This small painting is part of a set that was probably used during Buddhist initiation ceremonies. Each has a letter on the back that indicates the sequence in which the set is organized. The first group forms a meditation mandala. It is centered on the five Tathagatas, or celestial Buddhas, and has four "gatekeepers" (guardians of the directions) stationed at its perimeter. In this group all of the deities of the mandala are associated with Vajrasattva, the sixth and ultimate Buddha. The bodhisattva Samantabhadra and his consort, Samantabhadri, who appear on individual cards, indicate that the set was probably made for the Nyingma (Elder) school of Tibetan Buddhism. The next two cards were employed during the actual initiation rite, while the last group corresponds to the six realms of being. Uncharacteristically for tsakalis, the cards are painted in the Nepalese style, probably by a Newar artist.