The Mandala Cultural Model can play a significant role in sustainable tourism: Interweaving Tibetan Buddhist landscape with architecture, nature,religious and man′s movements

摘要

The Mandala is the Buddhist cosmic model, showing the universe as centered around the Buddha’s dwellingplace. Emphasizing the integrative relationship between architecture and landscape, and based on field investigations ofTibetan temples throughout China, this paper discusses how the Mandala Model was utilized to structure Tibetan architectureand landscape at various scales. Unifying spatial organizations, the Mandala Model serves to interweave Tibetan Buddhistlandscapes with architecture, nature, religious meanings and man’s movements. It is this integrative system that is the keyconcept to understand why and how Tibet has sustained itself as one of the most fascinating destinations in the world.