Vairocana | |
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A gilt-bronze statue of Vairocana Buddha, one of the National Treasures of South Korea, at the Bulguksa Temple.
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Sanskrit | वैरोचन Vairocana |
Chinese | 大日如來 (Dàrì Rúlái) 毘盧遮那佛 (Pílúzhēnàfó) |
Japanese | 大日如来 (Dainichi Nyorai) 毘盧遮那仏 (Birushana-butsu) |
Korean | 비로자나불 毘盧遮那佛 (Birojanabul) 대일여래 大日如來 (Daeil Yeorae) |
Mongolian |
ᠮᠠᠰᠢᠳᠠ ᠋᠋ᠭᠡᠢᠢᠭᠦᠯᠦᠨ ᠵᠣᠬᠢᠶᠠᠭᠴᠢ Машид гийгүүлэн зохиогч Masida geyigülün zohiyaghci |
Tibetan | རྣམ་པར་སྣང་མཛད། rNam-par-snang mdzad |
Vietnamese | Đại Nhật Như Lai, Tì-lư-già-na, Tì-lư-xá-na |
Information | |
Venerated by | Vajrayana |
Attributes | Emptiness |
Vairocana (also Vairochana or Mahāvairocana, Sanskrit: वैरोचन) is a celestial buddha who is often interpreted, in texts like the Flower Garland Sutra, as the Dharma Body of the historical Buddha (Siddhartha Gautama). In Chinese, Korean, and Japanese Buddhism, Vairocana is also seen as the embodiment of the Buddhist concept of Emptiness. In the conception of the Five Wisdom Buddhas of Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism, Vairocana is at the centre and is considered a Primordial Buddha.
Vairocana is not to be confused with Vairocana Mahabali, son of Virochana.
Vairocana Buddha is first introduced in the Brahma Net 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.
He is also mentioned in the Flower Garland Sutra; however, the doctrine of Vairocana Buddha is based largely on the teachings of the Mahavairocana Sutra (also known as the Mahāvairocana-abhisaṃbodhi-tantra) and to a lesser degree the Vajrasekhara Sutra (also known as the Sarvatathāgatatattvasaṃgraha Tantra).