Diamond Realm Mandala in Tangmi and ShingonTibetan painting of Vajradhatu
In Vajrayana Buddhism, the Diamond Realm (Skt. वज्रधातु vajradhātu, Traditional Chinese: 金剛界; Pinyin: Jīngāngjiè; Romaji: Kongōkai) is a metaphysical space inhabited by the Five Tathagatas. The Diamond Realm Mandala is based on an esoteric Buddhist sutra called the Vajrasekhara Sutra.
The Diamond Realm is a very popular subject for mandalas, and along with the Womb Realm (garbhakoṣadhātu) Mandala forms the Mandala of the Two Realms. This mandala, along with the Womb Realm, form the core of Chinese Tangmi and Japanese Shingon rituals, including the initiation or abhiṣeka ritual. In this ritual, new initiates are blindfolded, and are asked to toss a flower upon a mandala. Where the flower lands helps decide which Buddhist figure the student should devote themselves to.[1]
In traditional Tangmi and Shingon halls, the Diamond Realm Mandala is hung on the west wall symbolizing the final realization of Mahāvairocana Buddha.[2] In this setting, the Womb Realm Mandala is hung on the east wall, symbolizing the young stage of Mahāvairocana Buddha.
In Chinese Buddhism, the Diamond Realm Mandala is also associated with the Yogacara Flaming Mouth Ritual (瑜伽焰口法會), which is often conducted during the Chinese Ghost Festival in order to feed pretas and reduce their suffering. Part of the ritual involves the performing ritual master wearing a Vairocana crown which is adorned with images of the Five Tathāgatas. The textual tradition for this part of the ritual asserts that the thirty-seven deities which make up the Diamond Realm Mandala are installed in the crown and that these deities confer their blessings and powers on the ritual master during the performance of the ritual.[3]
^Hakeda, Yoshito S. (1972). Kūkai and His Major Works. Columbia University Press. p. 44. ISBN 0-231-05933-7.
^Hakeda, Yoshito S. (1972). Kūkai and His Major Works. Columbia University Press. p. 87. ISBN 0-231-05933-7.
^Lye, Hun Yeow (2003). Feeding Ghosts: A Study of the Yuqie Yankou Rite (Thesis). University of Virginia. doi:10.18130/v3s82z.
In Vajrayana Buddhism, the DiamondRealm (Skt. वज्रधातु vajradhātu, Traditional Chinese: 金剛界; Pinyin: Jīngāngjiè; Romaji: Kongōkai) is a metaphysical...
the term Matrix Realm or Matrix Mandala is used. The Womb Realm is a very popular subject for mandalas, and along with the DiamondRealm (vajradhātu) Mandala...
depicting both the Five Wisdom Buddhas of the DiamondRealm as well as the Five Wisdom Kings of the Womb Realm. The number of deities arranged around the...
an aspect of reality. By convention he is located in the east of the DiamondRealm and is the lord of the Eastern Pure Land Abhirati ('The Joyous'). His...
Buddhist texts: the Mahavairocana Sutra and the Vajrasekhara Sutra. In the DiamondRealm Mandala, Vajrasattva sits to the East near Akshobhya Buddha. In some...
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in the inner circle of a mandala called the DiamondRealm (Vajradhātu). Mandalas like the DiamondRealm Mandala of Tantric Buddhism are elaborate diagrams...
depicted on a page from a folio describing deities from the DiamondRealm and Womb Realm. Japan, Heian period, 12th century. Painting of Samantabhadra...
seen in the fact that he appears at the centre of both the DiamondRealm and the Womb Realm mandalas. According to Kūkai, Mahāvairocana is also the Universal...
Vajradhara (金剛力士). He is present in the Womb Realm Mandala and is among the twelve guardian devas of the DiamondRealm Mandala. He is associated with Śrāvaṇa...
became central to Shingon ritual: the Mandala of the Womb Realm and the Mandala of the DiamondRealm. These two mandalas are engaged in the abhiseka initiation...
moon and the use of certain mantras. This tantra also introduces the DiamondRealm Mandala as a focus for meditative practices, and its use in the abhiseka...
have formed the 'wisdom fist' mudra associated with Vairocana in the DiamondRealm while reciting Dakiniten's mantra. A text from 1324, the Bikisho (鼻帰書...
indestructible and unbreakable (like a diamond) and extremely powerful (like thunder). Thus, the term is variously translated as Diamond Vehicle, Thunderbolt Vehicle...
known as the "Sixteen Great Bodhisattvas" and make up a portion of the DiamondRealm Mandala. They are associated with the Buddhas of the cardinal directions...
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rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols. The Diamond Sutra (Sanskrit: Vajracchedikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra) is a Mahāyāna (Buddhist)...
comparatively rare. The twenty deities depicted in the outer sections of the DiamondRealm mandala include Vinayaka (shown holding a radish and a modak), a boar-headed...
Huiguo was ordained as a monk and extensively studied the Womb Realm and DiamondRealm mandalas before being fully initiated into Vajrayana that same...
also represent 108 meditations, or the Buddhist 108 deities in the DiamondRealm Mandala. Despite the varying explanations for the use of this number...
recipients throughout the Commonwealth realms in the jubilee year. Named by Order in Council as the Queen Elizabeth II's Diamond Jubilee Medal, the Canadian medal...
mandara). Numerous versions of mandala, most famously the DiamondRealm Mandala and Womb Realm Mandala at Tōji in Kyoto, were created as hanging scrolls...
A diamond jubilee celebrates the 60th anniversary of a significant event related to a person (e.g. accession to the throne or wedding, among others) or...
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