Womb World Mandala (TaizÅkai mandara) - Reflections of the Buddha
Womb World Mandala (TaizÅkai mandara) - Reflections of the Buddha
Womb World Mandala (TaizÅkai mandara) - Reflections of the Buddha
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<strong>Womb</strong> <strong>World</strong> <strong>Mandala</strong> (Taizōkai <strong>mandara</strong>)<br />
<strong>Womb</strong> <strong>World</strong> <strong>Mandala</strong> (Taizōkai Mandara)<br />
Japan; Kamakura period (1185–1333 C.E.), mid. 13th century<br />
Hanging scroll; cut gold foil, gold paint, and color on indigo‐dyed silk<br />
H. 90.5 x W. 79.4 cm (35 5/8 x 31 1/4 in.)<br />
Collection <strong>of</strong> Sylvan Barnet and William Burto<br />
<strong>Mandala</strong>s (Japanese, <strong>mandara</strong> 曼 荼 羅 ) are schematic designs <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> universe; 1 key instruments in <strong>the</strong><br />
practice <strong>of</strong> esoteric Buddhism through which a human practitioner can achieve spiritual unity with <strong>the</strong><br />
divine. These images are illustrative representations <strong>of</strong> concepts expressed in Buddhist sutras, or sacred<br />
texts, that were transmitted from India to China, and eventually to Korea and Japan. 2 Subject to<br />
reinterpretation and reformulation in each host culture, mandalas took on new forms in Japan as <strong>the</strong>y<br />
1 The term mandala has a wider signification in Japanese culture than in o<strong>the</strong>r Buddhist countries, referring not<br />
only to esoteric schematic diagrams such as those under consideration in this essay, but also from <strong>the</strong> early<br />
eleventh century onwards to more representational landscapes <strong>of</strong> <strong>Buddha</strong>’s paradise or <strong>of</strong> shrine precincts.<br />
Examples <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> latter type include images <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Kasuga Shrine 春 日 大 社 , an important Shinto religious site in<br />
Nara. Also, Sylvan Barnet and William Burto, "The Kasuga Deer <strong>Mandala</strong> Hunt," in Orientations, Vol. 42 No. 1<br />
(Jan/Feb 2011) discusses <strong>the</strong> expansion <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> mandala concept to very different kinds <strong>of</strong> paintings in Japan.<br />
2 For a book-length treatment <strong>of</strong> Japanese mandalas in English, see Elizabeth ten Grotenhuis, Japanese <strong>Mandala</strong>s:<br />
Representations <strong>of</strong> Sacred Geography. Honolulu: University <strong>of</strong> Hawaii Press (1999). In particular, <strong>the</strong> discussion <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>Womb</strong> <strong>World</strong> mandala on p. 58 -77 features an extensive discussion and comparative examples.<br />
The Pulitzer Foundation for <strong>the</strong> Arts<br />
<strong>Reflections</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Buddha</strong>
<strong>Womb</strong> <strong>World</strong> <strong>Mandala</strong> (Taizōkai <strong>Mandala</strong>) 2<br />
came into contact with native elements, whilst simultaneously being brought into dialogue with older<br />
designs and doctrines from <strong>the</strong> continent. This is an example <strong>of</strong> a <strong>Womb</strong> <strong>World</strong> <strong>Mandala</strong> (Japanese,<br />
Taizōkai mandala 胎 蔵 界 ), originally one half <strong>of</strong> a pair, which illustrates active instantiations <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
absolute truth <strong>of</strong> Buddhism in <strong>the</strong> phenomenal world. This absolute truth is represented by <strong>the</strong><br />
meditative figure in <strong>the</strong> center, <strong>the</strong> <strong>Buddha</strong> Mahavairocana (Japanese Dainichi nyorai 大 日 如 来 ), while<br />
<strong>the</strong> surrounding figures represent various aspects <strong>of</strong> that truth, all <strong>of</strong> which are manifestations <strong>of</strong><br />
Mahavairocana.<br />
Originally constructed in three-dimensional form for <strong>the</strong> physical demarcation <strong>of</strong> space for a rite, ritual<br />
contemplation or specific initiation ceremonies, 3 two-dimensional mandala such as this one maintain<br />
<strong>the</strong> connection with physical space by serving as ground plans for three-dimensional architectural<br />
structures - palaces - that can be constructed within <strong>the</strong> imagination. 4 Mahavairocana is placed in a lotus<br />
flower in <strong>the</strong> central and uppermost level <strong>of</strong> a multi-tiered palace, and moving outwards and<br />
downwards from his divine and unchanging presence we find an ordered hierarchical arrangement <strong>of</strong><br />
<strong>Buddha</strong>s and bodhisattvas before passing into more chaotic realms <strong>of</strong> progressively less enlightened<br />
beings, until we reach, in <strong>the</strong> outer edges <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> mandala, <strong>the</strong> occupants <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> lower realms <strong>of</strong><br />
existence in <strong>the</strong> outer edges <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> mandala, such as humans, animals, and hungry ghosts.<br />
Once initiated into <strong>the</strong> proper use <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se mandala a practitioner is able to use it as a guide to an<br />
internal pilgrimage. Entering through <strong>the</strong> outer gates that indicate <strong>the</strong> transition from pr<strong>of</strong>ane to divine<br />
space, <strong>the</strong> initiate can mark milestones <strong>of</strong> spiritual progress by passing through its compartmentalized<br />
3 Contemporary Tibetan Buddhists continue <strong>the</strong> ancient practice <strong>of</strong> constructing mandala out <strong>of</strong> colored sand for<br />
<strong>the</strong> purposes <strong>of</strong> a specific rite, and destroying <strong>the</strong>m after it has been completed, though both <strong>the</strong> ritual use and<br />
<strong>the</strong> preparation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> mandala are acts <strong>of</strong> worship. See M. Brauen, The <strong>Mandala</strong>, Sacred Circle in Tibetan<br />
Buddhism. London: Serindia Press (1997).<br />
4 The visual dependence on a coherent architectural structure in <strong>the</strong> <strong>Womb</strong> <strong>World</strong> mandala is indicative <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
time in which it was produced. Though <strong>the</strong> seventh-century text on which <strong>the</strong> mandala is based, <strong>the</strong><br />
Mahavairocana Sutra 大 日 経 (Japanese, Dainichi-kyō), does give particular details, <strong>the</strong> displayed architecture <strong>of</strong><br />
gabled ro<strong>of</strong>s and gateways are reminiscent <strong>of</strong> Tang period 唐 朝 (618 - 907) Chinese palace architecture <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
eighth century, when <strong>the</strong> iconography for <strong>the</strong> <strong>Womb</strong> <strong>World</strong> mandala was established (ten Grotenhuis 1999, p. 6).<br />
Ideas for <strong>the</strong> composition <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> mandala are drawn from chapter two <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Mahavairocana Sutra, which<br />
had been translated into Chinese by Subhakarasimha 善 無 畏 (637-735) and I-hsing 張 遂 (683-727). Kūkai<br />
introduced <strong>the</strong> sutra and its commentary in a version referred to as <strong>the</strong> Dainichi-kyō-sho and Ennin 圓 仁 or 円 仁<br />
(793 - 864) introduced ano<strong>the</strong>r version referred to as <strong>the</strong> Dainichi-kyō Gishaku. Shingon employs <strong>the</strong> former sutra,<br />
and <strong>the</strong> Tendai 天 台 sect <strong>the</strong> latter.<br />
The Pulitzer Foundation for <strong>the</strong> Arts<br />
<strong>Reflections</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Buddha</strong>
<strong>Womb</strong> <strong>World</strong> <strong>Mandala</strong> (Taizōkai <strong>Mandala</strong>) 3<br />
configurations. Importantly, <strong>the</strong>se gates also mark <strong>the</strong> portals through which <strong>the</strong> practitioner leaves <strong>the</strong><br />
sacred realm and returns to <strong>the</strong> world once <strong>the</strong> rite is complete, just as <strong>the</strong> successive tiers on each level<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> palace represent levels <strong>of</strong> consciousness that <strong>the</strong> practitioner must ascend to, and eventually<br />
descend from upon <strong>the</strong>ir return from <strong>the</strong> spiritual space <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> ritual. The demonic beings that mark<br />
<strong>the</strong>se transitional zones are not frightening to <strong>the</strong> initiate; <strong>the</strong>y are threatening to devour only <strong>the</strong><br />
passions that obstruct <strong>the</strong> believer from attaining enlightenment.<br />
The full meaning <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Womb</strong> <strong>World</strong> mandala is understood only when this mandala is considered<br />
toge<strong>the</strong>r with ano<strong>the</strong>r type <strong>of</strong> mandala known as <strong>the</strong> Diamond <strong>World</strong> <strong>Mandala</strong> (Japanese, Kongōkai<br />
mandala 金 剛 界 ). As a pair, <strong>the</strong>se two form <strong>the</strong> Two <strong>World</strong>s <strong>Mandala</strong>, or Ryōkai mandala 両 界 曼 , which<br />
are most commonly arranged facing one ano<strong>the</strong>r upon <strong>the</strong> east and west walls <strong>of</strong> an esoteric sect’s<br />
initiation hall. 5 These mandalas express different but complementary aspects <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> dharma, or Buddhist<br />
truth; <strong>the</strong> Diamond <strong>World</strong> representing rationality, <strong>the</strong> unconditional, universal, and absolute, and <strong>the</strong><br />
<strong>Womb</strong> <strong>World</strong> representing compassion, <strong>the</strong> individual, particular and relative aspects <strong>of</strong> that same<br />
truth. They are thought to have been developed in late eighth century China by <strong>the</strong> monk Huiguo 惠 果<br />
(746 - 805), 6 and were subsequently introduced to Japan by <strong>the</strong> Kūkai 空 海 (734 - 835), 7 known<br />
posthumously as Kōbō Daishi 弘 法 大 師 (<strong>the</strong> Great Teacher), who had studied with Huiguo when Kūkai<br />
travelled to China from 804 to 806 as part <strong>of</strong> a government sponsored trip. 8 Huiguo recognized Kūkai as<br />
his one true disciple, 9 and imparted his knowledge <strong>of</strong> esoteric teachings in <strong>the</strong> few months remaining<br />
before his death. This spiritual transmission was marked materially by Kūkai’s receipt <strong>of</strong> Huiguo’s<br />
5 It is standard practice to place <strong>the</strong> Diamond <strong>World</strong> mandala on <strong>the</strong> western wall and <strong>the</strong> <strong>Womb</strong> <strong>World</strong> mandala<br />
on <strong>the</strong> eastern wall (ten Grotenhuis 1999, p. 37).<br />
6 ibid., p.3.<br />
7 For general background, see Joseph M. Kitagawa, "Master and Savior," in Nakano Gishō (comp. and ed.) Studies<br />
<strong>of</strong> Esoteric Buddhism and Tantrism. Kyoto: Naigai Press, (1965), pp. 1-26, which presents <strong>the</strong> life and legend <strong>of</strong><br />
Kūkai. Kitagawa cites biographical sources for Kūkai in his Religion in Japanese History. New York: Columbia<br />
University Press, (1966), pp. 63-65. Visual sources include several Kamakura period (1185-1333) portraits, and <strong>the</strong><br />
Illustrated Life <strong>of</strong> Kōbō Daishi 弘 法 大 師 行 状 絵 詞 (Japanese, Kōbō Daishi gyōjōekotoba), a fourteenth century set<br />
<strong>of</strong> twelve handscrolls that graphically depict <strong>the</strong> main events <strong>of</strong> his life. For a more recent study, see Ryūichi Abe,<br />
The Weaving <strong>of</strong> Mantra: Kūkai and <strong>the</strong> Construction <strong>of</strong> Esoteric Buddhist Discourse. New York: Columbia University<br />
Press (2000).<br />
8 The trip also included <strong>the</strong> monk Saichō 最 澄 (767 - 822), who founded <strong>the</strong> Tendai sect upon his return.<br />
9 Kūkai’s account <strong>of</strong> Huiguo’s final request is translated in Yoshito Hakeda, Kūkai: Major Works Translated, with an<br />
Account <strong>of</strong> his Life and a Study <strong>of</strong> his Thought. New York: Columbia University Press (1972), pp. 148-149.<br />
The Pulitzer Foundation for <strong>the</strong> Arts<br />
<strong>Reflections</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Buddha</strong>
<strong>Womb</strong> <strong>World</strong> <strong>Mandala</strong> (Taizōkai <strong>Mandala</strong>) 4<br />
priestly robe, or kesa 袈 裟 , now one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> celebrated treasures <strong>of</strong> Tō-ji 東 寺 temple, Kyoto. 10<br />
Assembled in a patchwork manner from many fragments <strong>of</strong> valuable cloth, <strong>the</strong>se robes are a reminder<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> mendicant ideal <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> monastic order, and in <strong>the</strong> Shingon 真 語 faith <strong>the</strong>y became important<br />
documents <strong>of</strong> dharma transmission from master to disciple. Upon his return, Kūkai founded <strong>the</strong> Shingon<br />
sect <strong>of</strong> Buddhism and is still revered today as one <strong>of</strong> Japan’s most significant patriarchs. Understood<br />
according its Sino-Japanese characters, “Shingon” means <strong>the</strong> “true word” or mantra; toge<strong>the</strong>r, <strong>the</strong><br />
Shingon sect and <strong>the</strong> Tendai sect 天 台 宗 - which is named for Mt. Tiantai 天 台 山 , in China’s Fujian<br />
province, where <strong>the</strong> teachings were first promulgated - is also <strong>of</strong>ten referred to as mikkyō 密 教 , or <strong>the</strong><br />
“secret teaching”, in contradistinction to kengyō 顕 教 , <strong>the</strong> “revealed teachings.” This kind <strong>of</strong> Buddhism<br />
is known as esoteric (or tantric) because it relies on <strong>the</strong> secret transmission <strong>of</strong> knowledge through<br />
mysterious and elaborate rituals that defy verbal expression. Secret teachings specifically refer to <strong>the</strong><br />
doctrine <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> “secret” <strong>Buddha</strong> Mahavairocana; revealed teachings, to <strong>the</strong> doctrine revealed by <strong>the</strong><br />
historical <strong>Buddha</strong>, Śākyamuni 釈 迦 如 来 (Japanese, Shaka nyorai). 11 <strong>Mandala</strong> are essential to <strong>the</strong><br />
transmission <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>se teachings as visual representations <strong>of</strong> sacred truths that had no o<strong>the</strong>r vehicle:<br />
“Since <strong>the</strong> Esoteric Buddhist teachings are so pr<strong>of</strong>ound as to defy expression in writing, <strong>the</strong>y are<br />
revealed through <strong>the</strong> medium <strong>of</strong> painting to those who are yet to be enlightened. The various postures<br />
and mudras [shown in mandala] are products <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> great compassion <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Buddha</strong>; <strong>the</strong> sight <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>m<br />
may well enable one to attain <strong>Buddha</strong>hood. The secrets <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> sutras and commentaries are for <strong>the</strong><br />
most part depicted in painting, and all <strong>the</strong> essentials <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> esoteric Buddhist doctrines are, in reality, set<br />
forth <strong>the</strong>rein. Nei<strong>the</strong>r masters nor students can dispense with <strong>the</strong>m. They are indeed [<strong>the</strong> expressions<br />
<strong>of</strong>] <strong>the</strong> root and source <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> oceanlike assembly”. 12<br />
Kūkai<br />
The Italian scholar Giuseppe Tucci (1894-1984), who was one <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> first Western scholars to focus his<br />
studies on Tibetan Buddhist art and on mandalas, describes mandala as a “means <strong>of</strong> reintegration;” 13<br />
more specifically within <strong>the</strong> Shingon sect, mandala are pictorial attempts to show that all forms <strong>of</strong><br />
10 For a study <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> importance <strong>of</strong> such robes, see Yamakawa Aki, “Intertwined Threads: The <strong>World</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Enshoji<br />
Altar Cloth”, in Patricia Fister et. al. Amamonzeki – A Hidden Heritage : Treasures <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Japanese Imperial<br />
Convents. Tokyo: Sankei Shinbun (1999). This robe was recently on display at <strong>the</strong> Tokyo National Museum<br />
exhibition Kūkai’s <strong>World</strong>: The Arts <strong>of</strong> Esoteric Buddhism (July 20th - September 25th 2011), cat. 17.<br />
11 Minoru Kiyota, “Shingon Mikkyō <strong>Mandala</strong>”, in History <strong>of</strong> Religions, Vol. 8, No. 1 (Aug., 1968), p. 31.<br />
12 Hakeda 1972, pp. 146 - 146.<br />
13 Giuseppe Tucci, The Theory and Practice <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Mandala</strong>, trans. Alan Houghton Brodrick. London: Rider & Co.,<br />
(1961) pp. 21-48.<br />
The Pulitzer Foundation for <strong>the</strong> Arts<br />
<strong>Reflections</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Buddha</strong>
<strong>Womb</strong> <strong>World</strong> <strong>Mandala</strong> (Taizōkai <strong>Mandala</strong>) 5<br />
existence are interrelated and essentially one, that man’s nature is one with and a part <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Buddha</strong><br />
Vairocana. Doctrinally, this ‘reintegration’ is manifest in <strong>the</strong> <strong>the</strong>ory known as sokushin-jōbutsu<br />
即 身 成 仏 , propounded by both Kūkai and his contemporary Saichō 最 澄 (767-822), whereby<br />
<strong>Buddha</strong>hood as <strong>the</strong> deity Vairocana is realized in each human body just as that body is, in this very<br />
existence. The human practitioner is able to attain <strong>Buddha</strong>hood in his current body by recognizing<br />
himself as participating in Mahavairocana’s <strong>Buddha</strong> nature just as Mahavairocana reciprocally<br />
participates in <strong>the</strong> practitioner’s body. Unity with <strong>the</strong> speech, body and mind <strong>of</strong> Mahavairocana is<br />
achieved though somatic practices such as breathing and chanting in ritually prescribed ways. These<br />
doctrines, expressed visually through <strong>the</strong> two worlds mandala, are illustrative <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> more direct path to<br />
enlightenment provided by <strong>the</strong> esoteric practices introduced in <strong>the</strong> Heian period (794 - 1185). According<br />
to <strong>the</strong> teachings <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> earlier Nara period (710 - 794) schools eons and <strong>the</strong> cycles <strong>of</strong> many existences<br />
were required in order to bring a practitioner to enlightenment, and as such it is easy to see why<br />
Shingon’s doctrines, allowing for <strong>the</strong> possibility <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> enlightenment <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> practitioner within <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
current lifetime, captured <strong>the</strong> imagination <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Heian period nobility.<br />
The oldest surviving Japanese mandalas are a pair known as <strong>the</strong> Takao Two <strong>World</strong>s mandala<br />
高 雄 両 界 曼 荼 羅 in <strong>the</strong> possession <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Jingo-ji 神 護 寺 , Kyoto 14 (Takao is <strong>the</strong> name <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> mountain<br />
where Jingo-ji is located.) Each image <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Takao pair is over four metres square, 15 and was<br />
commissioned by Kūkai to replace examples he had brought back from China that had degraded through<br />
ritual use. Although it is unclear to what extent <strong>the</strong> initiate was meant to use <strong>the</strong> mandala as a<br />
visualization aid in meditation, 16 we can at least say that <strong>the</strong>se two mandala types, placed behind an<br />
altar holding various Buddhist implements and <strong>of</strong>ferings <strong>of</strong> flowers and incense, created an appropriate<br />
ceremonial backdrop. Additionally, in esoteric initiation ceremonies, an acolyte would be blindfolded<br />
and instructed to cast a flower onto <strong>the</strong> mandala - a ceremony which established a personal relationship<br />
between <strong>the</strong> practitioner and <strong>the</strong> figure <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> deity upon which <strong>the</strong> petal landed. 17<br />
14 After Kūkai’s return, later monks, notably Ennin, brought back o<strong>the</strong>r esoteric mandala based on older Chinese<br />
models.<br />
15 See <strong>the</strong> Tokyo National Museum exhibition catalog: Kūkai’s <strong>World</strong>: The Arts <strong>of</strong> Esoteric Buddhism. Tokyo: Tokyo<br />
National Museum Press (2011), cat. nos. 41 and 42. These mandala were copies <strong>of</strong> versions that Huiguo had<br />
commissioned for <strong>the</strong> Tang court.<br />
16 See Robert H. Sharf, “Buddhist Modernism and <strong>the</strong> Rhetoric <strong>of</strong> Meditative Experience”, in Numen, Vol. 42, No. 3<br />
(Oct., 1995), pp. 228-283; David Gardiner, “<strong>Mandala</strong>, <strong>Mandala</strong> on <strong>the</strong> Wall: Variations <strong>of</strong> Usage in <strong>the</strong> Shingon<br />
School”, in Journal <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> International Association <strong>of</strong> Buddhist Studies 19, 2 (1996), pp. 245 - 279.<br />
17 Gardiner 1996, pp. 260 - 265. According to <strong>the</strong> Record <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Kanjō Initiation Rite 灌 頂 暦 名 (Japanese, Kanjō<br />
rekimei) (Kūkai’s <strong>World</strong>, cat. 39), <strong>the</strong> first time anyone received initiations into both <strong>the</strong> <strong>Womb</strong> and Diamond<br />
<strong>World</strong> was in <strong>the</strong> eleventh and twelfth months <strong>of</strong> 809, when Kūkai conducted <strong>the</strong> ritual for Saichō.<br />
The Pulitzer Foundation for <strong>the</strong> Arts<br />
<strong>Reflections</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Buddha</strong>
<strong>Womb</strong> <strong>World</strong> <strong>Mandala</strong> (Taizōkai <strong>Mandala</strong>) 6<br />
The Barnet-Burto Collection mandala, executed in fine gold lines on indigo-dyed silk, is an excellent<br />
example <strong>of</strong> balance between <strong>the</strong> geometrical symmetry <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> architectural structure and <strong>the</strong> pr<strong>of</strong>usion<br />
<strong>of</strong> varied figures. More than four hundred deities are given a convincing sense <strong>of</strong> volume despite <strong>the</strong>ir<br />
simplified contours; <strong>the</strong> s<strong>of</strong>tly curving strokes are able to convey a sense <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> deities’ dynamic<br />
movement and interaction in <strong>the</strong> densely populated space, which is delineated more abruptly by <strong>the</strong><br />
application <strong>of</strong> cut-gold leaf or foil used for <strong>the</strong> major horizontal and vertical lines separating <strong>the</strong><br />
different courts, and <strong>the</strong> central lotus petals. 18 Aside from its obvious material value and signification <strong>of</strong><br />
preciousness, gold represents <strong>the</strong> perfection <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Buddha</strong>’s great wisdom, and <strong>the</strong> indigo-blue<br />
background represents <strong>the</strong> lapis lazuli, <strong>the</strong> stone from which <strong>the</strong> <strong>Buddha</strong>’s palace is built. 19 Many<br />
examples <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Two <strong>World</strong>s mandala are executed in polychrome; in this example, however, <strong>the</strong> only<br />
colored pigment is <strong>the</strong> red line that signifies compassion that is painted around <strong>the</strong> central lotus section<br />
(discussed below). It is rare to have works in gold and indigo in this state <strong>of</strong> preservation and scale from<br />
<strong>the</strong> Kamakura period (1185-1333) or earlier outside <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> major Esoteric temples in Japan.<br />
In <strong>the</strong> center <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> mandala, a fully opened eight-petalled lotus flower holds <strong>the</strong> <strong>Buddha</strong> Vairocana,<br />
jeweled and garlanded and in princely raiment, surrounded by eight petals on which are seated four<br />
<strong>Buddha</strong>s and four Bodhisattvas, toge<strong>the</strong>r representing <strong>the</strong> nine kinds <strong>of</strong> consciousnesses. As <strong>the</strong><br />
mandala radiates outwards from <strong>the</strong> center, <strong>the</strong> deities and <strong>the</strong> meanings <strong>the</strong>y represent become<br />
progressively more concerned with <strong>the</strong> phenomenal world, that is, with <strong>the</strong> practical functioning <strong>of</strong><br />
knowledge and <strong>the</strong> senses ra<strong>the</strong>r than with <strong>the</strong>ir conceptual purity. 20 Although <strong>the</strong> iconography <strong>of</strong> each<br />
18 John Rosenfield and Elizabeth ten Grotenhuis, Journey <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Three Jewels: Japanese Buddhist Paintings from<br />
Western Collections. New York: Tuttle (1979), p. 76.<br />
The Takao mandala is a famous large-scale example from <strong>the</strong> ninth century <strong>of</strong> a mandala <strong>of</strong> that also utilizes cut<br />
gold and silver foil on precious purple-dyed silk. A comparable eleventh century example is held in <strong>the</strong> Kojima-ji<br />
子 島 寺 in Nara, but even smaller scale versions <strong>of</strong> mandala produced by this method are rare (Ariga Yoshitaka in<br />
<strong>Buddha</strong>’s Smile - Masterpieces <strong>of</strong> Japanese Buddhist Art. Tokyo: London Gallery Ltd. (2002) cat. 99). Buddhist<br />
sutras had been copied in gold onto indigo dyed paper and silk from <strong>the</strong> eighth century, and it seems that <strong>the</strong><br />
same aes<strong>the</strong>tic is at work in <strong>the</strong>se mandala, and likely <strong>the</strong> same craftsmen were involved in <strong>the</strong>ir production. For<br />
an example in China, see <strong>the</strong> Guanyin Chapter from an Illustrated Lotus Sutra also in this exhibition.<br />
19 As described in <strong>the</strong> Visualization Sutra 観 無 量 寿 経 (Japanese, Kanmuryōjūkyō).<br />
20 John Rosenfield and Elizabeth ten Grotenhuis, Journey <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Three Jewels: Japanese Buddhist Paintings from<br />
Western Collections. New York: Tuttle (1979), p. 76. Some deities, such as <strong>the</strong> bodhisattvas Jizō and Kannon, are<br />
repeated in different manifestations at different locations throughout <strong>the</strong> mandala to represent <strong>the</strong>ir different<br />
attributes in different situations and worlds.<br />
The Pulitzer Foundation for <strong>the</strong> Arts<br />
<strong>Reflections</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Buddha</strong>
<strong>Womb</strong> <strong>World</strong> <strong>Mandala</strong> (Taizōkai <strong>Mandala</strong>) 7<br />
aspect <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> mandala is too complex to be given exhaustive treatment here, 21 <strong>the</strong>re are several broader<br />
iconographic <strong>the</strong>mes which enable a better understanding <strong>of</strong> esoteric ideology. Mahavairocana sits in<br />
<strong>the</strong> central open lotus flower, in lotus posture (legs crossed, each foot on opposite thigh, soles upward)<br />
his hands forming <strong>the</strong> mudra or ritual hand gesture for meditation (right palm resting on left palm,<br />
thumbs joined to form an oval). 22 This oval shape symbolizes non-duality, and particularly in Shingon<br />
doctrine <strong>the</strong> non-duality <strong>of</strong> human and <strong>Buddha</strong> natures. The lotus symbolism here is particularly<br />
important; <strong>the</strong> lotus is revered in Buddhism generally because it grows straight upwards out <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> mud,<br />
through murky water to rise pristine and blossom elegantly above <strong>the</strong> water. Likewise, <strong>the</strong> human soul<br />
may be surrounded by <strong>the</strong> filth and darkness <strong>of</strong> materialism, but it can rise untarnished into <strong>the</strong> pure<br />
state <strong>of</strong> enlightenment. In esoteric Buddhism <strong>the</strong> lotus has fur<strong>the</strong>r signification, symbolizing as it does<br />
how <strong>the</strong> world <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Buddha</strong> can unfold inside an ordinary human heart. If a lotus seed is split down <strong>the</strong><br />
middle, it appears to contain in miniature <strong>the</strong> fully developed plant complete with roots and leaves,<br />
analogous to <strong>the</strong> seed <strong>of</strong> <strong>Buddha</strong> nature present in each sentient being that is nurtured by <strong>the</strong> <strong>Buddha</strong>’s<br />
compassion. 23<br />
O<strong>the</strong>r symbolic shapes in <strong>the</strong> mandala - such as <strong>the</strong> vessels at <strong>the</strong> four corners <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> central dais and<br />
<strong>the</strong> vajras (stylized thunderbolts) that partially emerge from between <strong>the</strong> lotus petals - have a high level<br />
<strong>of</strong> significance as ceremonial objects that are here incorporated into <strong>the</strong> pictoral mandala that adorns<br />
<strong>the</strong> ritual space. The vessels are wish-granting vases, <strong>the</strong> vajra three-pronged weapons that symbolize<br />
wisdom; similar vases might have actually been used for acts <strong>of</strong> ablution in Hindu or South-East Asian<br />
ceremonies, and later absorbed into Esoteric iconography <strong>the</strong>reafter. Originally a Hindu symbol, in Japan<br />
vajras were thought to be made <strong>of</strong> diamond - and thus signifiers <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> unyielding nature <strong>of</strong> Buddhist<br />
truth. Often held in <strong>the</strong> hands <strong>of</strong> esoteric deities, <strong>the</strong> vajras’ hardness grants <strong>the</strong>m <strong>the</strong> ability to shatter<br />
illusion and reveal <strong>the</strong> perfect wisdom <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> dharma.<br />
21 Although this mandala shares much in common with o<strong>the</strong>rs <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Womb</strong> <strong>World</strong> type, but <strong>the</strong>re are also<br />
interesting differences. For instance, it is actually a variation <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> standard iconography that marks it out as an<br />
object <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Tendai sect; Ratnasambhava 宝 生 如 来 (Japanese, Hōshō nyorai) is usually seated on <strong>the</strong> left petal -<br />
but here he is shown at <strong>the</strong> top, and <strong>the</strong> deity Akshobhya 阿 閦 如 来 (Japanese, Ashuku nyorai), who usually<br />
occupies <strong>the</strong> top petal is instead located to <strong>the</strong> left <strong>of</strong> Vairocana. Additionally, this example falls into <strong>the</strong><br />
“landscape type” brought back from China by Ennin, in which desks are place before Avalokitasvara 観 音<br />
(Japanese, Kannon) and Kongo Zao 蔵 王 権 現 (Japanese, Zao Gongen) (Ariga 2002). See also Adrien Snodgrass, The<br />
Matrix and Diamond <strong>World</strong> <strong>Mandala</strong>s in Shingon Buddhism. Aditya Prakashan (1988).<br />
22 E. D. Saunders, Mudra: A Study <strong>of</strong> Symbolic Gestures in Japanese Buddhist Sculpture. Princeton, N.J., 1985.<br />
23 Shunshō Manabe, “Meaning <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Esoteric <strong>Mandala</strong>s in Japan”, in Moritake Matsumoto, ed., Proceedings <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong><br />
Itobei Ohira Memorial Conference on Japanese Studies (Vancouver: Institute <strong>of</strong> Asian Research, University <strong>of</strong><br />
British Columbia (1984) pp. 292 - 293.<br />
The Pulitzer Foundation for <strong>the</strong> Arts<br />
<strong>Reflections</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Buddha</strong>
<strong>Womb</strong> <strong>World</strong> <strong>Mandala</strong> (Taizōkai <strong>Mandala</strong>) 8<br />
It is important to remember that <strong>the</strong> mandala is not a static image - although we usually think <strong>of</strong><br />
meditation as a practice to achieve mental stillness, that is not <strong>the</strong> purpose here. The reality <strong>of</strong> achieving<br />
enlightenment through <strong>the</strong> mandala is an activity where one partakes in <strong>the</strong> process <strong>of</strong> universal<br />
salvation. This mandala represents compassion in action; once achieved by <strong>the</strong> practitioner, compassion<br />
radiates outwards again towards all beings in <strong>the</strong> universe. This form <strong>of</strong> meditation is an active process,<br />
transforming <strong>the</strong> mind through a series <strong>of</strong> processes and back again. The mandala <strong>the</strong>n, is not simply a<br />
pattern to be followed, but by a truly interactive absorption on behalf <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> practitioner as <strong>the</strong> image<br />
becomes an external projection <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong>ir internal reality.<br />
Ka<strong>the</strong>rine L. Brooks<br />
Ph.D. Candidate, Department <strong>of</strong> History <strong>of</strong> Art and Architecture<br />
Harvard University<br />
Pulitzer Foundation Graduate Student Research Assistant<br />
Harvard Art Museums<br />
The Pulitzer Foundation for <strong>the</strong> Arts<br />
<strong>Reflections</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Buddha</strong>
<strong>Womb</strong> <strong>World</strong> <strong>Mandala</strong> (Taizōkai <strong>Mandala</strong>) 9<br />
Exhibitions<br />
Marks <strong>of</strong> Enlightenment, Traces <strong>of</strong> Devotion: Japanese Calligraphy and Painting from <strong>the</strong> Sylvan Barnet<br />
and William Burto Collection.<br />
Harvard University Art Museums (23 December 2004 - 17th April 2005).<br />
Faith and Form: Selected Calligraphy and Painting from <strong>the</strong> Japanese Religious Traditions.<br />
Freer Gallery <strong>of</strong> Art and Arthur M Sackler Gallery<br />
Publications<br />
Yukio Lippit and Anne Rose Kitagawa, Marks <strong>of</strong> Enlightenment, Traces <strong>of</strong> Devotion: Japanese Calligraphy<br />
and Painting from <strong>the</strong> Sylvan Barnet and William Burto Collection. Harvard University Art Museum<br />
Gallery Series, No. 44, Cambridge, MA (2004).<br />
Miyeko Murase and Masako Watanabe, The Written Image: Japanese Calligraphy and Painting from <strong>the</strong><br />
Sylvan Barnet and William Burto Collection. New York (2002) pp. 76 - 83.<br />
Ariga Yoshitaka, <strong>Buddha</strong>’s Smile - Masterpieces <strong>of</strong> Japanese Buddhist Art. Tokyo: London Gallery Ltd.<br />
(2002) cat. 99.<br />
John Rosenfield and Elizabeth ten Grotenhuis, Journey <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Three Jewels: Japanese Buddhist Paintings<br />
from Western Collections. New York: Tuttle (1979).<br />
List <strong>of</strong> Works Consulted<br />
Kukai’s <strong>World</strong>: The Arts <strong>of</strong> Esoteric Buddhism. Tokyo Tokyo National Museum Press (2011).<br />
Ryūichi Abe, “Saichō and Kūkai: A Conflict <strong>of</strong> Interpretations”, in Japanese Journal <strong>of</strong> Religious Studies,<br />
Vol. 22, No. 1/2 (Spring, 1995), pp. 103-13.<br />
Ryūichi Abe, The Weaving <strong>of</strong> Mantra: Kūkai and <strong>the</strong> Construction <strong>of</strong> Esoteric Buddhist Discourse. New<br />
York: Columbia University Press (2000).<br />
Yamakawa Aki, “Intertwined Threads: The <strong>World</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Enshoji Altar Cloth”, in Patricia Fister et. al.<br />
Amamonzeki – A Hidden Heritage: Treasures <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Japanese Imperial Convents. Tokyo: Sankei Shinbun<br />
(1999).<br />
The Pulitzer Foundation for <strong>the</strong> Arts<br />
<strong>Reflections</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Buddha</strong>
<strong>Womb</strong> <strong>World</strong> <strong>Mandala</strong> (Taizōkai <strong>Mandala</strong>) 10<br />
M. Brauen, The <strong>Mandala</strong>, Sacred Circle in Tibetan Buddhism. London: Serindia Press (1997).<br />
Richard Bowring, “Preparing for <strong>the</strong> Pure Land in Late Tenth-Century Japan”, in Japanese Journal <strong>of</strong><br />
Religious Studies, Vol. 25, No. 3/4 (Fall, 1998), pp. 221-257.<br />
David Gardiner, “<strong>Mandala</strong>, <strong>Mandala</strong> on <strong>the</strong> Wall: Variations <strong>of</strong> Usage in <strong>the</strong> Shingon School”, in Journal<br />
<strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> International Association <strong>of</strong> Buddhist Studies 19, 2 (1996), pp. 245 - 279.<br />
Elizabeth ten Grotenhuis, Japanese <strong>Mandala</strong>s: Representations <strong>of</strong> Sacred Geography. Honolulu:<br />
University <strong>of</strong> Hawaii Press (1999).<br />
Elizabeth ten Grotenhuis, “Rebirth <strong>of</strong> an Icon: The Taima <strong>Mandala</strong> in Medieval Japan”, in Archives <strong>of</strong><br />
Asian Art, Vol. 36 (1983), pp. 59-87.<br />
Yoshito Hakeda, Kukai: Major Works Translated, with an Account <strong>of</strong> His Life and a Study <strong>of</strong> his Thought.<br />
New York: Columbia University Press (1972).<br />
Joseph M. Kitagawa, "Master and Savior," in Nakano Gishō (ed.) Studies <strong>of</strong> Esoteric Buddhism and<br />
Tantrism. Kyoto: Naigai Press (1965), pp. 1-26.<br />
Joseph M. Kitagawa, Religion in Japanese History. New York: Columbia University Press (1966).<br />
Minoru Kiyota, “Shingon Mikkyō <strong>Mandala</strong>”, in History <strong>of</strong> Religions, Vol. 8, No. 1 (Aug., 1968), pp. 31-59.<br />
Peter Knecht, “Ise sankei <strong>mandara</strong> and <strong>the</strong> Image <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Pure Land”, in Japanese Journal <strong>of</strong> Religious<br />
Studies, Vol. 33, No. 2, Varieties <strong>of</strong> Pure Land Experience (2006), pp. 223-248.<br />
Yukio Lippit and Anne Rose Kitagawa, Marks <strong>of</strong> Enlightenment, Traces <strong>of</strong> Devotion: Japanese Calligraphy<br />
and Painting from <strong>the</strong> Sylvan Barnet and William Burto Collection. Harvard University Art Museum<br />
Gallery Series, No. 44, Cambridge, MA (2004).<br />
Shunshō Manabe, “Meaning <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Esoteric <strong>Mandala</strong>s in Japan”, in Moritake Matsumoto, ed.,<br />
Proceedings <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Itobei Ohira Memorial Conference on Japanese Studies. Vancouver: Institute <strong>of</strong> Asian<br />
Research, University <strong>of</strong> British Columbia (1984).<br />
Miyeko Murase and Masako Watanabe, The Written Image: Japanese Calligraphy and Painting from <strong>the</strong><br />
Sylvan Barnet and William Burto Collection. New York (2002) pp. 76 - 83.<br />
The Pulitzer Foundation for <strong>the</strong> Arts<br />
<strong>Reflections</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Buddha</strong>
<strong>Womb</strong> <strong>World</strong> <strong>Mandala</strong> (Taizōkai <strong>Mandala</strong>) 11<br />
John Rosenfield and Elizabeth ten Grotenhuis, Journey <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> Three Jewels: Japanese Buddhist Paintings<br />
from Western Collections. New York: Tuttle (1979).<br />
Sawa Ryūken and Hamada Takashi (eds.), Mikkyō bijutsu taikan. Tokyo: Asahi Shinbunsha (1983-1984).<br />
E. D. Saunders, Mudra: A Study <strong>of</strong> Symbolic Gestures in Japanese Buddhist Sculpture. Princeton, N.J.<br />
(1985).<br />
Robert H. Sharf, “Buddhist Modernism and <strong>the</strong> Rhetoric <strong>of</strong> Meditative Experience”, in Numen, Vol. 42,<br />
No. 3 (Oct., 1995), pp. 228-283.<br />
Toganoo Shōun, Mandara no Kenkyū. Kyoto: Naigai Press (1927).<br />
Adrien Snodgrass, The Matrix and Diamond <strong>World</strong> <strong>Mandala</strong>s in Shingon Buddhism. Aditya Prakashan<br />
(1988).<br />
Giuseppe Tucci, The Theory and Practice <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Mandala</strong>, trans. Alan Houghton Brodrick. London: Rider<br />
& Co., (1961).<br />
Yanagisawa Taka, Tōji no ryōkai <strong>mandara</strong>zu: renmentaru keifu. Kyoto: Tōji Museum (1994).<br />
Hamada Takashi, Mandara no sekai. Tokyo: Bijutsu Shuppansha (1971) pp. 200 - 2006.<br />
Ann Yonemura, leaflet to accompany <strong>the</strong> exhibition Faith and Form: Selected Calligraphy and Painting<br />
from <strong>the</strong> Japanese Religious Traditions. Washington D.C.: Freer Gallery <strong>of</strong> Art and Arthur M Sackler<br />
Gallery.<br />
The Pulitzer Foundation for <strong>the</strong> Arts<br />
<strong>Reflections</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>Buddha</strong>