The Taima Mandala is a pictorial meditation guide and illustrates an important text of the Pure Land School.
The left strip describes the plot: a prince pays heed to the evil accusations of an enemy and locks up his parents in prison. The queen seeks help from the Buddha Amitabha. He appears to her, bringing with him a method of meditation that will guide her to rebirth in his Pure Land.
The central image depicts Buddha Amitabha’s paradise with its magnificent palaces, jewel-clad trees, musicians, dancers, and recently reborn souls sitting on large lotus blossoms.
The right strip gives instructions on how to picture the Pure Land – from sunset and cooling waters, to gardens and palaces, right up to the Buddha and his followers – so that it emerges in one’s own imagination.