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 texts like the Avatamsaka Sutra , as the Dharmakāya of the historical Gautama Buddha .
35-675: Dainichi may refer to: Dainichi Nyorai, the Japanese version of Vairocana , one of the Five Dhyani Buddhas Dainichi, a Japanese name for the Christian God initially used by Francis Xavier , derived from the Japanese name for Vairocana Dainichi Station , the terminus of Osaka's Tanimachi Line (谷町線) Topics referred to by the same term [REDACTED] This disambiguation page lists articles associated with
70-543: A Primordial Buddha . In East Asian esoteric Buddhism, Mahāvairocana is considered to be a cosmic Buddha whose body is the entire universe, the Dharmadhātu . Vairocana is not to be confused with Vairocana Mahabali , son of the asura Virochana , a character in the Yoga Vasishta . Vairocana Buddha is also not to be confused with another Buddha that appears in some Mahayana sources called "Rocana". Vairocana Buddha
105-685: A Buddha vandana (homage) as follows: Namaḥ samanta-buddhānām A vaṃ raṃ haṃ khaṃ "A" is the seed syllable mantra ( bījamantra ) of Vairocana in the Garbhadhatu mandala , while "Vaṃ" is the seed syllable of Vairocana in the Vajradhātu mandala. Thus, this five element mantra contains both main seed syllables of Vairocana in the East Asian Esoteric tradition . Furthermore, these two seed syllables are sometimes combined into one mantra: "A-Vaṃ". A longer dharani associated with Vairocana
140-546: A multiverse called "Ocean of worlds, whose surface and inside are decorated with an arrangement of flowers" (Kusumatalagarbha-vyuhalamkara-lokadhatu-samudra). The Avatamsaka states that this entire cosmos has been purified by the Buddha Vairocana through his bodhisattva practices for countless aeons, after having met countless Buddhas. The sutra also states that our world is in Vairocana's buddhafield . Vairocana
175-525: A world purified by him while he was a bodhisattva . He also presides over an assembly of countless other bodhisattvas. He may be considered the celestial existence ( saṃbhogakāya ) of Gautama Buddha , who came to be as Vairochana's earthly rebirth from his previous existence in Tushita heaven. Similarly, the Brahmajala Sutra also states that Shakyamuni was originally named Vairochana, regarding
210-859: Is also mentioned in the Avatamsaka Sutra ; however, the doctrine of Vairocana is based largely on the teachings of the Mahavairocana Tantra (also known as the Mahāvairocana-abhisaṃbodhi-tantra ) and to a lesser degree the Vajrasekhara Sutra (also known as the Sarvatathāgatatattvasaṃgraha Tantra). In the Avatamsaka Sutra , Vairocana is described as having attained enlightenment immeasurable ages ago and residing in
245-528: Is also seen as the dharmakāya (the supreme buddha-body , the body of ultimate reality), and the embodiment of the Buddhist concept of wisdom and purity. Mahāvairocana is often translated into East Asian languages as "Great Sun Buddha" (Chinese: 大日如來, Japanese: Dainichi Nyorai) Buddha. In the conception of the Five Jinas of Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism, Vairocana is at the centre and is often considered
280-476: Is an invocation to Dharmakāya Mahāvairocana Buddha as the great universal teacher. Five syllable mantras (Japanese: goji shingon ) symbolize how all things in the universe (here: the five elements ) are modes and emanations of Vairocana. One such mantra which is used in the Shingon school is: aḥ vi ra hūṃ khaṃ Each syllable is correlated with earth, water, fire, air, space respectively, while Vairocana
315-427: Is closely associated with Shakyamuni Buddha, in some cases he is even identified with him in the Avatamsaka Sutra . Huayan generally sees Shakyamuni as an emanation body (nirmanakaya) from the ultimate Buddha Vairocana ("The Illuminator"). Furthermore, Huayan thought sees the entire universe as being the very body of Vairocana, who is seen as a supreme cosmic Buddha. Vairocana is infinite, his influence and light
350-550: Is first introduced in the Brahmajala Sutra : Now, I, Vairocana Buddha am sitting atop a lotus pedestal; On a thousand flowers surrounding me are a thousand Sakyamuni Buddhas. Each flower supports a hundred million worlds; in each world a Sakyamuni Buddha appears. All are seated beneath a Bodhi-tree, all simultaneously attain Buddhahood. All these innumerable Buddhas have Vairocana as their original body. Vairocana
385-477: Is limitless, pervading the entire universe. Furthermore, Vairocana is really the ultimate principle (li), the Dharmakaya , Suchness and "the substance underlying phenomenal reality". However, while Vairocana as ultimate principle is eternal, it also transforms and changes according to the needs and conditions of sentient beings. Furthermore, Vairocana is empty, interdependent and interfused with all phenomena in
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#1732775920789420-491: Is named: "Ocean of worlds, whose surface and inside are decorated with an arrangement of flowers" (Sanskrit: Kusumatalagarbha-vyūhālamkāra-lokadhātusamudra ). It is also called the "Lotus Treasury World" (Chinese: 華蔵世界 , Skt. Padmagarbha-lokadhātu ), since it is an array of billions of worlds in a lotus shape. In the cosmology of the Avatamsaka sutra, our world is just one of the immeasurable number of worlds in
455-589: Is the Mantra of Light , which is popular in Japanese Buddhism, including Shingon . This is: Oṃ Amogha Vairocana Mahāmudrā Maṇipadma Jvala Pravartāya Hūṃ Another mantra associated with Vairocana is the following Shingon school mantra: Namo Mahāguru Vairocana Vajra (Jp: namu daishi henjō kongō 南 無 大 師 遍 照 金 剛) This mantra is also the mantra of Kukai , the founder of the Shingon school. Its inner meaning
490-686: Is the Sarvadurgatiparishodana dharani ( Complete removal of all unfortunate rebirths ), also known as Kunrig mantra in Tibetan Buddhism . This dharani is found in the Sarvadurgatiparishodana tantra which depicts Vairocana at the center of a mandala surrounded by the other four tathagatas . The dharani is as follows: OṂ namo bhagavate sarva durgati pariśodhana rājāya tathāgatāyārhate samyaksambudhāya tadyathā OṂ śodhane śodhane sarva pāpam viśodhani śuddhe viśuddhe sarvakarmāvarana viśodhani svāhā! With regard to śūnyatā ,
525-492: Is the innermost realization that Amida is the true nature, material and spiritual, of all beings, that he is 'the omnivalent wisdom-body, that he is the unborn, unmanifest, unchanging reality that rests quietly at the core of all phenomena". Helen Hardacre, writing on the Mahavairocana Tantra , comments that Mahavairocana's virtues are deemed to be immanently universal within all beings: "The principle doctrine of
560-739: Is the largest bronze image of Vairocana in the world. The larger of the Buddhas of Bamiyan in Afghanistan that were destroyed by talibans was also a depiction of Vairocana. In Java , Indonesia, the ninth-century Mendut temple near Borobudur in Magelang was dedicated to the Dhyani Buddha Vairocana. Built by the Shailendra dynasty , the temple featured a three-meter tall stone statue of Vairocana, seated and performing
595-610: Is the residence of divine beings or devas . According to the Visakhuposatha Sutta of the Pali Canon , time runs much differently than on Earth: That which among men is four hundred years, Visakha, is one night and day of the Tusita devas, their month has thirty of those days, their year twelve of those months; the lifespan of the Tusita devas is four thousand of those heavenly years... In Mahayana Buddhist thought,
630-609: Is the sixth element - consciousness ( vijñana ). In the Mahavairocana sutra the mantra appears as: Namaḥ samanta-buddhānām a vi ra hūṃ khaṃ. According to East Asian mantrayana writers like Kakuban , this mantra can lead to enlightenment. According to translator Dale A. Todaro, the mantra's syllables have numerous symbolic correlations aside from the five elements, including: "the Five Buddhas (Mahavairocana, Aksobhya, Ratnasambhava, Amitabha, and Amoghasiddhi respectively);
665-516: Is therefore closely associated with Maitreya, and many Buddhists vow to be reborn there so that they can hear the teachings of the Bodhisattva and ultimately be reborn with him when he becomes a Buddha. Other Bodhisattvas dwell in this heaven realm from time to time. Tuṣita is part of the same world-system as Earth, and so is relatively close, whereas the Pure Land of Amitabha Buddha
700-660: The Tuṣita Heaven is where all Bodhisattvas destined to reach full enlightenment in their next life dwell for a time. One such reference can be found in the Larger Sutra of Immeasurable Life, a Mahayana text: Each of these bodhisattvas, following the virtues of the Mahasattva Samantabhadra, is endowed with the immeasurable practices and vows of the Bodhisattva Path, and firmly dwells in all
735-581: The Bodhisattva Śvetaketu (Pāli: Setaketu, "White Banner") resided before being reborn on Earth as Gautama , the historical Buddha; it is, likewise, the heaven where the Bodhisattva Nātha ("Protector") currently resides, who will later be born as the next Buddha, Maitreya . Most Buddhist literature holds that Queen Maya died seven days after the birth of her son the Buddha , and was then reborn in
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#1732775920789770-719: The Chinese Chan tradition , Vairocana is mentioned to be the host of the Buddha Division in the centre, one of the five major divisions which dispels the vast demon armies of the five directions. Vairocana is the Primordial Buddha in the Chinese schools of Tiantai , Huayan and Tangmi , also appearing in later schools including the Japanese Kegon , Shingon and esoteric lineages of Tendai . In
805-615: The Dainichikyo is that all the virtues of Dainichi (Mahāvairocana) are inherent in us and in all sentient beings." According to the Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra , the whole universe is a vast pure buddha-field which has been purified by Vairocana Buddha. This is the view of Pure Land which is found in the Chinese Huayan tradition. According to this view, our world is just one small part of this universal Pure Land which
840-572: The dharmachakra mudrā . The statue is flanked with statues of the bodhisattvas Avalokiteśvara and Vajrapani . Tushita Tuṣita ( Sanskrit ) or Tusita ( Pāli ) is one of the six deva -worlds of the Desire Realm (Kāmadhātu), located between the Yāma heaven and the Nirmāṇarati heaven. Like the other heavens, Tuṣita is said to be reachable through meditation . It is the heaven where
875-732: The Bodhisattvas Body, the Tathāgatas Body, the Wisdom Body, the Dharma Body, and the Space Body. Fazang sees these ten bodies as encompassing all phenomena (animate and inanimate) in the "three realms", i.e. the entire universe. Numerous mantras , seed syllables and dharanis are associated with Vairocana Buddha. A common basic mantra is the following: Oṃ Vairocana Vaṃ Another popular Vairocana related mantra
910-598: The Tushita Heaven. Seven years after the Buddha's enlightenment, she came down to visit Tavatimsa Heaven, where the Buddha later preached the Abhidharma to her. In Hinduism , the tushitas are referred to as one of the nine gana deities: adityas , visvedevas , vasus , tushitas, abhasvaras , anilas, maharajikas , sadhyas , and the rudras . Like all heaven realms in Buddhism, the Tuṣita Heaven
945-520: The case of Huayan and Shingon, Vairocana is the central figure. In Chinese and Japanese Buddhism , Vairocana was gradually superseded as an object of reverence by Amitābha , due in large part to the increasing popularity of Pure Land Buddhism , but veneration of Vairocana still remains popular among adherents. During the initial stages of his mission in Japan, the Catholic missionary Francis Xavier
980-549: The five colors yellow, white, red, black, and blue; five organs (liver, lungs, heart, kidneys, spleen); five Chinese elements (wood, metal, fire, water, earth); and so on." A slightly longer variation of this mantra, also found in Shingon is: Oṃ a vi ra hūṃ khaṃ vajra dhātu vaṃ This version includes another mantra associated with the Vajradhātu mandala. There is another five element mantra of Vairocana, which is: A vaṃ raṃ haṃ khaṃ An alternate version sometimes appears with
1015-517: The former as a physical incarnation ( nirmāṇakāya ) of the latter. Vairocana is also mentioned as an epithet of Gautama Buddha in the Samantabhadra Meditation Sutra , who dwells in a place called "Always Tranquil Light". In the Śūraṅgama mantra ( Chinese : 楞嚴咒 ; pinyin : Léngyán Zhòu ) taught in the Śūraṅgama sutra (Chinese: 楞嚴經 ; pinyin: Léngyán Jīng ), an especially influential dharani in
1050-564: The massive size and brilliance of Vairocana statues serve as a reminder that all conditioned existence is empty and without a permanent identity, whereas the Dharmakāya is beyond concepts. The Spring Temple Buddha of Lushan County, Henan , China, with a height of 126 meters, is the second tallest statue in the world ( see list of tallest statues ). The Daibutsu in the Tōdai-ji in Nara , Japan,
1085-642: The meritorious deeds. He freely travels in all the ten quarters and employs skillful means of emancipation. He enters the treasury of the Dharma of the Buddhas, and reaches the Other Shore. Throughout the innumerable worlds he attains Enlightenment. First, dwelling in the Tusita Heaven, he proclaims the true Dharma. Having left the heavenly palace, he descends into his mother's womb. The Tuṣita heaven
Dainichi - Misplaced Pages Continue
1120-540: The title Dainichi . If an internal link led you here, you may wish to change the link to point directly to the intended article. Retrieved from " https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Dainichi&oldid=1155138170 " Category : Disambiguation pages Hidden categories: Short description is different from Wikidata All article disambiguation pages All disambiguation pages Vairocana In East Asian Buddhism ( Chinese , Korean , Japanese and Vietnamese Buddhism ), Vairocana
1155-483: The true nature at the core of all beings and phenomena. There are several realizations that can accrue to the Shingon practitioner of which Dohan speaks in this connection, as James Sanford points out: [T]here is the realization that Amida is the Dharmakaya Buddha, Vairocana; then there is the realization that Amida as Vairocana is eternally manifest within this universe of time and space; and finally there
1190-673: The universe. Thus, Vairocana is both immanent (due to its dependent and interfused character) and transcendent (as the immutable basis of all things). According to Fazang , while the nirmanakaya Shakyamuni taught the other Mahayana sutras , Vairocana teaches the Avatamsaka Sutra through his ten bodies which are: the All-Beings Body, the Lands Body, the Karma Body, the Śrāvakas Body, the Pratyekabuddha Body,
1225-459: Was welcomed by the Shingon monks since he used Dainichi , the Japanese name for Vairocana, to designate the Christian God . As Xavier learned more about the religious nuances of the word, he substituted the term Deusu , which he derived from the Latin and Portuguese Deus . The Shingon monk Dohan regarded the two great Buddhas, Amitābha and Vairocana, as one and the same Dharmakāya Buddha and as
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