meditation. Usually a mand ala takes the shape of an elaborate 4-gated city where the practitioner enters, approaching the centre to achieve a state of mystical unity with Buddha. Each ob ject in the palace has significance, representing some aspect of wisdom or remin ding the meditator The Chapel of Kalachakra in the Potala Palace in Lhasa is a stunning gilt-copper three-dimensional mandala, 6.2m in diameter, and finely detailed with over 170 statues. of some guiding principle