Edededed,
Here are the mandalas I trained with:
http://www.onmarkproductions.com/html/mandala1.shtmlWhen I did the Kongokai mandala, I wound up wandering around a temple complex. The inhabitants were conducting various rituals. I remember seeing a bunch of monks working on what looked like a tube of light transforming things into it. I'm sure lots of lessons on the dharma would be available. Like I said, its a thing.
Alternatively, I've invoked Fudomyo on a couple of occasions to help tune mudras from Kuji-kiri. That was a little more interesting as the mudras themselves have effects separate from the Buddhist deities that overlay them now. Its just a little time consuming.
https://www.japanese-buddhism.com/fudo-myo-o.htmlHe was willing to give me a hand as he is more closely aligned to the internal power model being one of the closest to this level of reality Akashically aligned entities.
I did that by using his mudra, chanting his mantra, tuning to the associated vibratory state and then placing his sigil into my external dantien above my head. This brought him down and into me. Then I started with the kuji-kiri mudras without their associated Buddhist deities. He then tuned the vibratory state of each mudra with its associated chakra. After awhile I didn't need to invoke him anymore and could just run the associated energy on my own.
Pretty standard stuff.
For a system of self initiation with more of a Golden Dawn twist get a copy of "Hermetic Yoga" by Poke Runyon. Their system is almost exclusively made up of these kinds of practices using a planetary association with what most people would consider chakras within the body. The book is available on Amazon.
And yes, any given mandala leads you to a specific place.