dharma mandala; seed-syllable mandala
In Shingon Buddhism, a mandala where each deity is represented by its Sanskrit seed syllable (bīja) rather than an anthropomorphic image. Compare 四種曼荼羅 (ししゅまんだら).
See also: 四種曼荼羅 (ししゅまんだら)
A dharma mandala is a mandala that represents buddhas using Sanskrit syllables.
四種曼荼羅 is the broader classification of four types of mandalas in Shingon, of which 法曼荼羅 is one type.
From 法 (dharma) + 曼荼羅 (mandala). The term is a direct translation of the Sanskrit dharma-maṇḍala.