Mahavairocana Mandala, Tibet, 19th century, painted wooden panel, 11 3/4" x 11 1/2", The James and Marilyn Alsdorf Collection, Photo by Cea., Creative Commons Attribution License via Flickr.
Mandala (noun)
A cosmic diagram that presents Buddhist deities in schematic order. The cosmic Buddah, who presides over the universe, is at the center and attendants and other deities are in the surrounding areas in a diagrammatic structure. In this mandala, the outermost square has a gate opening to each cardinal direction.
