Mahayana Mahāyāna ( ; , , ; ) is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, Buddhist texts#Mahāyāna texts, texts, Buddhist philosophy, philosophies, and practices developed in ancient India ( onwards). It is considered one of the three main ex ...

and

Vajrayana Buddhism ''Vajrayāna'' (; 'vajra vehicle'), also known as Mantrayāna ('mantra vehicle'), Guhyamantrayāna ('secret mantra vehicle'), Tantrayāna ('tantra vehicle'), Tantric Buddhism, and Esoteric Buddhism, is a Mahāyāna Buddhist tradition that emp ...

, the Five Tathāgatas (Skt: पञ्चतथागत, ''pañcatathāgata''; (Ch: 五方佛, ''Wǔfāngfó'') or Five Wisdom Tathāgatas (Ch: 五智如来, ''Wǔzhì Rúlái''), are the five cardinal male and female

Buddhas In Buddhism, Buddha (, which in classic Indic languages means "awakened one") is a title for those who are spiritually awake or enlightened, and have thus attained the supreme goal of Buddhism, variously described as awakening or enlighten ...

that are inseparable co-equals,Buddha Weekly, ''Five Female Buddhas or Mothers: Their Roles as Prajnas or Enlightened Wisdom — Inseparable Co-Equals Rather Than Consorts'', https://buddhaweekly.com/five-female-buddhas-or-mothers-their-roles-as-prajnas-or-enlightened-wisdom-inseparable-co-equals-rather-than-consorts/, ''"What is often misunderstood is the concept that even if you practice a single Buddha, for example, Amitabha, he is never separate from his Female Co-Equal Buddha Pandara. Or, if you practice Green Tara as a sole practice, she is never separate from her co-Equal Male Budddha Amoghasiddhi."'' although the male cardinal Buddhas are more often represented. Collectively, the male and female Buddhas are known as the Five Buddha Families (''pañcabuddhakula''). The five are also called the Five Great Buddhas, and the Five Jinas (Skt. for "conqueror" or "victor"). The Five Buddha Families are a common subject of Vajrayana and

Tibetan Buddhist Tibetan Buddhism is a form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet, Bhutan and Mongolia. It also has a sizable number of adherents in the areas surrounding the Himalayas, including the Indian regions of Ladakh, Darjeeling, Sikkim, and Arunachal Prades ...

mandala A mandala (, ) 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 establishing a sacred space and as an aid ...

s and they feature prominently in various

Buddhist Tantras Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or 5th century BCE. It is the world's fourth- ...

as the intrinsically inseparable father and mother Buddhas. Various sources provide different names for these male and female Buddhas, though the most common names today are: In the east,

Vairocana Vairocana (from Sanskrit: Vi+rocana, "from the sun" or "belonging to the sun", "Solar", or "Shining"), also known as Mahāvairocana (Great Vairocana), is a major Buddha from Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. Vairocana is often interpreted, in text ...

and Buddha Locana; in the south

Ratnasambhava Ratnasambhava (, lit. "Jewel-Born") is one of the Five Dhyani Buddhas (or "Five Meditation Buddhas") of Mahayana and Vajrayana or Tantric Buddhism. Ratnasambhava's mandalas and mantras focus on developing equanimity and equality and, in Vajrayana ...

and Buddha Mamaki; in the west,

Amitābha Amitābha (, "Measureless" or "Limitless" Light), also known as Amituofo in Chinese language, Chinese, Amida in Japanese language, Japanese and Öpakmé in Tibetan script, Tibetan, is one of the main Buddhahood, Buddhas of Mahayana, Mahayana Buddh ...

and Panadaravasini; in the north

Amoghasiddhi Amoghasiddhi (Devanagari: अमोघसिद्धि) is one of the Five Wisdom Buddhas of the Mahayana and Vajrayana tradition of Buddhism. He is associated with the accomplishment of the Buddhist path and of the destruction of the poison o ...

and Samayatara; and in the center

Akshobhya Akshobhya (, ''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 Diamond Realm and is the lor ...

and Dhatvisvari.Terton

Jigme Lingpa Jigme Lingpa (1730–1798) was a Tibetan ''tertön'' of the Nyingma lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. He was the promulgator of the Longchen Nyingthig, the Heart Essence teachings of Longchenpa, from whom, according to tradition, he received a v ...

, "Yumka Dechen Gyalmo" (འུྃཿ ཀློང་ཆེན་སྙིང་གི་ཐིག་ལེ་ལསཿ), from the Longchen Nyingtig, 18th c. They are sometimes seen as emanations and representations of the five qualities of the

Adi-Buddha The Ādi-Buddha (, Ch: 本佛, Jp: honbutsu, First Buddha, Original Buddha, or Primordial Buddha) is a Mahayana Buddhist concept referring to the most fundamental, supreme, or ancient Buddha in the cosmos. Another common term for this figure is ...

or "first Buddha", which is associated with the

Dharmakāya The ''dharmakāya'' (, "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, "inconceivable" (''acintya'') a ...

. Some sources also include this "first Buddha" as a sixth Buddha along with the five. The Five Tathāgatas are also venerated in East Asian Buddhist traditions. In Japanese Buddhism, the Five Tathagathas are the primary objects of realization and meditation in

Shingon Buddhism is one of the major schools of Buddhism in Japan and one of the few surviving Vajrayana lineages in East Asian Buddhism. It is a form of Japanese Esoteric Buddhism and is sometimes called "Tōmitsu" (東密 lit. "Esoteric uddhismof Tō-j ...

, a school of Vajrayana Buddhism founded by

Kūkai , born posthumously called , was a Japanese Buddhist monk, calligrapher, and poet who founded the Vajrayana, esoteric Shingon Buddhism, Shingon school of Buddhism. He travelled to China, where he studied Tangmi (Chinese Vajrayana Buddhism) und ...

. In

Chinese Buddhism Chinese Buddhism or Han Buddhism ( zh, s=汉传佛教, t=漢傳佛教, first=t, poj=Hàn-thoân Hu̍t-kàu, j=Hon3 Cyun4 Fat6 Gaau3, p=Hànchuán Fójiào) is a Chinese form of Mahayana Buddhism. The Chinese Buddhist canonJiang Wu, "The Chin ...

, veneration of the five Buddhas has dispersed from

Chinese Esoteric Buddhism Chinese Esoteric Buddhism refers to traditions of Tantra and Vajrayana, Esoteric Buddhism that have flourished among the Chinese people. The Tantric masters Śubhakarasiṃha, Vajrabodhi and Amoghavajra, established the Esoteric Buddhist ''Zhenyan'' ...

into other Chinese Buddhist traditions like

Chan Buddhism Chan (; of ), from Sanskrit '' dhyāna'' (meaning " meditation" or "meditative state"), is a Chinese school of Mahāyāna Buddhism. It developed in China from the 6th century CE onwards, becoming especially popular during the Tang and Song ...

and

Tiantai Tiantai or T'ien-t'ai () is an East Asian Buddhist school of Mahāyāna Buddhism that developed in 6th-century China. Drawing from earlier Mahāyāna sources such as Madhyamaka, founded by Nāgārjuna, who is traditionally regarded as the f ...

. They are enshrined in many Chinese Buddhist temples, and regularly invoked in rituals such as the Shuilu Fahui and the Yujia Yankou ritual, as well as in general prayers and chants. They are also sometimes called the "Dhyāna in Buddhism, Dhyani-buddhas", which is a term first recorded in English by Brian Houghton Hodgson, a British resident in Nepal, in the early 19th century, and is unattested in any surviving traditional primary sources.

History

file:Main stupa at Udayagiri Buddhist Complex 16.jpg, Main stupa at Udayagiri Buddhist Complex with four Buddhas enshrined at four niches facing the four cardinal direcitons file:Manjuvajramandala_con_43_divinità_-_Unknown_-_Google_Cultural_Institute.jpg, Guhyasamaja mandala with Manjushri, Mañjuvajra at the center The Five Wisdom Buddha families are a development of the mature Buddhist Tantras. The now standard five Buddhas first appear in the ''Tattvasaṃgraha Tantra, Sarvatathāgatatattvasaṃgraha sutra'' (''Compendium of Principles'', c. late 7th century) and ''Vajrasekhara Sutra''.Williams, Wynne, Tribe (2000). ''Buddhist Thought: A Complete Introduction to the Indian Tradition,'' p 210. Routledge. However, the tradition of various Buddhas corresponding to the main cardinal directions is not new to the Buddhist tantric literature, Buddhist tantras. The idea appears in Mahayana sutras like the Golden Light Sutra, ''Sutra of Golden Light'' (c. 5th century) and the ''Amitābha Sūtra, Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra''. The ''Golden Light'' for example, has a mandala with The Buddha, Shakyamuni in the center, surrounded by Ratnaketu (south), Amitābha, Amitayus (west), Dundubhisvara (north) and Aksobhya (east) Buddhas. This set already includes three of the main five Buddha family Buddhas found in the tantras. Furthermore, examples of four Buddhas arranged in the four cardinal directions are found in Indian Buddhist stupas like Sanchi Stupa No. 2, Sanchi stupa, Udayagiri, Odisha, Udayagiri stupa, Jajpur stupa (Pushpagiri Vihara, Pushpagiri) and Dekhinath stupa (Gyaraspur). The Udayagiri stupa for example, houses Vairocana, Amitabha, Aksobhya and Ratnasambhava in the four cardinal directions of the stupa. According to Kimiaki Tanaka, this basic four cardinal directions Buddha model, combined with Vairocana Buddha from the ''Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra, Avatamsaka sutra'', developed into the later tantric five Buddha families (which changed the other two Buddhas' names to

and

). Before the set of the ''Compendium of Principles'' became the most popular, there were numerous slightly different schemas with different Buddha names. The ''Vairocanābhisaṃbodhi Sūtra'' for example contains a slightly different set of Buddhas, with Samkusumitarajendra, and Ratnaketu in place of

and

. Similarly, the ''Amoghapāśakalparāja'' (''Sovereign Ritual of Amoghapāśa'') has a similar schema as the ''Compendium,'' except that Shakyamuni is at the center, not Vairocana, and furthermore Amoghasiddhi is replaced by Lokendraraja Buddha. Later Buddhist tantras adopted the basic five Buddha family schema. The ''Māyājālatantra'' for example, adopts it wholesale. Other tantras would often modify the basic schema to suit their needs. For example, the Guhyasamāja Tantra, Guhyasamaja literature places Aksobhya Buddha (or, depending on the tradition, Mañjuvajra, the tantric Manjushri, Mañjusri Buddha) at the center of the mandala instead of Vairocana. The Classes of Tantra in Tibetan Buddhism#Unsurpassable Yoga, Mother Tantras (i.e. Yoginitantras), like the ''Cakrasaṃvara Tantra,'' adopt the basic idea of the five family mandalas, but are more different than the Father tantras in their structure and make use of different deities, including many more female dakini, ḍākinī deities. The ''Cakrasaṃvara Tantra, Cakrasaṃvara'' for example, contains six main Buddhas with their own corresponding mandalas: Heruka, Vairocana, Vajrasūrya, Padmanarteśvara, Paramāśva, and Vajrasattva. The ''Hevajratantra'''s mandala is even more ḍākinī centric, with a mandala focused on Hevajra surrounded by eight ḍākinīs, with no obvious connection to the standard five Buddha family schema. However, some later tantric commentators to the Hevajra tantra (like Abhayakaragupta) do indeed map these Hevajra deities to the five families. This shows that the five family schema remained an important one even in the later period of Buddhist tantra as the Yoginitantras were moving away from the standard schemas of the Classes of Tantra in Tibetan Buddhism, Yoga tantras.

Elements of the Five Families

file:Mandala of Vajradhatu.JPG, Tibetan Diamond Realm of the Vajradhatu mandala, 19th century file:Kongosanmaiin tahoto interior.jpg, Statue mandala of the five Buddhas, Kongō Sanmai-in, Mount Kōya, Koyasan, Wakayama Prefecture, Wakayama, Japan file:Amtabha mandala Shey palace.jpg, A Tibetan Mandala with Amitabha Buddha in the center, and the four cardinal male and female Buddhas. In the tantric Buddhist literature, each of the five Buddhas have extensive qualities and features, including different directions, colors, ''Mudra, mudrā'', symbol, aspects, Kleshas (Buddhism), klesha, element; consort and spiritual son, as well as different animal vehicles (elephant, lion, peacock, harpies or garuda, or dragon).Sakya, p. 35, 76. The cardinal positions of Akshobhya and Vairocana can alter depending on specific teachings. In a classic schema, Vairocana may be seen as embodying sovereignty as the lord of the mandala and thus is at the central place of the mandala. Akshobhya then may face east as the second Buddha, and embodies steadfastness. He may be 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 embodies measureless light and faces west. A statue of Amitābha, when seated, has a ''samadhi'' ''mudrā'' with both palms face up, on top of each other, in his lap. When these Five Buddhas are represented in mandalas of distinct Buddhist traditions, they may not always have the same colour or be related to the same direction. As mentioned, Akshobhya and Vairocana may be switched, as in the Guhyasamaja system which has Aksobhya in the center, and as in the Longchen Nyingtig tradition where Akshobhya is also in the center.John C. Huntington, Dina Bangdel. ''The Circle of Bliss: Buddhist Meditational Art,'' p. 226, 444. Serindia Publications, Inc., 2003 In other cases, different Buddhas may take the center place as well depending on the teaching cycle or tantra which is being depicted. When represented in a Vairocana mandala of the Vajradhatu, the Buddhas are arranged as follows:

Main aspects of the Five Families

There is an expansive number of associations with each element of the Five Buddhas mandala, so that the mandala becomes a cipher and mnemonic visual thinking instrument and concept map; a vehicle for understanding and decoding the whole of the Dharma. In numerous Vajrayana sources, each Buddha Family or Division has numerous symbols, secondary figures including bodhisattvas, protectors, etc., abilities, and aspects.Nicolas Revire, Rajat Sanyal, Rolf Giebel. Avalokiteśvara of the "Three and a Half Syllables": A Note on the Heart-Mantra Ārolik in India. ''Arts Asiatiques'', 2021, Arts Asiatiques, 76, pp.5-30. ⟨10.3406/arasi.2021.2095⟩. ⟨halshs-04142356⟩ Some of the main esoteric associations of each family include:

Five female Buddhas and the families

file:Butsugenbutsumo.jpg, A Japanese painting of the female Buddha or vidyarajni (wisdom queen) Buddhalocanā (Buddha's Eye, Jp. 仏眼仏母 Butsugen butsumo, Buddha mother), the consort of Vairocana, Mahavairocana Buddha in Japanese esotericism. Each male Buddha is paired with a female Buddha, often called mothers, prajña, vidya, or consort. Together, each family also presides over their own pure land or buddhafield. Although all five families abide in pure lands, it appears that only Sukhavati of

, and to a much lesser extent Abhirati of

, where great masters like Vimalakirti and Milarepa are said to dwell, were popularly venerated. Some temples include all five Buddhas in their mandalas and statuary. The Five Tathāgathas are protected by five Wisdom Kings called Wisdom King, Vidyārājas, and in China and Japan they are frequently depicted together in the Mandala of the Two Realms. In the Shurangama Mantra revealed in the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, an especially influential dharani in the Chan Buddhism, Chinese Chan tradition, the Five Tathāgathas are mentioned as the hosts of the five divisions which control the vast armies of the five directions. In one common Five Families schema of Indian Yoga Tantra, the five prajña consorts or five mothers (Tib. ཡུམ་ལྔ་, Wyl. ''yum lnga''), the associated bodhisattvas and their pure lands that correspond to the Five Tathagatas are:Williams et al. ''Buddhist Thought: A Complete Introduction to the Indian Tradition'', p. 211. Routledge, Jan 4, 2002Kimiaki Tanaka. ''An Illustrated History of the Mandala From Its Genesis to the Kalacakratantra,'' Simon and Schuster (2018) Other tantras and commentaries provide alternative families and listings of the male and female Buddha pairings. In some systems, like the Guhyasamāja Tantra, ''Guhyasamāja Tantra'', Akṣobhya appears at the center of the mandala, with Sparśavajrī as consort. In Japanese Esoteric Buddhism meanwhile, Buddhalocanā (Buddha's Eye, Jp. Butsugen butsumo) is the consort of Mahavairocana and is considered the mother of Buddhas. She is also associated with Prajñāpāramitā Devī, Prajñaparamita. Sometimes Tara may appear as associated with the Lotus family, since one tradition states that she was born of Avalokitesvara. Each female Buddha also has their own mantra, for example Pāṇḍaravāsinī's mantra in the Mañjuśrī-mūla-kalpa, Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa (ch 37) is:

Oṁ kaṭe vikaṭe nikaṭe kaṭaṅkaṭe kaṭavikaṭakaṭaṅkaṭe svāhā

Buddhalocanā's mantra in the Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa (found in chapter 37) is:

oṁ ru ru sphuru jvala tiṣṭha siddhalocane sarvārthasādhani svāhā

According to the Guhyasamāja Tantra, ''Guhyasamājatantra'', each Buddha family is also assigned a specific mantra: * Vairocana - Buddha family mantra: jinajik * Akṣobhya - Vajra family mantra: vajradhr̥k * Ratnasambhava - Ratna family mantra: ratnadhr̥k * Amitābha - Lotus family mantra: ārolik * Amoghasiddhi - Karma family mantra: prajñādhr̥k

The "Sixth" Buddha, the dharma-body

The Five Buddhas may also be seen as aspects of the

or "dharma-body", which reflect all apparent phenomena. The ''Vajrasekhara Sutra'' also mentions a sixth Buddha, Vajradhara, "a Buddha (or principle) seen as the source, in some sense, of the five Buddhas." This idea later developed into a tantric idea of the

, which generally came to be seen as the ground of all the Five Buddhas, as the

itself, the ultimate reality which spontaneously manifests the Five Buddha families. Different Buddhist traditions understand and name their highest Buddha in various ways. In the Nyingma school, the highest Buddhas are known as Samantabhadra and Samantabhadri. In

, it is Mahavairocana. In Japanese Pure Land Buddhism, they understand all Buddhas as manifestations of

Gallery

File:Ancient painting of Pancha Maha Thathagatas (Date 1100-1200) in Nepal..png, Ancient painting of Pancha Maha Thathagatas,

(green),

(blue), Amitābha, Amitabha (red),

(white),

(yellow) (date 1100–1200) in Nepal. File:善化寺大雄宝殿殿内金代南方宝生佛和左右侧弟子胁侍菩萨造像.jpg, Jin dynasty (1115–1234), Jin Dynasty (1115–1234) statue of

in Shanhua Temple in Datong, Shanxi, China File:善化寺大雄宝殿殿内金代北方不空成就佛和右侧胁侍菩萨造像.jpg, Jin dynasty (1115–1234), Jin Dynasty (1115–1234) statue of Amitābha, Amitabha in Shanhua Temple in Datong, Shanxi, China File:Murals and Buddha statues in Shanhua Temple 善化寺的壁画和佛像, Shanxi, 2024 (53956274907).jpg, Jin dynasty (1115–1234), Jin Dynasty (1115–1234) statue of

in Shanhua Temple in Datong, Shanxi, China File:Murals and Buddha statues in Shanhua Temple 善化寺的壁画和佛像, Shanxi, 2024 (53957487784).jpg, Jin dynasty (1115–1234), Jin Dynasty (1115–1234) statue of

in Shanhua Temple in Datong, Shanxi, China File:Murals and Buddha statues in Shanhua Temple 善化寺的壁画和佛像, Shanxi, 2024 (53956272057).jpg, Jin dynasty (1115–1234), Jin Dynasty (1115–1234) statue of

in Shanhua Temple in Datong, Shanxi, China File:华严寺大雄宝殿殿内明代东方阿閦佛造像组.jpg, Ming dynasty (1368-1644) statue of

in Huayan Temple (Datong), Huayan Temple in Datong, Shanxi, China File:华严寺大雄宝殿殿内明代南方宝生佛造像组.jpg, Ming dynasty (1368-1644) statue of Amitābha, Amitabha in Huayan Temple (Datong), Huayan Temple in Datong, Shanxi, China File:华严寺大雄宝殿殿内明代毗卢遮那佛造像侧面.jpg, Ming dynasty (1368-1644) statue of

in Huayan Temple (Datong), Huayan Temple in Datong, Shanxi, China File:华严寺大雄宝殿殿内明代西方阿弥陀佛造像组.jpg, Ming dynasty (1368-1644) statue of

in Huayan Temple (Datong), Huayan Temple in Datong, Shanxi, China File:华严寺大雄宝殿殿内明代北方不空成就佛造像组.jpg, Ming dynasty (1368-1644) statue of

in Huayan Temple (Datong), Huayan Temple in Datong, Shanxi, China File:Pancha Maha Thathagata ancient painting (date 1400-1500), Himalayan art item no. 89045.png, Five Thathagatas painting (Date 1400-1500), Ratnasambhava, Akshobhya, Vairocana, Amitabha, Amoghasiddhi / Himalayan art resources foundation in Nepal File:Licheng, Quanzhou, Fujian, China - panoramio (4).jpg, Monks and a lay follower in front of statues of the Five Tathagathas at the Mahavira Hall of Kaiyuan Temple (Quanzhou), Kaiyuan Temple in Quanzhou, Fujian, China File:Shishoin temple shibamata Five Tathagatas 2020.jpg, Five Tathagatas in Shishoin Temple, Shinshoin Temple (Shibamata Station, Shibamata, Katsushika, Tokyo) . 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, Joseon Dynasty (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 Yujia Yankou rite (瑜伽焰口法會) to invoke the Five Tathagathas in the ritual space.
Praise to the Five Buddhas
(Chinese language, Chinese: 禮讚五方佛; Pinyin: ''Lǐzàn Wǔfāngfó''), part of the liturgy chanted in certain Chinese monasteries.
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 {{DEFAULTSORT:Five Tathagatas Buddhas, Dhyani Buddhas, Five Yidams Buddhism in China, Chinese gods Japanese Vajrayana Buddhism