P3 has note
| - A mandala can be a graphic object (painting, woven hanging) used in Buddhist meditation or to denote a sacred space.
This large silk hanging represents the 'Womb Treasury World', the mystical universal source, or 'womb', from which all things emerged. The iconography is based on the text of the Mahavairocana Sutra: At the centre of the mandala is the Buddha Vairocana, who is preaching the Dharma (the Truth upheld by the Universe) to four Buddhas and four Bodhisatvas.
The four Buddhas might be Ratnashvaya (<i>Baosheng</i> in Chinese, East), Amida (<i>Mituo</i> in Chinese, West), Akshobya (<i>Ajiu</i>South), and Amoghasiddhi (<i>Chengjiu</i>North) (it should be noted that these positions may vary in different mandalas). Together with Vairocana, they are known as the Five Meditation or Wisdom Buddhas.
The Boddhisatvas are possibly Samantabhadra (or Vajradhara, <i>Puxian,</i> in Chinese; South-east position), Manjusri (or <i>Wenshu</i> in Chinese; South-west), Avalokitesvara (<i>Guanyin</i> in Chinese; North-west) and Maitreya (Mi-le in Chinese, North east).
The Manchu rulers of the Qing Dynasty originated from the northeast of China, and the empire extended to neighbouring Monglia and went as far as Tibet. Patronage of Buddhism in these areas was an important aspect of imperial diplomacy, and diplomatic gifts often exchanged. This mandala (embroidered on 'royal yellow'-coloured silk) was possibly presented by Mongol princes to the Yongzheng emperor for a temple under imperial patronage, and possibly one at the important pilgimage site of Wutaishan in Shanxi province. (en)
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