 Viewed in light of the concept of hosshin seppō, the cosmos is a flowering of the Dharma preached by Dainichi, as it spreads outward towards beings receiving it in various degrees in accordance with their level of understanding. The form that this flowering takes is the mandala (Jpn: mandara). The mandala in Shingon Buddhism is a diagram or picture, usually a painting, picturing the doctrines expounded in the two major esoteric scriptures, Dainichikyō and Kongōchōgyō. It depicts visually the form that enlightenment takes as it becomes manifest in the universe. In other words, it is taken to be a visual depiction of the hosshin itself and the flowering of hosshin seppō throughout the cosmos, serving as a map for one’s journey to enlightenment.