The Mandala of the Buddha Mothers; Refuge of All Beings was the title of a retreat led by Rev. Master Kōten at Shasta Abbey from August 16 – 22, 2009. In the introduction to the related booklet (linked below) Rev. Master Kōten writes:
The following is the result of some twenty years of research, thought and meditation. None of it have I made up out of whole cloth. Every reference can be directly linked to the original iconography.
The Mandala is a map of training consisting of circles each of which must be travelled completely before entering the next. We enter the Mandala at the gate of our kōan, walk the circle of the Gate Keepers fully and then enter the circle of the Offering Bodhisattvas, again, by the means of our own kōan. After travelling this circle fully we may enter the circle of the Buddhas and thus to the centre.
Having reached the True Centre we may see that IT embraces the entire path, the entire Mandala, from the very beginning. And that, without abandoning the True Centre, we return by means of the circles to be of benefit to all beings. “Go in and out,” says the Scripture. If studied carefully this is the path of the Bloodline of the Buddhas and Ancestors.
Mandala of the Buddha Mothers booklet: This is an edited version of the Dharma talks given by Rev. Master Kōten at the retreat given at Shasta Abbey in May 2004 entitled Female Buddhas: The Equality of Buddha Nature.
Shasta Abbey Retreat Dharma Talks (From the 2009 retreat):