A Wisdom Archive on Vairocana

According to the Buddhist Trikaya doctrine, Vairocana (also Vairochana or Mahavairocana; 大日如来 or 毘盧遮那佛 Chinese: Dàrì Rúlái or Biluzhenafo, Japanese: Dainichi Nyorai) is a Buddha who is the embodiment of Dharmakaya, and which therefore can be seen as the universal aspect of the historical Gautama Buddha. In the conception of the Five Wisdom Buddhas, Vairocana is at the center. Vairocana is the central figure in the esoteric Shingon Buddhism in Japan, which is based largely ... Including:

• Vairocana - Doctrine
• Vairocana - Iconography

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In the Rigveda the word ‘vairocana' has the connotation of a brilliant and luminous sun. Indeed, Vairocana in Tibetan is called ‘Namnang', meaning ‘the illuminator'. Vairocana displays the Dharmachakra mudra. Dharmachakra in Sanskrit means the 'Wheel of Dharma'. This mudra symbolizes one of the most important moments in the historical life of the Buddha, the occasion when he preached to his companions the first sermon after his Enlightenment in the Deer Park at Sarnath. It thus denotes the setting into motion of th ...

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Vairocana
The main Buddha in the Avatamsaka Sutra. Represents the Dharma Body of Buddha Shakyaniuni and all Buddhas. His Pure Land is the Flower Store World, i.e., the entire cosmos.

 
 (See also: Vairocana, Buddhism, Body Mind and Soul )

For more dictionary entries, see » vairocana dictionary

There are a great variety of Buddhist texts. Buddhists place varying value on them: attitudes range from worship of the text itself, to dismissal of some texts as falsification of the ineffable truth. They therefore cannot be called "scripture" in the sense of other religions. The texts can be categorized in a number of ways, but the most fundamental division is that between canonical and non-canonical texts. The former, also called the Sutras (Sanskrit) or Suttas (Pali), are held to be, literally or metaphoricall ... Including: Buddhist texts - Canonical texts Buddhist texts - Non-canonical texts Buddhist texts - Texts of the Nikaya Schools Buddhist texts - Sutta Buddhist texts - Abhidharma Buddhist texts - Non-canonical texts Buddhist texts - Mahayana texts Buddhist texts - Perfection of Wisdom Texts Buddhist texts - Saddharma-pundarika Buddhist texts - Pure Land Sutras Buddhist texts - The Vimalakirti Nirdesha Sutra Buddhist texts - Samadhi Sutras Buddhist texts - Confession Sutras Buddhist texts - The Avatamsaka Sutra Buddhist texts - Third Turning Sutras Buddhist texts - Tathagatagarbha class sutras Buddhist texts - Collected Sutras Buddhist texts - Transmigration Sutras Buddhist texts - Discipline Sutras Buddhist texts - Sutras Devoted to Individual Figures Buddhist texts - Proto-Mahayana Sutras Buddhist texts - Non-canonical texts Buddhist texts - References Buddhist texts - Vajrayana Texts Buddhist texts - Buddhist tantras Buddhist texts - Other products of the Vajrayana literature

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Buddhism is generally regarded as a non-theistic religion. Although it does teach the existence of “gods” (devas), these are merely heavenly beings who temporarily dwell in celestial worlds of great happiness. Such beings, however, are not eternal in that incarnational form and are subject to death and eventual rebirth into lower realms of existence. However, a distinction needs to be drawn between the seemingly non-deistic and non-theistic teachings of the Buddha in the Pāli Canon and the “agamas”, and the mystically-hued id ... Including:

• God in Buddhism - The God Idea in Early Buddhism
• God in Buddhism - Mahayana and Tantric Mystical Doctrines
• God in Buddhism - Literature

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The situation takes on a different complexion in Mahayana and Tantric Buddhism. Here one encounters the notion of the Buddhas as kinds of cosmic wizards or magicians, as the creators of, and rulers over, “Buddha fields” (Buddha Paradises – whole world systems of spiritual exaltation and instruction). Although there are countless Buddhas, their essence is one - that of "Tathata" ("suchness" or "that-ness") - , and it is in this sense that the Buddha proclaims himself as "Tathagata" and ...

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Names given to the divine - Christianity. Yahweh, Jehovah, Jesus, Christ, the Holy Trinity, the Godhead (Christianity), Heavenly Father, Elohim, Jah Names given to the divine - Islam. See Ninety-nine names of Allah, Allah. Names given to the divine - Judaism. See The name of God in Judaism. Names given to the divine - Buddhism. < ...

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752 - Events. Pope Stephen II, pope for 3 days in March. Pope Stephen III, succeeded Stephen II. Retired Emperor Shōmu takes part in the dedication ceremony of the great statue of Vairocana Buddha at the Todaiji temple and declares himself a Buddhist. 752 - Births. Irene, empress of the Byzantine Empire 752 - Deaths. March 14: Pope Zacharias ca. March 26: Pope Stephen II Li ... Including:

• 752 - Events
• 752 - Births
• 752 - Deaths

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Tendai buddhism has several philosophical insights which allow for the reconciliation of Buddhist doctrine with aspects of Japanese culture such as Shinto and traditional aesthetics. It is rooted in the idea, fundamental to Mahayana Buddhism, that buddha-hood, the capability to attain enlightenment, is intrinsic in all things. Also central to Mahayana is the notion that the phenomenal world, the world of our experiences, fundamentally is an expression of the buddhist law (Dharma). This notion poses the problem of how we come to have many dif ...

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Different spiritual traditions, and different teachers within those traditions, prescribe or suggest different physical postures for meditation. Most famous are the several cross-legged postures, including the so-called Lotus Position. For example, the Dalai Lama recommends the Seven Points of Vairocana in which the legs are crossed in either the Lotus Positon (here called the vajra position) or the other way, "Indian" or "tailor" fashion (here called the bodhisattva position) the eyes are kept open (thus affirming the ...

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Amitabha can be very difficult to tell apart from Shakyamuni, as both are portrayed as possessing all the attributes of a Buddha but have no distinguishing marks. He can, however, often be distinguished by his mudra: Amitabha is often depicted with the meditation mudra (as in the Kamakura statue) or the exposition mudra, while the earth-touching mudra is reserved for Shakyamuni alone. Amitabha is usually portrayed as having two assistants: Avalokiteśvara (Guan Yin) who appears on his right and Mahāsthāmaprā ...

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Amitābha or Amida (阿彌陀佛 Ch. Āmítuó fó (=Amida Buddha), 阿弥陀佛 Kr. Amita Bul (Amida Buddha), 阿弥陀如来 Jp. Amida Nyorai (=Amida Tathagata), the Buddha of Limitless Light (無量光佛), also Amitāyus, the Buddha of Limitless Life (無量壽佛), is the primary Buddha of the Pure Land school of Buddhism which developed and spread in China, Vietnam, Korea and Japan and has grown to become the largest sect in Buddhism. Amitābha is believed to be a Buddha who possesses infinite ... Including:

• Amitabha - Doctrine
• Amitabha - Iconography
• Amitabha - Mantras
• Amitabha - Origins

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