Mahayana ''Mahāyāna'' (; "Great Vehicle") is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, texts, philosophies, and practices. Mahāyāna Buddhism developed in India (c. 1st century BCE onwards) and is considered one of the three main existing bra ...

and

Vajrayana Buddhism Vajrayāna ( sa, वज्रयान, "thunderbolt vehicle", "diamond vehicle", or "indestructible vehicle"), along with Mantrayāna, Guhyamantrayāna, Tantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Tantric Buddhism, and Esoteric Buddhism, are names referring t ...

, the Five

Tathāgata Tathāgata () is a Pali word; Gautama Buddha uses it when referring to himself or other Buddhas in the Pāli Canon. The term is often thought to mean either "one who has thus gone" (''tathā-gata''), "one who has thus come" (''tathā-āgata''), o ...

s (

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; attributively , ; nominally , , ) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in South Asia after its predecessor languages had diffused there from the northwest in the late ...

: पञ्चतथागत, ''pañcatathāgata''; ) or Five Wisdom Tathāgatas (), the Five Great Buddhas, the Five Dhyani Buddhas and the Five Jinas (

for "conqueror" or "victor"), are five Buddhas which are often venerated together. Various sources provide different names for these Buddhas, though the most common today are:

Akshobhya Akshobhya ( sa, अक्षोभ्य, ''Akṣobhya'', "Immovable One"; ) is one of the Five Wisdom Buddhas, a product of the Adibuddha, who represents consciousness as an aspect of reality. By convention he is located in the east of the ...

, Ratnasambhava,

Vairocana Vairocana (also Mahāvairocana, sa, वैरोचन) is a cosmic buddha from Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. Vairocana is often interpreted, in texts like the ''Avatamsaka Sutra'', as the dharmakāya of the historical Gautama Buddha. In East ...

Amitābha Amitābha ( sa, अमिताभ, IPA: ), also known as Amitāyus, is the primary Buddha of Pure Land Buddhism. In Vajrayana Buddhism, he is known for his longevity, discernment, pure perception, purification of aggregates, and deep awarene ...

, and Amoghasiddhi. They are sometimes seen as emanations and representations of the five qualities of the

Adi-Buddha In Vajrayana Buddhism, the Ādi-Buddha () is the "First Buddha" or the "Primordial Buddha". Another common term for this figure is Dharmakāya Buddha. The term emerges in tantric Buddhist literature, most prominently in the Kalachakra.Buswell, ...

or "first Buddha", which is associated with the

Dharmakāya The ''dharmakāya'' ( sa, धर्म काय, "truth body" or "reality body", zh, t=法身, p=fǎshēn, ) is one of the three bodies ('' trikāya'') of a buddha in Mahāyāna Buddhism. The ''dharmakāya'' constitutes the unmanifested, "incon ...

. Some sources also include this "first Buddha" as a sixth Buddha along with the five. These five Buddhas are a common subject of Vajrayana

mandala A mandala ( sa, मण्डल, maṇḍala, circle, ) is a geometric configuration of symbols. In various spiritual traditions, mandalas may be employed for focusing attention of practitioners and adepts, as a spiritual guidance tool, for e ...

s and they feature prominently in various

Buddhist Tantras The Buddhist Tantras are a varied group of Indian and Tibetan texts which outline unique views and practices of the Buddhist tantra religious systems. Overview Buddhist Tantric texts began appearing in the Gupta Empire period, though there are ...

. The Five Tathagathas are the primary object of realization and meditation in

Shingon Buddhism Shingon monks at Mount Koya is one of the major schools of Buddhism in Japan and one of the few surviving Vajrayana lineages in East Asia, originally spread from India to China through traveling monks such as Vajrabodhi and Amoghavajra. K ...

, a school of Vajarayana Buddhism founded in Japan by

Kūkai Kūkai (; 27 July 774 – 22 April 835Kūkai was born in 774, the 5th year of the Hōki era; his exact date of birth was designated as the fifteenth day of the sixth month of the Japanese lunar calendar, some 400 years later, by the Shingon sec ...

. In

Chinese Buddhism Chinese Buddhism or Han Buddhism ( zh, s=汉传佛教, t=漢傳佛教, p=Hànchuán Fójiào) is a Chinese form of Mahayana Buddhism which has shaped Chinese culture in a wide variety of areas including art, politics, literature, philosophy, ...

, veneration of the five Buddhas have dispersed from

Chinese Esoteric Buddhism Chinese Esoteric Buddhism refers to traditions of Tantra and Esoteric Buddhism Vajrayāna ( sa, वज्रयान, "thunderbolt vehicle", "diamond vehicle", or "indestructible vehicle"), along with Mantrayāna, Guhyamantrayāna, Tantrayā ...

into the other Chinese Buddhist traditions like

Chan Chan may refer to: Places *Chan (commune), Cambodia *Chan Lake, by Chan Lake Territorial Park in Northwest Territories, Canada People *Chan (surname), romanization of various Chinese surnames (including 陳, 曾, 詹, 戰, and 田) *Chan Caldwel ...

and

Tiantai Tiantai or T'ien-t'ai () is an East Asian Buddhist school of Mahāyāna Buddhism that developed in 6th-century China. The school emphasizes the ''Lotus Sutra's'' doctrine of the "One Vehicle" (''Ekayāna'') as well as Mādhyamaka philosophy, ...

. They are regularly enshrined in many Chinese Buddhist temples and regularly invoked in rituals, such as the

Liberation Rite of Water and Land The Liberation Rite of Water and Land () is a Chinese Buddhist ritual performed by temples and presided over by high monks. The service is often credited as one of the greatest rituals in Chinese Buddhism, as it is also the most elaborate and requ ...

and the Yoga Flaming Mouth ceremony ( 瑜伽焰口法會), as well as prayers and chants. They are also sometimes called the " dhyani-buddhas", a term first recorded in English by

Brian Houghton Hodgson Brian Houghton Hodgson (1 February 1800 or more likely 1801 – 23 May 1894) was a pioneer naturalist and ethnologist working in India and Nepal where he was a British Resident. He described numerous species of birds and mammals from the Himala ...

, a British Resident in Nepal, in the early 19th century, and is unattested in any surviving traditional primary sources.

Origin

The Five Wisdom Buddhas are a development of the Buddhist Tantras, and later became associated with the

trikaya The Trikāya doctrine ( sa, त्रिकाय, lit. "three bodies"; , ) is a Mahayana Buddhist teaching on both the nature of reality and the nature of Buddhahood. The doctrine says that Buddha has three ''kāyas'' or ''bodies'', the '' Dharm ...

or "three body" theory of

Buddhahood In Buddhism, Buddha (; Pali, Sanskrit: 𑀩𑀼𑀤𑁆𑀥, बुद्ध), "awakened one", is a title for those who are awake, and have attained nirvana and Buddhahood through their own efforts and insight, without a teacher to point out ...

. While in the '' Tattvasaṃgraha Tantra'' there are only four Buddha families, the full

Diamond Realm In Vajrayana Buddhism, the Diamond Realm (Skt. वज्रधातु ''vajradhātu'', Traditional Chinese: 金剛界; Pinyin: ''Jīngāngjiè''; Romaji: ''Kongōkai'') is a metaphysical space inhabited by the Five Tathagatas. The Diamond Real ...

with five Buddhas first appears in the ''

Vajrasekhara Sutra The ''Vajraśekhara Sūtra'' is an important Buddhist tantra used in the Vajrayāna schools of Buddhism, but can refer to a number of different works. In particular a cycle of 18 texts studied by Amoghavajra, which included both '' Tattvasaṃgra ...

''.Williams, Wynne, Tribe; Buddhist Thought: A Complete Introduction to the Indian Tradition, page 210. Representations of the five Dhyani Buddhas, who are abstract aspects of Buddhahood rather than Buddhas or gods, have elaborate differences. Each must face in a different direction (north, south, east, west, or center), and, when painted, each is a different color (blue, yellow, red, green, or white). Each has a different ''mudrā'' and symbol; embodies a different aspect, type of evil, and cosmic element; has a different consort and spiritual son, as well as different animal vehicles (elephant, lion, peacock, harpys or

garuda Garuda (Sanskrit: ; Pāli: ; Vedic Sanskrit: गरुळ Garuḷa) is a Hindu demigod and divine creature mentioned in the Hindu, Buddhist and Jain faiths. He is primarily depicted as the mount (''vahana'') of the Hindu god Vishnu. Garuda is a ...

, or dragon).Sakya, p. 76. The Vajrasekhara also mentions a sixth Buddha,

Vajradhara Vajradhara (Sanskrit: वज्रधर. (Also, the name of Indra, because 'Vajra' means diamond, as well as the thunderbolt, anything hard more generally) Tibetan: རྡོ་རྗེ་འཆང། rdo rje 'chang (Dorje Chang); zh, t=金� ...

, "a Buddha (or principle) seen as the source, in some sense, of the five Buddhas." The Five Buddhas are aspects of the dharmakaya "dharma-body", which embodies the principle of

enlightenment in Buddhism The English term enlightenment is the Western translation of various Buddhist terms, most notably bodhi and vimutti. The abstract noun ''bodhi'' (; Sanskrit: बोधि; Pali: ''bodhi''), means the knowledge or wisdom, or awakened intellect ...

. Initially, two Buddhas appeared to represent wisdom and compassion:

and

. A further distinction embodied the aspects of power, or activity, and the aspect of beauty, or spiritual riches. In the ''

Golden Light Sutra The Golden Light Sutra or ( sa, IAST: Suvarṇaprabhāsottamasūtrendrarājaḥ), also known by the Old Uygur title Altun Yaruq, is a Buddhist text of the Mahayana branch of Buddhism. In Sanskrit, the full title is ''The Sovereign King of Sutra ...

'', an early Mahayana text, the figures are named Dundubishvara and Ratnaketu, but over time their names changed to become Amoghasiddhi, and Ratnasambhava. The central figure came to be called

. Vairocana, the first Dhyani Buddha, embodies

sovereignty Sovereignty is the defining authority within individual consciousness, social construct, or territory. Sovereignty entails hierarchy within the state, as well as external autonomy for states. In any state, sovereignty is assigned to the perso ...

. Japanese

Pure Land Buddhists Pure Land Buddhism (; ja, 浄土仏教, translit=Jōdo bukkyō; , also referred to as Amidism in English,) is a broad branch of Mahayana Buddhism focused on achieving rebirth in a Buddha's Buddha-field or Pure Land. It is one of the most widel ...

think that Vairocana and the other Dhyani Buddhas are manifestations of

, but Japanese Shingon Buddhists think that Amitābha and the other Dhyani Buddhas are manifestations of Vairocana. Akshobhya, the second Dhyani Buddha who embodies steadfastness and faces east. He is seated in the ''Vajraparyanka'' (also known as ''Bhūmisparśa'') pose, with the right hand on the right knee, palm turned inwardly, and middle finger touching the ground. Amitābha (Japanese: Amida) is the most ancient Dhyani Buddha, embodying

light Light or visible light is electromagnetic radiation that can be perceived by the human eye. Visible light is usually defined as having wavelengths in the range of 400–700 nanometres (nm), corresponding to frequencies of 750–420 tera ...

and facing west, and is the central figure in Pure Land Buddhism. A statue of Amitābha, when seated, has a ''

samadhi ''Samadhi'' (Pali and sa, समाधि), in Buddhism, Hinduism, Jainism, Sikhism and yogic schools, is a state of meditative consciousness. In Buddhism, it is the last of the eight elements of the Noble Eightfold Path. In the Ashtanga Yoga ...

'' ''mudrā'' with both palms face up, on top of each other, in his lap. When these Buddhas are represented in mandalas, they may not always have the same colour or be related to the same directions. In particular, Akshobhya and Vairocana may be switched. When represented in a Vairocana mandala, the Buddhas are arranged like this:

The Five Families or Divisions and their qualities

There is an expansive number of associations with each element of the five Buddhas mandala, so that the mandala becomes a

cipher In cryptography, a cipher (or cypher) is an algorithm for performing encryption or decryption—a series of well-defined steps that can be followed as a procedure. An alternative, less common term is ''encipherment''. To encipher or encode i ...

and

mnemonic A mnemonic ( ) device, or memory device, is any learning technique that aids information retention or retrieval (remembering) in the human memory for better understanding. Mnemonics make use of elaborative encoding, retrieval cues, and imag ...

visual thinking Visual thinking, also called visual or spatial learning or picture thinking, is the phenomenon of thinking through visual processing. Visual thinking has been described as seeing words as a series of pictures. It is common in approximately 60� ...

instrument and

concept map A concept map or conceptual diagram is a diagram that depicts suggested relationships between concepts. Concept maps may be used by instructional designers, engineers, technical writers, and others to organize and structure knowledge. A conce ...

; a vehicle for understanding and decoding the whole of the

Dharma Dharma (; sa, धर्म, dharma, ; pi, dhamma, italic=yes) is a key concept with multiple meanings in Indian religions, such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism and others. Although there is no direct single-word translation for '' ...

. Each Buddha Family or Division has numerous symbols, secondary figures (like bodhisattvas, protectors, etc.), powers and aspects. Some of the associations include: The five Tathāgathas are protected by five

Wisdom King A Wisdom King (Sanskrit: विद्याराज; IAST: ''Vidyārāja'', ) is a type of wrathful deity in East Asian Buddhism. Whereas the Sanskrit name is translated literally as "wisdom / knowledge king(s)," the term '' vidyā'' in Vajraya ...

s, and in China and Japan are frequently depicted together in the

Mandala of the Two Realms The Mandala of the Two Realms (Traditional Chinese: 両界曼荼羅; Pinyin: ''Liǎngjiè màntúluó''; Romanji: ''Ryōkai mandara''), also known as the Mandala of the Two Divisions (Traditional Chinese: 両部曼荼羅; Pinyin: ''Liǎngbù màn ...

. In the Śūraṅgama santra revealed in the Śūraṅgama sutra, an especially influential

dharani Dharanis ( IAST: ), also known as ''Parittas'', are Buddhist chants, mnemonic codes, incantations, or recitations, usually the mantras consisting of Sanskrit or Pali phrases. Believed to be protective and with powers to generate merit for the B ...

in the Chinese Chan tradition, the five Tathāgathas are mentioned as the hosts of the five divisions which controls the vast demon armies of the five directions. * In the East is the Vajra Division, hosted by

Akṣobhya Akshobhya ( sa, अक्षोभ्य, ''Akṣobhya'', "Immovable One"; ) is one of the Five Wisdom Buddhas, a product of the Adibuddha, who represents consciousness as an aspect of reality. By convention he is located in the east of the Di ...

* In the South, the Jewel-creating Division, hosted by Ratnasaṃbhava * In the center, the Buddha Division, hosted by

* In the West, the Lotus Division, hosted by

* In the North, the Karma Division, hosted by Amoghasiddhi In East Asia, they each are also often depicted with consorts, and preside over their own

pure land A pure land is the celestial realm of a buddha or bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism. The term "pure land" is particular to East Asian Buddhism () and related traditions; in Sanskrit the equivalent concept is called a buddha-field (Sanskrit ). Th ...

s, with the aspiration to be reborn into a

being the central point of

Pure Land Buddhism Pure Land Buddhism (; ja, 浄土仏教, translit=Jōdo bukkyō; , also referred to as Amidism in English,) is a broad branch of Mahayana Buddhism focused on achieving rebirth in a Buddha's Buddha-field or Pure Land. It is one of the most wid ...

. Although all five Buddhas have pure lands, it appears that only

Sukhavati Sukhavati (IAST: ''Sukhāvatī''; "Blissful") is a pure land of Amitābha in Mahayana Buddhism. It is also called the Land of Bliss or Western Pure Land, and is the most well-known of Buddhist pure lands, due to the popularity of Pure Land Budd ...

, and to a much lesser extent

Abhirati Abhirati (lit. "The Joyous") is the eastern pure land associated with Akshobhya in Mahayana Buddhism. It is described in the '' Akṣobhyatathāgatasyavyūha Sūtra'' (Taishō Tripiṭaka, 313), which was first translated into Chinese by Loka ...

(where great masters like

Vimalakirti Vimalakīrti ( sa, विमल ' "stainless, undefiled" + ' "fame, glory, reputation") is the central figure in the ', which presents him as the ideal Mahayana Buddhist upāsaka ("lay practitioner") and a contemporary of Gautama Buddha (6th to ...

and

Milarepa Jetsun Milarepa (, 1028/40–1111/23) was a Tibetan siddha, who was famously known as a murderer when he was a young man, before turning to Buddhism and becoming a highly accomplished Buddhist disciple. He is generally considered one of Tibet's m ...

are said to dwell) attracted aspirants.

Gallery

File:Jin Dynasty statue of Amoghasiddhi (不空成就佛 Bùkōngchéngjiùfó), one of the Five Tathagathas (五方佛 Wǔfāngfó) or Five Wisdom Buddhas (五智如来 Wǔzhì Rúlái) at Shanhua Temple (善化寺) in Datong, Shanxi, China.jpg, Jin Dynasty (1115–1234) statue of Amoghasiddhi in

Shanhua Temple Shanhua Temple () is a Buddhist temple located in Datong, Shanxi Province, China. The temple was first founded during the early 8th century of the Tang dynasty, but its earliest surviving building dates from the 11th century. The temple was heavi ...

in Datong,

Shanxi Shanxi (; ; formerly romanised as Shansi) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China and is part of the North China region. The capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-lev ...

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...

File:Jin Dynasty statue of Amitabha (阿彌陀佛 or 阿弥陀佛; Āmítuófó), one of the Five Tathagathas (五方佛 Wǔfāngfó) or Five Wisdom Buddhas (五智如来 Wǔzhì Rúlái) at Shanhua Temple (善化寺), Datong, Shanxi, China.jpg, Jin Dynasty (1115–1234) statue of Amitabha in

in Datong,

File:Jin Dynasty Vairocana (大日如来, Dàrì Rúlái; 毘盧遮那佛, Pílúzhēnà Fó), one of Five Tathagathas (五方佛 Wǔfāngfó) or Five Wisdom Buddhas (五智如来 Wǔzhì Rúlái) at Shanhua Temple (善化寺), Shanxi, China.jpg, Jin Dynasty (1115–1234) statue of

in Datong,

File:Jin Dynasty statue of Ratnasambhava (寶生如來 or 宝生如来 Bǎoshēng Rúlái), one of Five Tathagathas (五方佛 Wǔfāngfó) or Five Wisdom Buddhas (五智如来 Wǔzhì Rúlái) at Shanhua Temple (善化寺) in Shanxi, China.jpg, Jin Dynasty (1115–1234) statue of Ratnasambhava in

in Datong,

File:Jin Dynasty statue of Akshobhya (阿閦如来; Āchùrúlái), one of the Five Tathagathas (五方佛 Wǔfāngfó) or Five Wisdom Buddhas (五智如来 Wǔzhì Rúlái) at Shanhua Temple (善化寺) in Datong, Shanxi, China.jpg, Jin Dynasty (1115–1234) statue of

in Datong,

File:Ming era statue of Amoghasiddhi (不空成就佛 Bùkōngchéngjiùfó), one of the Five Tathagathas (五方佛 Wǔfāngfó) or Five Wisdom Buddhas (五智如来 Wǔzhì Rúlái) at Huayan Temple (華嚴寺 or 华严寺), Shanxi, China.jpg,

Ming dynasty The Ming dynasty (), officially the Great Ming, was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China, ruling from 1368 to 1644 following the collapse of the Mongol Empire, Mongol-led Yuan dynasty. The Ming dynasty was the last ort ...

(1368-1644) statue of Amoghasiddhi in

Huayan Temple Huayan Temple ({{zh, s=华严寺, t=華嚴寺, p=Huáyán Sì), may refer to: * Huayan Temple (Datong), in Datong, Shanxi, China * Huayan Temple (Meishan) in Renshou, Meishan, Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; a ...

in Datong,

File:Ming era statue of Amitabha (阿彌陀佛 or 阿弥陀佛; Āmítuófó), one of the Five Tathagathas (五方佛 Wǔfāngfó) or Five Wisdom Buddhas (五智如来 Wǔzhì Rúlái) at Huayan Temple (华严寺), Shanxi, China.jpg,

(1368-1644) statue of Amitabha in

in Datong,

File:Ming Vairocana statue (大日如来, Dàrì Rúlái; 毘盧遮那佛, Pílúzhēnà Fó), one of Five Tathagathas (五方佛 Wǔfāngfó) or Five Wisdom Buddhas (五智如来 Wǔzhì Rúlái), Huayan Temple (华严寺), Shanxi, China.jpg,

(1368-1644) statue of

in Datong,

File:Ming era statue of Ratnasambhava (寶生如來 or 宝生如来 Bǎoshēng Rúlái), one of Five Tathagathas (五方佛 Wǔfāngfó) or Five Wisdom Buddhas (五智如来 Wǔzhì Rúlái) at Huayan Temple (华严寺), Shanxi, China.jpg,

(1368-1644) statue of Ratnasambhava in

in Datong,

File:Ming era statue of Akshobhya (阿閦如来; Āchùrúlái), one of the Five Tathagathas (五方佛 Wǔfāngfó) or Five Wisdom Buddhas (五智如来 Wǔzhì Rúlái) at Huayan Temple (華嚴寺 or 华严寺), Datong, Shanxi, China.jpg,

(1368-1644) statue of

in Datong,

File:Shrine to the Five Tathagathas (五方佛 Wǔfāngfó) or Five Wisdom Buddhas (五智如来 Wǔzhì Rúlái), in Kaiyuan Temple (開元寺 or 开元寺) in Quanzhou, Fujian, China.jpg, Shrine to the Five Tathagathas in Kaiyuan Temple in

Quanzhou Quanzhou, postal map romanization, alternatively known as Chinchew, is a prefecture-level city, prefecture-level port city on the north bank of the Jin River, beside the Taiwan Strait in southern Fujian, China. It is Fujian's largest metrop ...

Fujian Fujian (; alternately romanized as Fukien or Hokkien) is a province on the southeastern coast of China. Fujian is bordered by Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, Guangdong to the south, and the Taiwan Strait to the east. Its capi ...

File:Shrine to the Five Tathagathas (五方佛 Wǔfāngfó) or Five Wisdom Buddhas (五智如来 Wǔzhì Rúlái), in Bixia Temple (碧霞寺 or 碧霞寺) in Mount Wutai, Shanxi, China.jpg, Shrine to the Five Tathagathas in Bixia Temple on Mount Wutai in

File:Chinese shrine to the Five Tathagathas (五方佛 Wǔfāngfó) or Five Wisdom Buddhas (五智如来 Wǔzhì Rúlái), in Nantian Temple (佛光山南天寺) in Wollongong, Australia.jpg, Chinese shrine to the Five Tathagathas in

Nan Tien Temple Nan Tien Temple () is a Buddhist temple complex located in Berkeley, on the southern outskirts of the Australian city of Wollongong, approximately south of Sydney. Nan Tien is one of the branch temples of the Taiwanese Fo Guang Shan Buddhis ...

Wollongong Wollongong ( ), colloquially referred to as The Gong, is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near wate ...

Australia Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...

File:Shishoin temple shibamata Five Tathagatas 2020.jpg, Five Tathagatas in Shishoin Temple ( Shibamata,

Katsushika is a special ward located in Tokyo, Japan. The ward calls itself Katsushika City in English. As of May 1, 2015, the ward has an estimated population of 444,356, and a population density of 12,770 people per km². The total area is 34.80 ...

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.468 ...

) . From the right side, Akshobhya, Ratnasambhava, Vairocana, Amitābha, and Amoghasiddhi File:Korea-NT-296-Chiljangsa.Obulhoe.Gwaebul.taeng-Joseon.jpg, Painting of the Five Buddhas, circa the 6th year under Injo of

Joseon Dynasty Joseon (; ; Middle Korean: 됴ᇢ〯션〮 Dyǒw syéon or 됴ᇢ〯션〯 Dyǒw syěon), officially the Great Joseon (; ), was the last dynastic kingdom of Korea, lasting just over 500 years. It was founded by Yi Seong-gye in July 1392 and re ...

(1628), Korea File:Hat with five buddhas, Tibet, 1644-1911 AD, gilt copper - Sichuan Provincial Museum - Chengdu, China - DSC04433.jpg, Gilt copper crown with five buddhas, Tibet, 1644-1911 CE. File:Ritual Diadem with the Five Jina Buddhas- Amitabha, Vairochana, Akshobhya, Ratnasambhava, and Amoghasiddhi LACMA M.74.139.15.jpg, Ritual Diadem with the Five Jina Buddhas, Northern Nepal or Tibet, 19th century File:Five Transcendental Buddhas LACMA M.72.75.2.jpg, Five Buddhas, Nepal, 16th century File:012 Five Dhyani Buddhas (24267029857).jpg, Statues of the Five Tathagathas, Tri Ratna Buddhist Centre, Pekanbaru, Sumatra File:蓮華院多宝塔の五智如来全景.jpg, Renge-in Tanjō-ji

References

Bibliography

* Bogle, George; Markham, Clements Robert; and Manning, Thomas (1999) ''Narratives of the Mission of George Bogle to Tibet and of the Journey of Thomas Manning to Lhasa'' *Bucknell, Roderick & Stuart-Fox, Martin (1986). ''The Twilight Language: Explorations in Buddhist Meditation and Symbolism''. Curzon Press: London. *

External links

Five Dhyani Buddhas
- chart of the Five Buddhas and their associations.
StudyBuddhism.com
- The Five Buddha-Families and Five Dhyani Buddhas
Five Dhyani Buddhas Mandala
- Thangka painting of the Five Buddhas.
Video
demonstration the mantra chanting and mudras used during the Chinese Yogacara Flaming Mouth ceremony (瑜伽焰口法會) to invoke the Five Tathagathas in the ritual space.
Praise to the Five Buddhas
(

Chinese Chinese can refer to: * Something related to China * Chinese people, people of Chinese nationality, citizenship, and/or ethnicity **''Zhonghua minzu'', the supra-ethnic concept of the Chinese nation ** List of ethnic groups in China, people of ...

: 禮讚五方佛;

Pinyin Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally written in Chinese for ...

: ''Lǐzàn Wǔfāngfó''), part of the liturgy chanted in certain Chinese monastaries.
Color Symbolism In Buddhist Art
* Mark Schumacher
Godai Nyorai (Japanese) - Five Buddha of Wisdom Five Buddha of Meditation Five Jina , Five Tathagatas

The Five Buddha Families
- From ''Journey Without Goal: The Tantric Wisdom of the Buddha'' by Chögyam Trungpa, Shambhala.org (archived 2007)
5 Dhyani Buddhas
- 5 Dhyani Buddhas detailed with table {{Authority control Dhyani Buddhas, Five Yidams

Origin

The Five Families or Divisions and their qualities

Gallery

See also

References

Bibliography

External links