soteriology (path to liberation). Even the Devanāgarī syllables are sacralized—based on the Ṛṣi Maṇḍala Stotra—as carriers of Arhat truth, suggesting that enlightened beings remain immanent through sacred sound.
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Conclusion
The study of the Ṛṣi Maṇḍala Yantra illustrates that understanding Jainism through its material culture—rather than solely through ancient texts—reveals a more complex and lived view of Jain divinity. Contrary to the idea of Jain worship being solely focused on detached liberated beings, the yantra demonstrates a spectrum of divine figures, from semi-divine deities to fully enlightened Tīrthaṅkaras, who remain present through sacred syllables. This object-based approach challenges reductive academic portrayals and highlights the active, symbolic, and spiritually rich dimensions of contemporary Jain practice.