The Cosmic Buddha Vairochana

This painting depicts the Buddha of the center, Vairochana. His name is translated as "The Radiant One," and he is sometimes described as the "Sun Buddha." Vairochana sits at the center and summit of the universe, where he is able to see all things. As a result, he is called "all-seeing" (sarva-vid).
Vairochana is not the only Buddha present in this painting. Notice how the area behind the shrine is made of minutely detailed Buddhas. These Buddhas appear in a pattern called a "pointed shrine" (kutagara). Each pointed arch in the shrine is made of one of the five color-coded Buddhas. Each sector of the mandala is thereby represented in this one painting, and the whole is present in its parts.
Such images, which can be described as "fractal," present a similar pattern at multiple scales. They occur throughout art of the Lightning Vehicle. A stupa silhouette composed of consecration formulas appears on the reverse of this painting.