The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (1468 page)

see
MANUSM
TI
.

 
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Mandaeans
:

see
MANDEANS
.

 
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(Skt., ‘circle’; Chin.,
man-ta-lao;
Jap. and Korean,
mandara
; Tib.,
dkyil.’khor
). A symbolic pictorial representation of the universe, originating in India but prominent in
Tibetan Buddhism
. It is
visualized
in the context of
Tantric
ritual. Although ma
alas are commonly found on scrolls or as wall-paintings, for important rituals the ma
ala is traced onto consecrated ground using coloured powders which may be erased upon termination of the ritual. In meditation, they can be visualized without external representation.
All ma
alas follow a precise symbolic format.
In Hinduism, ma
alas are described in great detail in the Tantras and
gamas
. For example, the
Pañcar
tra
text,
Lak
mi
Tantra
(37.3–19), describes a ma
ala of nine lotuses.
In liturgy (
p
j