Mandala of the Two Realms

thumb|Garbhadhātu (Womb Realm) [[Mandala|maṇḍala with Mahāvairocana at the center.]]

thumb|Vajradhātu (Vajra Realm) Mandala

The Mandala of the Two Realms (Traditional Chinese: 両界曼荼羅; Pinyin: Liǎngjiè màntúluó; Rōmaji: Ryōkai mandara), also known as the Mandala of the Two Divisions (Traditional Chinese: 両部曼荼羅; Pinyin: Liǎngbù màntúluó; Rōmaji: Ryōbu mandara), is a set of two mandalas in East Asian Esoteric Buddhism, particularly prominent within Chinese Esoteric Buddhism as well as the Shingon and Tendai traditions of Japanese Buddhism. The Dual Mandala comprises two complementary mandalas: the Womb Realm Mandala (, Traditional Chinese: 胎蔵界曼荼羅; Pinyin: Tāizāngjiè màntúluó; Rōmaji: Taizōkai mandara) associated with compassion and the Vajra Realm Mandala (Sanskrit: vajradhātu, Traditional Chinese: 金剛界曼荼羅; pinyin: Jīngāngjiè màntúluó; rōmaji: Kongōkai mandara) associated with wisdom. The Dual Mandalas represent distinct yet non-dual dimensions of the enlightened cosmos centered on the universal Buddha Mahāvairocana (Chinese: 大日如來; pinyin: Dàrì Rúlái; rōmaji: Dainichi Nyorai).

The Mandala of the Two Worlds encapsulates the cosmology, metaphysics, and soteriology of East Asian Esoteric Buddhism. It provides both a visual and ritual method for realizing the practitioner's inherent identity with the Buddha, through the integration of compassion and wisdom. It is thus a symbolic teaching device, a meditative tool, and a ritual instrument. The Dual Mandalas portray two complementary dimensions of Buddhahood. The Womb Realm represents the great compassion (maha karuṇā) of the original Buddha Mahāvairocana who is always nurturing all beings toward enlightenment. The Vajra Realm signifies the indestructible omniscient wisdom (sārvajñana) of Mahāvairocana Buddha which pervades all phenomena. Thus, the Two Worlds Mandala provides a complete map of the cosmos as a unified field of compassion and wisdom which is used by an esoteric practitioner, through ritual and meditative identification with the deities of the mandalas, to progressively actualizes their own original enlightenment.

Both mandalas present highly systematized arrays of buddhas, bodhisattvas, wisdom kings, and celestial beings. The number of deities arranged around the cores varies, but may range as high as 414. Each figure holds specific mudrās (hand gestures) and attributes, and is associated with specific seed syllables (bīja). Both mandalas are oriented according to the cardinal directions, with symbolic meaning attached to each direction. Specific colors are also employed symbolically, representing particular virtues, or elements.

Japanese Shingon and Tendai temples often prominently display the Mandalas of the Two Realms mounted at right angles to the image platform on the central altar. The two mandalas are believed to have evolved separately in India, and were joined for the first time in China, perhaps by Kūkai's teacher Huiguo (746–805).

Indian background

thumb|Relief of eight great bodhisattvas at [[Ellora Caves (cave no. 12) in a nine square pattern.]]

thumb|Indian Terracotta mandala, c. 6th century

thumb|[[Somapura Mahavihara's four directional square layout]]

The conceptual and textual foundations of the Two Worlds Mandala derive from Indian Esoteric Buddhism (Mantrayāna), specifically from two seminal scriptures: the Mahāvairocana Sūtra and the Vajraśekhara Sūtra. Both texts represent advanced stages of Buddhist tantric development in India, reflecting sophisticated ritual systems, mantra theory, and visualization practices intended to rapidly actualize the practitioner's identity with the cosmic Buddha.

The Great Compassion Womb Realm Mandala is primarily based on the Mahāvairocana Sūtra (Chinese: 大日經; pinyin: Dàrì jīng; rōmaji: Dainichi kyō), while the Vajra-realm Mandala is based on the Vajraśekhara Sūtra (Chinese: 金剛頂經; pinyin: Jīngāngdǐng jīng; rōmaji: Kongōchō kyō). The Mahāvairocana Sūtra is said to have been compiled around the mid-7th century in India. Its first chapter provides a Madhyamaka like teaching on emptiness. In some cases, an entire temple complex could be a mandala. Perhaps the most famous example of such a large scale mandala is the Indonesian Buddhist site of Borobudur.

The tradition of laying out Buddhist deities in a sacred diagram (i.e. a mandala) corresponding to the main cardinal directions is not unique to esoteric Buddhist texts. These diagrams first appear in Mahayana sutras like the Sutra of Golden Light (c. 5th century) and the Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra.

Examples of four Buddhas arranged in the four cardinal directions with the Buddha relics at the center chamber (called a garbha) have also been found in Indian Buddhist stupas like Sanchi stupa, Udayagiri stupa, Jajpur stupa (Pushpagiri) and Dekhinath stupa (Gyaraspur). The Udayagiri stupa for example, houses Vairocana, Amitabha, Aksobhya and Ratnasambhava in the four cardinal directions of the stupa.</blockquote>

Chinese Mantrayana

thumb|Painting of Huiguo with an attendant. Japan, [[Kamakura period (14th century).]]

The Mahāvairocana Sūtra was translated into Chinese by the Indian monk Śubhakarasiṃha (Chinese: 善無畏; pinyin: Shànwúwèi; rōmaji: Zenmui, 637–735) together with his Chinese disciple, Yixing (Chinese: 一行; pinyin: Yīxíng; rōmaji: Ichigyō; 683–727), around 725 CE. Meanwhile, the Vajraśekhara Sūtra was translated into Chinese around the same time by the Indian monk Vajrabodhi (Chinese: 金剛智; pinyin: Jīngāngzhì; rōmaji: Kongōchi; 671–741) and his disciple Amoghavajra (Chinese: 不空; pinyin: Bùkōng; rōmaji: Fukū; 705–774). These figures were the key founders of Chinese Esoteric Buddhism (Chinese: 密宗; pinyin: Mìzōng). For instance, one popular version of the Shuilu Fahui ceremony was heavily influenced by the Vajradhātu Esoteric tradition and involved building an array of altars that largely resembles the Vajradhātu maṇḍala, as well as visualizations of seed-syllables and the conferment of samaya precepts. This version was widely performed up until the late-Qing dynasty (1644-1912). In the modern era, Chinese Esoteric Buddhism was revived by Chinese figures who traveled to Japan to study esoteric Buddhism there and receive the required initiations, training and texts.

Theory

The Sanskrit term "mandala" ("circle") was glossed and interpreted in different ways in Chinese Esoteric Buddhism. Main glosses include: the mandala as "perfectly endowed" (with all virtues); as the "highest incomparable flavor"; as the "assembly" which brings together all powers of Buddhahood; as that which is the "generation" of all Buddha-bodies, mantras, meanings and the three secrets; and as the place of meditation and awakening (Bodhimaṇḍa). He further writes that the Buddha, out of compassion, "develops the inexhaustible, sublime repository great mandala" out of the basis of his own mind and that of sentient beings. As such, the universal wisdom of Buddhahood gives rise to myriad manifestations in order to guide all beings, and the mandala is a symbolic representation of this Buddha's activity. In Japanese Esoteric Buddhism, the Dual Mandala is seen as representing the theme of the non-duality between embodied human beings and Buddhas and thus the possibility of attaining "buddhahood in this very body" (sokushin-jōbutsu). The mandalas are also a major element of Esoteric Buddhist deity yogas and other rituals. As the central iconography of the Shingon sect, the dual mandala has a prominent place in traditional Shingon halls. The Vajra Realm Mandala is typically hung on the west wall symbolizing the final realization of Mahāvairocana Buddha, while the Womb Realm Mandala is hung on the east wall, symbolizing the young stage of Mahāvairocana Buddha.

In Shingon esotericism (known as Tōmitsu), the Dual Mandala became the centerpiece of doctrinal exegesis, ritual activity, and yogic practices. Kūkai articulated the principle of the "Identity of the Two Mandalas" (両部不二, Ryōbu Funi), emphasizing that compassion and wisdom are non-dual expressions of the same reality. All major Shingon rituals, such as the Abhiṣeka Initiation Ceremony (灌頂), Goma Fire Ritual (護摩供), and Shingon tantric meditations are all based on the iconography and symbolic universe of the Dual Mandala.

The Dual Mandala is also central to the Esoteric Buddhism of the Tendai school, known as Taimitsu. Its founder Saichō introduced esoteric study and practice into the Tendai school and later Tendai figures like Ennin and Enchin traveled to China and brought back further transmissions, esoteric Buddhist texts and ritual implements, like mandalas.

Womb Realm Mandala

thumb|Womb World from Mandala of the Two Worlds (Kongōkai Taizōkai mandara). Hanging scroll, textile. Japan, 15th century.

The Womb Realm (, Traditional Chinese: 胎蔵界; Pinyin: Tāizāngjiè; Rōmaji: taizōkai) represents the principle of the Buddha's Great Compassion (Maha Karuṇā). It embodies the generative, protective and nurturing aspect of Mahāvairocana Buddha as the source of all phenomena and enlightenment, which is like a mother's womb (garbha). In other translations, the term Matrix Realm or Matrix Mandala is used.

According to Kiyota, the core theme of the Mahavairocana Sutra is found in the following quotation from the sutra: "bodhicitta is the cause, compassion its roots and skill-in-means the ultimate." The central figure is Mahāvairocana Tathagata, the cosmic Buddha whose body is the entire cosmos. He is depicted at the center on a lotus throne, surrounded by Buddhas and bodhisattvas, each representing various aspects like compassion and wisdom. The various assemblies are populated by numerous Buddhist deities who personify particular virtues and Dharma principles.

{| class="wikitable"

| colspan="5" style="text-align:center;" |Hall of Mañjuśrī

| rowspan="5" |Hall of

Kṣitigarbha

| colspan="3" style="text-align:center;" |Hall of Śākyamuni

| rowspan="5" |Hall of

Sarvanīvaraṇaviṣkambhin

| rowspan="3" |Lotus

Hall of Avalokiteśvara

|Hall of Universal Knowledge

| rowspan="3" |Hall of

Vajrapāṇi

!Central

Eight Petal Lotus Hall

|Wisdom Holders (Vidyādhara) Hall

| colspan="3" style="text-align:center;" |Hall of Ākāśagarbha

| colspan="5" style="text-align:center;" |Susiddhi Hall

Central Eight Petal Hall

thumb|The central eight petal hall with [[Vairocana in center surrounded by (clockwise from top): Ratnasambhava, Samantabhadra, Saṅkusumitarāja, Manjushri, Amitābha, Avalokiteśvara, Amoghasiddhi and Maitreya).]]

In the central eight petalled lotus is red, symbolizing compassion and the human heart. This points to the Mantrayana belief that Buddhahood is present within this very body.

Other halls

Encircling the Central Platform Eight-Petal Court are various courts or halls. Surrounding all of these, on the outermost perimeter, is placed the Outer Vajra Division Court, also called the Outermost Court. This arrangement suggests a movement outward from the inner to the outer realms, expressing the process wherein Mahāvairocana's abstract wisdom is applied in practice within the phenomenal world.

Moreover, one can see the Womb Realm Mandala as divided into three blocks: central, right, and left. The central area of the diagram represents the world of Mahāvairocana’s enlightenment. To the viewer’s left (southern direction) is the Lotus Division Court (蓮華部院, also called the Avalokiteśvara Court), centered on the principal deity Avalokiteśvara, and to the viewer’s right (northern direction) is the Vajra Division Court (金剛手院, also called the Vajra Division Court or Sattva Court 薩埵院), centered on Vajrapani. The Lotus Division Court is regarded as representing the "compassion" of the Tathāgata, while the Vajra Division Court represents the "wisdom" of the Tathāgata.

Vajra Realm Mandala

thumb|Kue Taizōkai Mandala, Hanging scroll. Japan, 15th century.

thumb|Tibetan version of the Vajradhatu mandala, which shows a very different arrangement than the East Asian form

The Vajra Realm (Sanskrit: vajradhātu, Traditional Chinese: 金剛界; pinyin: Jīngāngjiè; rōmaji: Kongōkai) represents the universal all-pervasive Wisdom of the Buddha. The Vajra Realm symbolizes the universe as pervaded and infused by the indestructible, unchanging and omniscient knowledge (jñana) of Mahāvairocana which directly realizes the ultimate truth. This wisdom is none other than Buddhahood itself, as well as buddha-nature.

In Tendai esotericism

thumb|Lotus Sutra Mandala used in esoteric Lotus Sutra Rites (Hokkekyō-Hō), c. late [[Heian period.]]

The Tendai school also developed its own tradition of esoteric practices, termed Taimitsu (台密), and similarly revered the Two Mandalas. However, Tendai integrated them within a broader doctrinal framework based on the Tiantai thought of Zhiyi and Zhanran, emphasizing their ultimate identity with the Lotus Sūtra's teaching of universal Buddhahood and threefold truth of Tiantai. Tendai esotericism sees the Lotus Sutra itself as an esoteric scripture on the same level as the two esoteric sutras. Furthermore, Tendai esotericism also relies on another key esoteric text, the Susiddhikāra Sūtra (Soshitsujikara).

In Tendai, the Two Mandalas are seen as expressions of the same ultimate reality expounded in the Lotus Sūtra, and they are utilized in various meditative and ritual contexts. Over time, these mandalas were adopted into a unique form of Lotus Esotericism (Hokke Mikkyō), which was based on earlier Chinese sources and on a unique Tendai Lotus Sutra Maṇḍala.

The Tendai Lotus Sutra Maṇḍala (Hokkekyo mandara 法華経曼荼羅) features an eight-petaled lotus design adapted from the Womb realm maṇḍala. Likewise, the maṇḍala's structure, which arranges deities hierarchically around a central focus, draws on the dual-realm maṇḍalas.