User:Immanuelle/Vairocana

This page is about the primordial buddha Vairocana. For the Tibetan translator, see Vairotsana.

Vairocana
The Spring Temple Buddha, a colossal statue of Vairocana, in Lushan County, Henan, China. It has a total height of 153 meters (502 ft), including the 25 meter (82 ft) lotus throne which the statue stands on.
Sanskrit	वैरोचन Vairocana
Burmese	ဗုဒ္ဓဘုရားရှင်
Chinese	大日如来 (Pinyin: Dàrì Rúlái) 毘盧遮那佛 (Pinyin: Pílúzhēnà Fó)
Japanese	大日如来（だいにちにょらい） (romaji: Dainichi Nyorai) 毘盧遮那仏（びるしゃなぶつ） (romaji: Birushana Butsu)
Korean	대일여래 大日如來(Revised Romanization of Korean: Daeil Yeorae) 비로자나불 毘盧遮那佛(Revised Romanization of Korean: Birojana Bul)
Mongolian script	ᠮᠠᠰᠢᠳᠠ ᠭᠡᠢᠢᠭᠦᠯᠦᠨ ᠵᠣᠬᠢᠶᠠᠭᠴᠢ Машид гийгүүлэн зохиогч Masida geyigülün zohiyaghci ᠪᠢᠷᠦᠵᠠᠨ᠎ ᠠ᠂ ᠮᠠᠰᠢᠳᠠ ᠭᠡᠢᠢᠭᠦᠯᠦᠨ ᠵᠣᠬᠢᠶᠠᠭᠴᠢ᠂ ᠭᠡᠭᠡᠭᠡᠨ ᠭᠡᠷᠡᠯᠲᠦ Бярузана, Машид Гийгүүлэн Зохиогч, Гэгээн Гэрэлт Biruzana, Masida Geyigülün Zohiyaghci, Gegegen Gereltü
Thai	พระไวโรจนพุทธะ (Royal Thai General System of Transcription: Phra wị ro ca na phuth ṭha)
Tibetan	རྣམ་པར་སྣང་མཛད་ Wylie: rnam par snang mdzad THL: Nampar Nangdze
Vietnamese	Đại Nhật Như Lai 大日如来 Tỳ Lư Xá Na 毘盧遮那 Tỳ Lô Giá Na Phật 毗盧遮那佛
Information
Venerated by	Mahayana, Vajrayana
Attributes	Śūnyatā

Vairocana (also Mahāvairocana) is a cosmic buddha in Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism. Books like the Avatamsaka Sutra say he incarnated as the historical Gautama Buddha. In many Asian traditions, he is believed to be emptiness itself. In the concept of the Five Tathagatas in Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism, Vairocana is in the center and is seen as a Primordial Buddha.

Vairocana is not to be confused with Vairocana Mahabali, son of Virochana. Vairocana Mahabali attained sahaja nirvikalpa samadhi in Yoga Vasishta.

Rocana Buddha is the "enjoyment body" or "Sambhogakaya body" of the Trikaya of Buddha, while Vairocana Buddha is the "Dharmakaya body." Shakyamuni Buddha is the "Nirmanakaya body" or physical body.

Statues

The statues of Vairocana remind us that all things in the world are empty and have no permanent identity, while the Dharmakāya is beyond any concepts.

The Spring Temple Buddha in Lushan County, Henan, China, is 126 meters tall and is the second tallest statue in the world (see list of tallest statues).

The Daibutsu in the Tōdai-ji in Nara, Nara, Japan, is the largest bronze image of Vairocana in the world.

One of the Buddhas of Bamiyan in Afghanistan, which were destroyed, was also a statue of Vairocana.

In Java, Indonesia, the ninth-century Mendut temple near Borobudur in Magelang was built for the Dhyani Buddha Vairocana. Built by the Shailendra dynasty, the temple has a three-meter tall stone statue of Vairocana, seated and making the dharmachakra mudrā. The statue is next to statues of the bodhisattvas Avalokiteśvara and Vajrapani.

Gallery

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  Tang dynasty statue of Vairocana (Dàrì Rúlái) at Longmen Grottoes, Luoyang, Henan, China. The statue was completed in 676 and is 17.14 m tall with 2 m long ears.
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  Southern Song Dynasty (1127–1279 CE) cliff carving of Vairocana (center), with Manjushri (left), and Samantabhadra (right) among the Dazu Rock Carvings at Mount Baoding, Dazu District, Chongqing, China.
• 
  Ming dynasty statues of Vairocana (center), with Amitabha on the left and Bhaisajyaguru on the right. The petals on Vairocana's throne symbolize his radiance in all directions.
• 
  Ming dynasty (1368–1644) statue of Vairocana in Huayan Temple in Datong, Shanxi, China, one of the Five Tathāgatas.
• 
  Jin dynasty (1115–1234) (1115–1234) statue of Vairocana in Shanhua Temple in Datong, Shanxi, China, one of the Five Tathāgatas.
• 
  Tang dynasty bronze statue of Vairocana from the 8th century.
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  Copper alloy statue of Vairocana made in China during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Displayed at the Cantor Center for Visual Arts.
• 
  Ming dynasty bronze statue of Vairocana. Displayed at the Buddhism Sculpture Gallery in Aurora Museum, Pudong, Shanghai.
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  Statue of Vairocana made in China during the Qing dynasty. 19th century. Made of jade, gilt bronze, enamel, pearls, and kingfisher feathers. Displayed at the Royal Ontario Museum.
• 
  Vairocana statue in Sam Poh Wan Futt Chi, a Chinese Buddhist temple in Cameron Highlands, Pahang, Malaysia.
• 
  Shrine to Vairocana in Zhusheng Temple, Hunan, China.
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  Vairocana at Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum, Chinatown, Singapore, Singapore.
• 
  Seated iron statue of Vairocana in Borimsa Temple, on Gaji Mountain in Jangheung County, South Jeolla Province, South Korea.
• 
  A gilt-bronze statue of Vairocana Buddha, one of the National Treasures of South Korea, at Bulguksa.
• 
  The Great Buddha of Tōdai-ji at a Kegon Buddhist temple in Nara, Nara, Japan.
• 
  Vairocana with Avalokiteśvara and Vajrapani. 9th century, Indonesia.
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  Multi-headed Sarvavid Vairochana, Central Tibet, around late 13th – early 14th century.
• 
  Vairocana statue in Northern Vietnam, 19th century AD, Nguyễn dynasty.

See also

• Mantra of Light
• Ghanavyūha Sūtra
• Dakini
• Amaterasu

Bibliography

• Birmingham, Vessantara (2003). Meeting The Buddhas, Windhorse Publications, ISBN 0-904766-53-5.
• Cook, Francis H. (1977). Hua-Yen Buddhism: The Jewel Net of Indra, Pennsylvania State University Press.
• Cook, Francis H. (1972). 'The meaning of Vairocana in Hua-Yen Buddhism, Philosophy East and West 22 (4), 403-415
• Park, Kwangsoo (2003). A Comparative Study of the Concept of Dharmakaya Buddha: Vairocana in Hua-yen and Mahavairocana in Shingon Buddhism, International Journal of Buddhist Thought and Culture 2, 305-331
• Reeves, Gene (2008). The Lotus Sutra: A Contemporary Translation of a Buddhist Classic. Somerville, Massachusetts: Wisdom Publications. ISBN 978-0-86171-571-8.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location (link)

External links

• Sacred Visions: Early Paintings from Central Tibet, an exhibition catalog from The Metropolitan Museum of Art (fully available online as PDF), which contains material on Vairocana (see index)

This page will be placed in the following categories if it is moved to the article namespace.

Categories:

• Buddhas
• Interlanguage link template existing link
• Vairocana
• Shingon Buddhism
• Vajrayana
• Buddhism in China