Vajradhara (Sanskrit: वज्रधर. (Also, the name of
Indra
Indra (; Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is the king of the devas (god-like deities) and Svarga (heaven) in Hindu mythology. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes/ref> I ...
, because 'Vajra' means diamond, as well as the thunderbolt, anything hard more generally) Tibetan: རྡོ་རྗེ་འཆང། rdo rje 'chang (Dorje Chang); zh, t=金剛總持, p=Jīngāng zǒng chí; Javanese: Kabajradharan; Japanese: 持金剛仏; English: Diamond-holder; Vietnamese: Kim Cang Tổng Trì) is the ultimate primordial
Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a śramaṇa, wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
According to Buddhist tradition, he was ...
, or
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, ...
, according to the
Sakya
The ''Sakya'' (, 'pale earth') school is one of four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism, the others being the Nyingma, Kagyu, and Gelug. It is one of the Red Hat Orders along with the Nyingma and Kagyu.
Origins
Virūpa, 16th century. It depic ...
,
Gelug
file:DalaiLama0054 tiny.jpg, 240px, 14th Dalai Lama, The 14th Dalai Lama (center), the most influential figure of the contemporary Gelug tradition, at the 2003 Kalachakra ceremony, Bodh Gaya, Bodhgaya (India).
The Gelug (, also Geluk; "virtuous ...
and
Kagyu
The ''Kagyu'' school, also transliterated as ''Kagyü'', or ''Kagyud'' (), which translates to "Oral Lineage" or "Whispered Transmission" school, is one of the main schools (''chos lugs'') of Tibetan (or Himalayan) Buddhism. The Kagyu lineag ...
schools of
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, Lamaistic Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion. It is also in majo ...
.
In the evolution of Indian Buddhism, Buddha Vajradhara gradually displaced
Samantabhadra Samantabhadra (Lit. "All Good", or "Always Auspicious") may refer to:
* Samantabhadra (Bodhisattva), a bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism associated with practice and meditation
* ''Samantabhadra'' (Tibetan: ''Kuntu Zangpo''), the name of a Buddha, ...
, who is the 'Primordial Buddha' in the
Nyingma
Nyingma (literally 'old school') is the oldest of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. It is also often referred to as ''Ngangyur'' (, ), "order of the ancient translations". The Nyingma school is founded on the first lineages and transl ...
, or 'Ancient School.' However, the two are
metaphysically
Metaphysics is the branch of philosophy that studies the fundamental nature of reality, the first principles of being, identity and change, space and time, causality, necessity, and possibility. It includes questions about the nature of consci ...
equivalent. Achieving the 'state of Vajradhara' is synonymous with complete realisation.
According to the Kagyu lineage, Buddhā Vajradhara is the primordial Buddha, the
Dharmakaya Buddha. He is depicted as dark blue in color, expressing the quintessence 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 ...
itself and representing the essence of the historical Buddha's realization of enlightenment.
As such, Buddha Vajradhara is thought to be the supreme
essence
Essence ( la, essentia) is a polysemic term, used in philosophy and theology as a designation for the property or set of properties that make an entity or substance what it fundamentally is, and which it has by necessity, and without which it ...
of all (male) Buddhas (his name means "Ruler of the Vajra Beings"); It is the
Tantric form of
Sakyamuni
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lu ...
which is called Vajradhara.
Tantras
Tantras ("''doctrine''" or "''framework''" or "''system''" ) refers to numerous and varied scriptures pertaining to any of several esoteric traditions rooted in Hindu and Buddhist philosophy. The religious culture of the Tantras is essentially ...
are texts specific to Tantrism and are believed to have been originally taught by the Tantric form of Sakyamuni called Buddha Vajradhara. He is an expression of Buddhahood itself in both single and yabyum form. Buddha Vajradhara is considered to be the prime Buddha of the
Father tantras (tib. pha-rgyud) such as
Guhyasamaja,
Yamantaka
Yamāntaka ( sa, यमान्तक Yamāntaka) or Vajrabhairava (; ; ko, 대위덕명왕 ''Daewideok-myeongwang''; ja, 大威徳明王 ''Daiitoku-myōō''; mn, Эрлэгийн Жаргагчи ''Erlig-jin Jarghagchi'') is the "destroyer of ...
, and so on
From the primordial Buddha Vajradhara/Samantabhadra Buddha /Dorje Chang were manifested the
Five Wisdom Buddhas
5 is a number, numeral, and glyph.
5, five or number 5 may also refer to:
* AD 5, the fifth year of the AD era
* 5 BC, the fifth year before the AD era
Literature
* ''5'' (visual novel), a 2008 visual novel by Ram
* ''5'' (comics), an awa ...
(Dhyani Buddhas):
*
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 Di ...
*
Amoghasiddhi
*
Amitabha
*
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 ...
Buddha Vajradhara and the Wisdom Buddhas are often subjects of
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 ...
.
Buddha Vajradhara and Samantabhadra Buddha are cognate deities in Tibetan Buddhist
cosmology
Cosmology () is a branch of physics and metaphysics dealing with the nature of the universe. The term ''cosmology'' was first used in English in 1656 in Thomas Blount (lexicographer), Thomas Blount's ''Glossographia'', and in 1731 taken up in ...
with different names, attributes, appearances and iconography. Both are
Dharmakaya Buddhas, that is primordial Buddhas: Samantabhadra is unadorned, that is depicted without any attributes; conversely, Buddha Vajradhara is often adorned and bears attributes, which is generally the iconographic representation of a
Sambhogakaya Buddha. Both Buddha Vajradhara and Samantabhadra are generally depicted in
yab-yum unity with their respective consorts and are primordial Buddhas, embodying
void and ultimate emptiness.
Dharmakaya as part of the Trikaya
![Thangka of Vajradhara](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1c/Thangka_of_Vajradhara.jpg)
The Trikaya doctrine (
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 ...
, literally "Three bodies or personalities"; 三身
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 ...
: ''Sānshēn'',
Japanese
Japanese may refer to:
* Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia
* Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan
* Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture
** Japanese diaspor ...
: ''sanjin'') is an important Buddhist teaching both on the nature of reality, and what a Buddha is. By the 4th century
CE, the Trikaya Doctrine had assumed the form that we now know.
Briefly, the doctrine says that a Buddha has three ''kayas'' or ''bodies'': the ''
nirmanakaya'' or ''created body'' which manifests in time and space; the ''
sambhogakaya'' or ''body of mutual enjoyment'' which is an archetypal manifestation; and the ''
Dharmakaya'' or ''reality body'' which embodies the very principle of enlightenment and knows no limits or boundaries.
[Welwood, John (2000). ''The Play of the Mind: Form, Emptiness, and Beyond''. Source: http://www.purifymind.com/PlayMind.htm (accessed: Saturday January 13, 2007)]
In the view of
Anuyoga
Anuyoga (Skt. अनुयोग 'further yoga') is the designation of the second of the three Inner Tantras according to the Yana (Buddhism)#The nine yanas, ninefold division of practice used by the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. As with the ...
, the '
Mindstream
Mindstream (''citta-santāna'') in Buddhist philosophy is the moment-to-moment continuum (Sanskrit: ''saṃtāna'') of sense impressions and mental phenomena, which is also described as continuing from one life to another.
Definition
' (Sanskri ...
' (Sanskrit: ''citta santana'') is the 'continuity' (Sanskrit: ''santana''; Wylie: ''rgyud'') that links the Trikaya.
The Trikaya, as a triune, is symbolised by the
Gankyil
The Gankyil (, Lhasa ) or "wheel of joy" ( sa, ānanda-cakra) is a symbol and ritual tool used in Tibetan and East Asian Buddhism. It is composed of three (sometimes two or four) swirling and interconnected blades. The traditional spinning direc ...
.
Literature
'
Shining Relics of Enlightened Body
Shining Relics of Enlightened Body () is numbered amongst the 'Seventeen Tantras of Menngagde' () within Dzogchen discourse and is part of the textual support for the Vima Nyingtik.
Translation
Though no other predating version from the Tibet ...
' () is numbered amongst the '
Seventeen Tantras
The ''Seventeen Tantras of the Esoteric Instruction Series'' () or the ''Seventeen tantras of the Ancients'' (''rnying-ma'i rgyud bcu-bdun'') are an important collection of tantras in the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. They comprise the cor ...
of
Menngagde
In Tibetan Buddhism and Bon, Menngagde (, sa, upadeśavarga), is the name of one of three scriptural and lineage divisions within Dzogchen (''Great Perfection'' ).
Dzogchen is itself the pinnacle of the ninefold division of practice according ...
' () within
Dzogchen
Dzogchen (, "Great Perfection" or "Great Completion"), also known as ''atiyoga'' ( utmost yoga), is a tradition of teachings in Indo-Tibetan Buddhism and Yungdrung Bon aimed at discovering and continuing in the ultimate ground of existence. ...
discourse and is part of the textual support for the
Vima Nyingtik
Vima Nyingthig (), "Seminal Heart of Vimalamitra", in Tibetan Buddhism is one of the two "seminal heart" () collections of the menngagde cycle Dzogchen, the other one being "Seminal Heart of the Dakini" (''mkha' 'gro snying thig''). Traditionally ...
. In the Dzogchen tantric text rendered in English as "Shining Relics" (), an enlightened personality entitled Buddha Vajradhara and a Dakini whose name may be rendered into English as "Clear mind" engage in discourse and dialogue which is a common convention in such esoteric Buddhist literature and tantric literature in general.
[Martin, Dan (1994). 'Pearls from Bones: Relics, Chortens, Tertons and the Signs of Saintly Death in Tibet'. ''Numen'', Vol. 41, No. 3. (Sep., 1994), p.274.]
See also
*
Mahavairocana
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 Eas ...
*
Namarupa
Nāmarūpa ( sa, नामरूप) is used in Buddhism to refer to the constituents of a living being: ''nāma'' is typically considered to refer to the mental component of the person, while ''rūpa'' refers to the physical.
''Nāmarūpa'' is ...
*
Svabhava
Svabhava ( sa, स्वभाव, svabhāva; pi, सभाव, sabhāva; ; ) literally means "own-being" or "own-becoming". It is the intrinsic nature, essential nature or essence of beings.
The concept and term ''svabhāva'' are frequently enco ...
*
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 ''Dharma ...
*
Vajrayogini
Vajrayoginī ( sa, italic=yes, Vajrayoginī वज्रयोगिनी; , Dorjé Neljorma; mn, Огторгуйд Одогч, Нархажид, ) is a Tantric Buddhist female Buddha and a . The ''Vajrayogini'' cult dates back to the tenth a ...
*
Vajra
The Vajra () is a legendary and ritual weapon, symbolising the properties of a diamond (indestructibility) and a thunderbolt (irresistible force).
The vajra is a type of club with a ribbed spherical head. The ribs may meet in a ball-shape ...
Notes
Link
The Essential Songs of Milarepa / VI. Songs About Vajra Love 46. Answer to Dakini Tzerimardo rje chos (vajradharma) ( b. )The Tibetan Buddhist Resource Center
Nonsectarian movement
Sutra
{{Indian Philosophy
Buddhas
Gelug
Sakya
Kagyu