Five
Dhyani Buddhas and The Five Wisdoms
Vairochana
Empty Basic Space Wisdom
In
the Rigveda, the world’s earliest codified text, the word vairochana has the connotation of a brilliant and luminous sun. 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. 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.
Akshobhya
Mirror
like Wisdom
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.
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.
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.
Ratnasambhava
Sameness
Wisdom
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.
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 and 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 jewels are the emblem associated with Ratnasambhava.
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.
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.
Amithaba
Discriminating
Wisdom
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.
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.
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.
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.
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. The lotus, spreading its petals like a powerful sun is the symbol associated with Amithaba.
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.
Amogasidhi
All
Accomplishing Wisdom
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.
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.
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. Garuda is too associated
with the Himalayan ranges of the north, which is the direction of
Amoghasiddhi.
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.
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 read the
message of Amoghasiddhi successfully.
