Part 1. The first locates the two Mandalas in the theoretical and practical setting of esoteric Buddhism. It discusses some of the principal features of Shingon doctrine and ritual; it describes two important rituals as examples of esoteric Buddhist practice; it examines the Homa rituals, the performance of which is the main practice of the sect and recurrently referred to in the literature dealing with the two Mandalas; and it gives a brief description of Buddhist cosmology, necessary for an understanding of the cosmological references in the Mandalas.
Part 2. The second part of the study looks at several general considerations concerning the two Mandalas; their transmission, the meaning of the term Mandala and the relation of the two Mandalas to each other.
Part 3. The third part looks at the meanings of the Matrix Mandala and its several mansions.
Part 4. This analyses the diamond world Mandala and its nine assemblies. |