ABSTRACT
The Tibetan diagrams called maṇḍala, usually in the form of square paintings, have aroused much interest in the West. These maṇḍalas are especially depicted with an ornamented circular border which encloses a two-dimensional form of a four-sided palace. The present study is not meant to convey a thorough account of the rieh symbolism involved, but to show what light can be cast on the subject by selected passages from authoritative works. For this purpose, the abbreviation PTT with volume number will be used for citations from the Japanese photographic edition of the Peking Tibetan canon. The abbreviation Sṅags rim refers to Tsoṅkha-pa’s Sṅags rim chen mo in a separate Peking blockprint. The works of Ratnākaraśānti (known to the Tibetans as Śānti-pā) have been especially helpful.
