Encyclopedia of Buddhism

ple. The Womb World (or Matrix) has 414 deities and
symbolizes the possibility of buddhahood in the phe-
nomenal world, while the Diamond World with 1,416
deities is a guide to the requisite spiritual practices.

Both the Womb World and the Diamond World

mandalas focus on Vairocana Buddha, and both are

further subdivided into courts, each of which has its

own primary and secondary deities and its own theme.

MANDALA

Mandala of the Womb World. (Japanese hanging scroll, Kamakura period, thirteenth–fourteenth century.) The Brooklyn Museum of Art.
Reproduced by permission.