Philadelphia Museum of Art - Collections : Search the Collections

Gallery Label

Although Shakyamuni, the historical Buddha, is recognized as the fundamental teacher and propagator of Buddhism, Vajrayana Buddhists believe that there are many buddhas in addition to Shakyamuni. This complex diagram brings together the most important buddhas in the Vajrayana Buddhist system. The elaborate geometric design of intersecting circles and squares is known as a mandala; it represents both a diagram of the palaces of these buddhas and the sacred cosmos.

Adorning each side of the largest square structure are four elaborately designed and jewel-encrusted gateways, which lead to the increasingly more powerful inner chambers. At the center of this composition are smaller mandalas, each with its own gates, attendants, and ritual offerings. The five outer mandalas represent the homes of the five transcendent buddhas; the central buddha figure in each of these structures is rendered in a distinct color and joined in sexual union with his consort. These five mandalas are purposefully situated around one central mandala, that of Vajradhara, the embodiment of all five transcendent buddhas.

Social Tags [?]

There are currently no user tags associated with this object.

[Add Your Own Tags]

Additional information:

Handbook of the Collections
This Nepali painting, compact in design and strong in color contrasts, contains a mandala--a large circle enclosing a square--which is a symbolic diagram of a divine "temple." Such images are used by Buddhist worshipers to help them reach a state of focused concentration through meditation and prepare them for their ultimate encounter with the Absolute, symbolized by the central image of the Buddha. The mandala itself is a sacred circular field bordered on its exterior by a rim of flames, which is separated by a narrow girdle of vajras, or "thunderbolts," from an inner rim of lotus petals. These three borders signify the fire of consciousness, which consumes ignorance; supreme consciousness, which is indestructible like the thunderbolt; and spiritual rebirth, which is symbolized by the lotus. Four elaborate gate structures lead into the fortified temple square, which is shown as if in bird's eye view. Lacelike scrollwork impregnates the ground, and the five images of Buddhas, with their consorts in the smaller mandalas and the main deity in the center, seem to float eerily above it. Stella Kramrisch, from Philadelphia Museum of Art: Handbook of the Collections (1995), p. 55.

Gallery Label

Social Tags [?]

Handbook of the Collections