The Five Meditating Buddhas - An Enquiry into Spiritual Aesthetics

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The Five Meditating Buddhas - An Enquiry into Spiritual Aesthetics

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Long, long ago, before the idea called history evolved, there

existed a sexless entity called the Adi-Buddha or Primordial

Buddha. From 'Him' emerged the duality which was to be the

potential progenitor of all creation. This dual element is

visualized in Buddhist aesthetics either as the deity Vajrasattva

or Vajradhara.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/zl30.jpg

 

The significant characteristic common to them is the bell

(female) and thunderbolt (male), which they hold in their hands.

These deities are believed to be two expressions of the same

principle, and the wellspring of all creation.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/zo28.jpg

 

The above hierarchy is essentially spiritual. It represents an

idealized abstract state, graspable only to those on an elevated

mental plane. Ordinary mortals like us, require some kind of a

concrete expression to bring forth a heartfelt response.

 

In Buddhism, the path to spiritual salvation is not envisioned as

some lofty abstract journey, rather it is stressed that the

attainment of enlightenment involves a profound transformation in

our innermost being. But how is such a dramatic transformation to

come about? The answer is said to lie within those very inherent

negative traits which keep us spiritually imprisoned and

unfulfilled. The same knotted energy that feeds the poisonous

delusions, when unknotted, empowers and enlightens the mind.

 

In its typical penchant for classification and categorization,

Vajrayana Buddhism divides the negative delusions plaguing the

human form into five categories. These are: ignorance, anger,

pride, attachment, and jealousy. They are said to be the sum

total of all factors which keep us away from enlightenment. But

hope lies in the belief that the human mind holds within itself

the potential to metamorphose these negative traits into positive

attributes. In a supreme moment of creative inspiration, which

can be counted amongst the highest achievements in the history of

human aesthetic instinct, these transformed emotions are

visualized as five different, beautiful and resplendent Buddhas.

Invariably seated upon their auspicious lotus thrones, they are

known collectively as the Dhyani Buddhas. This is in consistency

with their iconographic representations, where they are

inevitably shown seated in the posture of meditation, known in

Sanskrit as Dhyana. They are also known as 'jina,' meaning

victory, signifying a conceptual victory over our unenlightened

minds.

 

All the five Dhyani Buddhas are said to have originated from

Vajrasattva himself. But it needs to be appreciated here, that

though they have all sprung from the same spiritual father, these

Buddhas nevertheless have important physical differences. For

example, each displays a different hand mudra, is associated with

a different direction, rides a different animal, denotes a

particular moment in the life of the historical Buddha, and has a

different color.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/tc53.jpg

 

The last is a unique contribution to the aesthetic heritage which

is shared by all humanity. Indeed, the link between our negative

emotions, and the positive qualities into which the Dhyani

Buddhas transform them can be illustrated most directly through

the medium and experience of color. It is well known that

changing the color of our surroundings can have a profound effect

on our state of mind. Color also expresses our emotions, as when

we say that we are green with envy or feeling blue. Color is

logically thus one of the significant means through which

Buddhist art gives a tangible form to human emotions and nowhere

is this more explicitly displayed than in the typical iconography

of the five Dhyani Buddhas.

 

Each of the five Buddhas first identifies a specific human

failing and then helps us in transforming it into a positive

attribute, bringing about the spiritual evolution required for

enlightenment. How they inspire us to achieve this transition

through their traditional iconography is discussed below.

 

The five Dhyani Buddhas are:

 

1). Vairochana

 

2). Akshobhya

 

3). Ratnasambhava

 

4). Amitabha

 

5). Amoghasiddhi

 

 

1). Vairochana, The King (Tib. Namnang):

 

In the Rigveda (the world's earliest codified text) the word

'vairochana' has the connotation of a brilliant and luminous sun.

Indeed, Vairochana in Tibetan is called 'Namnang, meaning 'The

illuminator.'

 

Vairochana 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 the Wheel of the teaching

of the Dharma.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/zn87.jpg

 

Vairochana is an idealization of this central function of the

Buddha as a teacher, without which there would have been no

Buddhism, and no path to enlightenment open before us.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/pb74.jpg

 

The wheel he is conceptually turning was once a solar symbol in

ancient India and later came to be a signifier of kinghood. The

logical reasoning being that as the sun is the originator and

nourisher of the earth, so is a king to his people. Also

consistent with this context is the fact that Vairochana is said

to rule from the center of the world, with the complete Vajrayana

pantheon (including the other four Dhyani Buddhas) arrayed around

him. Similarly, the sun too is the center of the solar system;

likewise a king is the de facto center of his domain.

 

Significantly, Vairochana is said to be the sum of all the Dhyani

Buddhas and combines all their qualities. He is therefore, pure

white, since white is a blend of all colors.

 

Indeed, his lotus seat is supported by a pair of two great lions.

The lion is the king of beasts and when he roars all others fall

silent. Similar is the roar of Buddha's teachings, in relation to

the grandeur of which all other voices of our everyday life

become insignificant and fall silent. Not surprisingly,

meditating on the image of Vairochana is specifically believed to

transform the delusion of ignorance into the wisdom preached by

the Dharma. When Gautama Buddha turned the wheel of the Dharma,

it illuminated (like a sun), the hearts of men and women darkened

by ignorance.

 

Vairochana's distinguishing emblem is the golden or solar wheel.

 

 

2). Akshobhya, The Mirror to Our Souls (Tib. Mikyopa):

 

According to the Tibetan Dhammapada:

 

Those who control their wrath when it rears up

As they would a horse when it strays loose,

I call 'the best trainers,'

those who do not, are common beings.

 

Akshobhya is believed to transform the human failing of anger

into a clear mirror-like wisdom. With this wisdom, we see things

just as they are, impartially and unaffectedly. Indeed, whether

it be a red rose or a bloody dagger, a mirror will reflect both

just as they are. It will not be judgmental and distinguish

between the two reds, attempting to hold to the first and flee

from the second. No reflection in a mirror sticks to it, and none

repels it. The mirror always stands imperturbable and immutable,

just as we should, whether the circumstances be favorable or

unfavorable to us.

 

Akshobhya's blue color is closely linked to the mirror symbolism.

Blue is the color of water, and water has the capacity to act as

a clear mirror.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/akshobhya.jpg

 

He makes the Bhumisparsha mudra (earth touching gesture). This

gesture recalls the incident just before Buddha's enlightenment

when he was challenged by Mara, the personification of evil. Mara

was convinced that the spiritual throne where Buddha was sitting

belonged rightly to him. Accordingly he challenged Buddha to

prove his claim to the seat. Buddha moved his hand to touch the

ground with his fingertips, and thus bid the goddess Earth to

bear witness to his right to be sitting where he was. She did so

with a hundred thousand roars, and validated Buddha's assertion.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/pb69.jpg

 

More relevant to our interest here is the fact that this gesture

suggests confidence, deep-rootedness, and the same kind of

determination which carried the Buddha to his enlightenment,

inspite of the numerous hurdles which crossed his path.

 

Akshobhya's emblem is the vajra. The Vajra is the quintessential

symbol of Vajrayana Buddhism, which derives its name from the

vajra itself. The Sanskrit term vajra means 'the hard or mighty

one', and its Tibetan equivalent dorje means an indestructible

hardness and brilliance like the diamond, which cannot be cut or

broken. The vajra essentially signifies the immovable, immutable,

indivisible, and indestructible state of enlightenment. Thus is

Akshobhya touching the earth with the fingertips of his right

hand, the earth too being a symbol of the immutable, the solid,

and the concrete.

 

Akshobhya's mount is the elephant. An elephant places its foot

upon the earth with unshakeable certainty. It has the same

unalterable quality as the Buddha's fingers touching the ground,

and the same determination that carried Buddha through his

tribulations.

 

Akshobhya is considered the ruler over the eastern direction. It

is the direction where dawn takes place. Indeed, Buddha's victory

over Mara heralded the dawning of a new, spiritual reality.

 

 

3). Ratnasambhava, The Gem of a Buddha (Tib. Gyalwa Rinjung):

 

Ratnasambhava means 'Born from the Jewel,' 'ratna' signifying

jewel in Sanskrit.

 

Ratnasambhava is believed to transform the negative human trait

of pride into the wisdom of sameness. This wisdom brings out the

common features of human experience and makes us see the common

humanity underlying all men and women. It makes us see ourselves

as fellow-beings, organically united to the total stream of

humanity. In this state of enlightenment, there is nobody

superior or inferior to the other, leaving no scope for pride to

develop.

 

Ratnasambhava displays the Varada mudra.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/ze99.jpg

 

This mudra symbolizes charity and boon granting. Indeed his

distinct emblem is a jewel (ratna), associating him with riches

and Ratnasambhava is sometimes described as the Buddha of giving.

But he makes no distinction and gives freely to all (the wisdom

of sameness). All beings are equally precious to him. Whatever

our social position, race, sex, or life form, we are all made

from a common clay. The grace of Ratnasambhava shines equally on

the palace and dung heap. Meditating on his wisdom we develop

solidarity with all humanity, nay with all forms of life.

 

The wisdom of sameness gives us the clarity of mind to perceive

in the correct perspective, the eight experiences, arranged into

four pairs. These are gain and loss, fame and disgrace, praise

and blame, and pleasure and pain. These experiences always come

in pairs. If we chase one we will lay ourselves open to the

other. For example, if we pursue pleasure, we will undoubtedly at

some time experience pain too. This is a spiritual expression of

Newton's third law of dynamics namely that 'each and every action

in the universe has an equal and opposite reaction.'

 

Ratnasambhava's color is yellow. This is the color of the earth.

The earth too is extremely generous in sharing with us her

riches. Also she gives without any expectation or favor in

return. She gives and also receives all equally. The earth is

thus the great leveler. Similarly, Ratnasambhava's radiance

dissolves all boundaries of self and the other. We can then just

share with others - without any associated sense of giving,

because giving requires a 'self' to give and 'others' to receive,

a duality which Ratnasambhava helps us transcend.

 

The animal associated with Ratnasambhava is the horse, who

ferries over the suffering beings with full vigor. It also

suggests a journey, a spiritual voyage such as that on which the

Buddha-to-be set forth when he left his life at home, riding on

his faithful charger.

 

In Tibetan art, the horse is often shown carrying jewels on its

back. This is a further reinforcement of its relation with

Ratnasambhava.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/horsewithjewel.jpg

 

Ratnasambhava guards over the direction south. The sun is in the

south at noon-time. Its rays are then a light-golden-yellow, the

hue of Ratnasambhava himself.

 

 

4). Amitabha, The Gentle and Lovable Buddha (Tib. Opame):

 

Amitabha is undoubtedly the most well known and popular of the

five Dhyani Buddhas. He is red in color. In Tibetan Buddhism, red

is the color of love, compassion, and emotional energy.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/tc03.jpg

 

His direction is the west. It is in this direction that sunset

takes place and indeed he is envisioned as the setting sun (red).

During sunset, the sun is gentle, and we can directly look into

its fierce power, without coming to any harm. As it disappears

into the west, the sun is like a proud and fierce king, who at

the end of a hard day of rigid protocol turns gentle and jovial,

and allows anyone to approach him. Amitabha is thus the supreme

power and energy of nature, cast on an earthly plain, accessible

to all of us. No wonder he is the most popular of all Dhyani

Buddhas.

 

His unique emblem is the lotus. He is thus associated with all

the attributes of the lotus: gentleness, openness, and purity.

 

Amitabha's mount is the peacock, which is capable of swallowing

poisonous snakes without coming to harm. In fact, the peacock is

believed to derive its rich plumage from the poison of the snakes

on which it feeds. This symbolism, of being open even to poison,

and transmuting it into beauty, gives us a feeling of the

purifying and transforming power of Amitabha. For us ordinary

mortals, it signifies that even our darkest and most venomous

aspects can be transformed by meditating on his image.

 

Amitabha's image has both a simplicity and archetypal quality to

it. His demeanor is totally relaxed and his hands are in the

Dhyana mudra, the mudra of meditation.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/zn86.jpg

 

According to tradition, this mudra derives from the one assumed

by the Buddha when he was meditating under the pipal tree, in the

pursuit of Nirvana.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/gc06.jpg

 

In conformity with his hand mudra, the essential message of

Amitabha is that of meditation. His association with the setting

sun suggests the withdrawal of our external sense perceptions

inwards, into higher states of meditative concentration.

Elevating ourselves to such a spiritual level has the ultimate

objective of uniting us with that intangible Universal

Consciousness which pervades all tangible reality.

 

Amitabha thus provides us with the archetypal infinite wisdom

that helps us transmute the negative trait of obsessive

attachment into a discerning awareness that we are all made up of

the same primitive substratum. So contemplating, we are able to

realize that the object we crave for is not separate from us, and

already as much a part of ourselves as we are of it.

 

 

5). Amoghasiddhi The Lord of Karma (Tib. Donyo Drup pa):

 

The fifth Dhyani Buddha is Amoghasiddhi, whose distinctive emblem

is the double dorje, also known as the crossed vajra.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/zr27.jpg

 

The hand mudra made by Amoghasiddhi is the Abhaya mudra. Abhaya

in Sanskrit means fearlessness. Thus this mudra symbolizes

protection, peace, and the dispelling of fear.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/zn74.jpg

 

According to the Buddhist tradition, Buddha's cousin Devadatta

felt greatly jealous of him. His jealousy knowing no bounds, he

once even attempted to murder the Buddha. His plan involved

loosing a rampaging elephant into the Buddha's path. But as the

elephant approached him, Buddha displayed the Abhaya mudra, which

immediately calmed the animal. Accordingly, it indicates not only

the appeasement of the senses, but also the absence of fear.

 

Indeed, Amoghasiddhi's whole presence removes terror and fear.

His body is green, the color of the peace and tranquility of

Nature. It is a soothing and relaxing color, which calms anxiety.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/amoghasiddhi.jpg

 

Amoghasiddhi rides on Garuda, the half-man and half-eagle

composite, who feeds on snakes. Blessed with a telescopic vision,

Garuda can detect the presence of serpent-like negative delusions

plaguing our mortal frames even from a considerable distance.

Also, Garuda is associated with the Himalayan ranges of the

north, which is the direction of Amoghasiddhi too.

 

Amoghasiddhi is particularly associated with energy and is known

as the Lord of Karma. As a Buddha of action, he represents the

practical achievement of results using the wisdom of the other

four Buddhas. His double vajra too is a symbol of the successive

conclusion of all actions. This is the reason why that after a

deity statue has been completed and consecrated, a crossed vajra

is inscribed upon the metal strip used to seal its base.

 

The goddess Green Tara is believed to have emanated from

Amoghasiddhi and not surprisingly, she too is deified as a deity

of action in the Buddhist pantheon. Indeed, Green Tara is always

depicted in a posture with her right leg extended, signifying her

readiness to spring into action.

 

Illustration: http://www.exoticindia.com/artimages/tc83.jpg

 

Amoghasiddhi is believed to alter the negative human failing of

jealousy into the positive wisdom of accomplishment. Jealousy is

a positive human emotion in as much that it fuels our ambition

and prompts us to achieve greater heights. But its negativeness

stems from the fact that it is almost always accompanied by a

bitterness towards the one who is the target of our envy. When we

are able to ward off this associated feeling of resentment, and

realize at the same time that the object of our jealousy is but a

medium prompting us to greater karma, leading to higher

accomplishments, we would have the read the message of

Amoghasiddhi successfully.

 

 

Conclusion:

 

The five Dhyani Buddhas represent the five basic types of human

personality and demonstrate the absolutely perfected form of

these personality types. Most importantly, each of them

represents a negative quality as well as the completely

transformed aspect of that failing, manifested as a glorious

wisdom. It is an ample demonstration of the genius of Vajrayana

Buddhism that these weaknesses are not denied or suppressed. They

are instead worked upon, until their illusory nature is

understood and they become aspects of one's inherent wisdom.

 

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References and Further Reading:

 

Beer, Robert. The Encyclopedia of Tibetan Symbols and Motifs:

Boston, 1999.

 

Cooper, J.C. An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Traditional Symbols:

London, 1999.

 

Govinda, Lama Anagarika. Foundations of Tibetan Mysticism: New

Delhi, 1992.

 

Jansen, Eva Rudy. The Book of Buddhas (Ritual Symbolism Used on

Buddhist Statuary and Ritual Objects): New Delhi, 2002.

 

Landaw, Jonathan., and Weber, Andy. Images of Enlightenment

(Tibetan Art in Practice): New York, 1993.

 

Majupuria, Trilok Chandra. Sacred Animals of Nepal and India:

Kathmandu, 2000.

 

Maxwell, T.S. The Gods of Asia (Image, Text, and Meaning): New

Delhi, 1997.

 

Menzies, Jackie. Buddha Radiant Awakening: Sydney, 2001.

 

Sparham, Gareth. The Tibetan Dhammapada (Sayings of the Buddha):

London, 1986.

 

Subhuti, Dharmachari. The Buddhist Vision (An Introduction to the

Theory and Practice): London, 1992.

 

Tresidder, Jack. The Hutchinson Dictionary of Symbols: Oxford,

1997.

 

Vessantara. Meeting the Buddhas (A Guide to Buddhas,

Bodhisattvas, and Tantric Deities), Birmingham, 1993.

 

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Nitin G.

http://www.exoticindia.com