The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (1471 page)

A basic type for Buddhist ma
alas, the ma
ala of the five jinas (Tib.,
rgyal.ba
, ‘eminent ones’) is a representation of the psyche and the world in fivefold symbolism.
The basic form of this ma
ala consists in the five jinas who have each become assigned a series of qualities as follows:

(i) 
Vairocana
, white, in the centre, represents the element ether, the
skandha
of consciousness, the ignorance of delusion and the wisdom of the
dharmadh
tu
;
(ii) Ak
obhya, blue, in the east, represents the element water, the skandha of form, the ignorance of hatred and the mirror-like wisdom;
(iii) Ratnasambhava, yellow, in the south, represents the element earth, the skandha of feeling, the ignorance of arrogance and the wisdom of equality;
(iv) Amit
bha, red, in the west, represents the element fire, the skandha of perception, the ignorance of craving and the wisdom of all-knowing;
(v) Amoghasiddhi, green, in the north, represents the element air, the skandha of volition, the ignorance of jealousy and the wisdom of all-accomplishing

.
Whether the ma
ala or other forms of intentional meditation are used, it is never
simply
a symbolic representation, but a blueprint accompanying Tantric instructions for the effective transmutation of the mundane personality into Buddhahood.

 
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