Tantric Buddhists believe that everyone has the buddha-nature within them and thus is basically equipped to reach enlightenment. Practitioners attempt to unleash this potential through a meditative practice called deity yoga, in the course of which they imagine themselves as ideal, altruistic beings in the shape of a buddha. With this aim in mind, meditators select one divine being out of the virtually innumerable throngs of buddha manifestations to become their personal protective and meditational deity (yidam). These practices require practitioners to perform complex visualizations, such as placing a group of related deities in clear, hierarchical, geometric patterns in space. The object shown here is used as an aid in this practice, allowing practitioners to better visualize these difficult constructions and formations.