•The two mandalas together visually represent the secret (esoteric) teachings of the Buddhist Dharma that Vairocana, one of the five Wisdom Buddhas, transmitted to his assistant, the bodhisattva Vajrasattva.
•Vajrasattvaand Vairocana(Mahavairocana) appear in both of the sutras that are the basis for the two mandalas.
•In Esoteric Buddhism, there were said to be three turnings of the the Wheel of the Dharma, of which Esoteric (Tantric) Buddhism was the last.
•In the MahavairocanaSutra, it is said that Vajrasattvaand others seeking Buddhist truth, came to VairocanaBuddha for his teachings.