Four Mandalas of the Guhyasamaja Cycle

Four Mandalas of the Guhyasamaja Cycle

An item at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Mandalas serve as visualizations of the Buddhist cosmos. Celestial palaces for divine beings exist within them, represented here in two-dimensional form. Tibetan monasteries are likewise conceived as three-dimensional mandalas. Residing in this four-fold mandala are the esoteric Buddhist deity Gukyasamaja (a form of Akshobya), Vairochana, Ratnasambhava, Amitabha, and Amoghasiddhi—the five transcendent Buddhas embodying supreme wisdom. Together they command the universe, harnessing enlightenment qualities to aid those seeking true knowledge. Meditation upon this cosmic map aids those journeying on that path.

Asian Art

An exhibit at Metropolitan Museum of Art

Four Mandalas of the Guhyasamaja CycleFour Mandalas of the Guhyasamaja CycleFour Mandalas of the Guhyasamaja CycleFour Mandalas of the Guhyasamaja CycleFour Mandalas of the Guhyasamaja Cycle

The Met's collection of Asian art—more than 35,000 objects, ranging in date from the third millennium B.C. to the twenty-first century—is one of the largest and most comprehensive in the world. Each of the many civilizations of Asia is represented by outstanding works, providing an unrivaled experience of the artistic traditions of nearly half the world.