ORIGIN: Buddhist [India]
TYPE: The first and oldest dhyanibuddha or meditation buddha.
KNOWN PERIOD OF WORSHIP: circa 500 BCE to present
SYNONYMS: Buddhaheruka
CENTER(S) OF CULT: Pan-Asiatic
ART REFERENCES: Metal and stone sculptures, paintings.
LITERARY SOURCES: Sadhanamala and Tantric ritual texts.
INFORMATION: One of five mystic spiritual counterparts of a human buddha in Vajrayana Buddhism. A product of the Adibuddha who represents the branch of the cosmos concerned with bodily form. He originates from the white mantra symbol OM and lives in the highest paradise. His icon is normally placed in the innermost part of a stupa or shrine. His Sakti is Vajradhatvisvari and he is normally accompanied by a lion or two dragons. He is also taken as a tutelary deity in Lamaism [Tibet] in which case his attributes include a bell. Emanations include chiefly Samantabhadra but also Cunda, Grahamatrka, Mahasahasraparmadani, Marici, Namasangiti, Sitatapatra-Aparajita, Usnisavijaya and Vajravahi. See also Aksobhya, Amitabha, Amoghasiddhi, and Ratnasambhava.
COLOR: White
ATTRIBUTES: three monkish robes and prayer wheel.