Vairocana Buddha

Category: Buddha

From Buddhist Encyclopedia

18/19th Century Indo-Nepali Style gilt and painted figure, distinct in its six-armed form, which illustrates the embodiment of the Six Perfections that are the practice of a Bodhisattva.

• Chinese :  毗卢遮那佛 piluzhenafo, 大日如來 dàrìrúlái
• Japanese :  Dainichi Nyorai

According to the Buddhist Trikaya doctrine, Vairocana also Vairochana or Mahavairocana; is the Buddha who is the embodiment of Dharmakaya, and which therefore can be seen as the universal aspect of the historical Gautama Buddha. In the conception of the Five Wisdom Buddhas, Vairocana is at the center. The Vairocana statue in Nara's Todaiji is the largest bronze image of Vairocana Buddha in the world. The larger of the monumental statues that were destroyed at Bamyan in Afghanistan was also a depiction of Vairocana.

Vairocana is the central figure of many early schools of Buddhism in Japan, including esoteric Shingon Buddhism and Kegon Buddhism. The doctrine of Vairocana Buddha is based largely on the teachings of the Mahavairocana Sutra. In addition, Vairocana is often tied to the Hua-Yen school of Buddhist philosophy that was prominent during the Tang Dynasty. Huayan Buddhism strongly emphasized the importance of Shunyata and interdependent co-arising, and because Vairocana is seen as pervading all of existence, Vairocana is in-turn also associated with Shunyata.

Vairocana was gradually superseded as an object of reverence by Amitabha Buddha in Japan, but his legacy still remains in Shingon Buddhism and Todaiji temple with its massive bronze statue.

Doctrine

In the Rigveda the word vairocana has the connotation of a brilliant and luminous sun. Indeed, Vairocana in Tibetan is called ‘Namnang' (rnang.par snang.mdzad), meaning ‘the illuminator'.

Vairocana often displays the Dharmacakra mudrā. Dharmacakra 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.

Vairocana 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. While Amitabha Buddha is seen as a personification of Compassion (balanced by Wisdom), Vairocana is often seen as a personification of Wisdom.

Iconography

Significantly, Vairocana 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 Vairocana 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.

With regard to Shunyata, the massive size and brilliance of Vairocana statues is intended to serve as a reminder that all existence is empty, and without a permanent identity.

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

References

• Hua-Yen Buddhism: The Jewel Net of Indra (Pennsylvania State University Press, December 1977) by Francis H. Cook
• The Five Meditating Buddhas