nine honored ones on the eight-petaled lotus ［八葉九尊］ ( hachiyō-kuson): Buddhas and bodhisattvas in the court of the eight-petaled lotus in the center of the Womb Realm mandala, one of the objects of devotion in Esoteric Buddhism. The Womb Realm mandala comprises twelve sections called great courts or halls. The central court is the court of the eight-petaled lotus. Mahāvairochana Buddha sits in the center of the lotus, with four Buddhas and four bodhisattvas on the eight petals. Jeweled Banner Buddha is in the east, Florescence King Buddha in the south, Infinite Life Buddha in the west, and Heavenly Drum Thunder Buddha in the north. Bodhisattva Universal Worthy is in the southeast, Bodhisattva Manjushrī in the southwest, Bodhisattva Perceiver of the World’s Sounds in the northwest, and Bodhisattva Maitreya in the northeast. The four Buddhas and four bodhisattvas represent the virtues of Mahāvairochana Buddha.