722 pamela d. winfield
Figure 1. Womb World gong -shaped layout (Rambach 1987, 140).Mandala can be viewed according to this plan. Buddha assemblies reside
in seven halls that form an I-shaped structure, flanked by bodhisattvas
of wisdom and compassion, and subordinate deities guard the enclo-
sure from around the perimeter.
An alternative organizational grouping of the mandala halls reveals
an equally compelling comparison, though it requires a perspective
shift in orientation. In the concentric courtyard layout (figure 2), the
Great Sun Buddha Dainichi Nyorai (Mahāvairocana) and
his retinue hold court in the center Lotus Hall.^6
(^6) He is surrounded by four directional buddhas and their four helping bodhisattvas
within the eight petals of the central red lotus. The buddhas are the Womb World