Vairocana

---------------------- Vairocana is also an honorary name very current of Vairotsana Lotsawa , the translator Tibetan. See this article. ------------------------- Vairocana or Maha Vairocana " Large soleil" or " Large lumière" (Sanskrit), Daïnitchi Nyoraï (大日如來) in Japanese, Rulai Indian millet or Rulaifo (如來佛) in Chinese, Namnang in Tibetan, are the central Buddha of the tantric schools (Tibetans or Shingon), as well as Chinese and Japanese schools mahayana Tiantai - Tendaï and Huayan - Kegon.

Except Indian millet Rulai and Rulaifo, translations of the name Sanskrit, the Chinese schools use the transcriptions Biluzhena (毗盧遮那) or Lushena (盧舍那), resulting from two translations different from the Soutra Avatamsaka . The school Tiantai employs both, Biluzhena indicating the Dharmakaya, the true nature of the Buddha, and Lushena the Sambhogakaya, form of the Buddha such as it appears in the meditations. The Sūtra Maha Vairocana (Maha-vairocana-bhi-sambodhi Sutra " Sutra of the divine transformation by the mystical capacity of Large Vairocana") is with the Sūtra of the peak of will vajra or (height of diamond in other translations) and the Sūtra Susiddhikara one of the principal texts of reference of the tantric schools.

Origin

Pre-Buddhist elements

The old divinities rejected or degraded by the Hindouisme were often taken again by Buddhism. Vairocana is mentioned in the Rig Veda among the Asura S, term which took the negative direction of enemy of the gods or demon, but who corresponds at the origin with the will ahura (god) like Ahura mazda the large god of the light of the Zoroastrisme. The connotation of " lumière" or " soleil" name Vairocana makes it possible to consider an origin proto-Iranian woman. One also proposed besides an influence Persian for Amitabha, another Buddha whose name evokes the light. Certain aspects of the principal divinity of the Shintoïsme, Amaterasu, could be to him allotted in Japanese popular Buddhism.

Trikāya

The role of Vairocana is explained by the theory of the trikaya, developed by the first schools mahayana. According to this theory, one identifies three aspects of the Buddha, called the three bodies:

the " body of transformation" (Nirmanakaya), historical body of the Buddha
the " body of réjouissance" (sambhogakaya), the Buddha as a deity, such as it appears for example in the meditations
the " body of bouddha" (dharmakaya), the Buddha as a supreme reality, truth or vacuum

Vairocana is often presented as the supreme form (dharmakaya) in will soutras mahayana, particularly the Soutra Avatamsaka and the Soutra of the lotus . In the tantric schools, resulting from the current mahayana, it keeps this central place, but sees sometimes itself presented like emanation of another entity, authenticates paramount Buddha, Vajradhana or Samantabhadra in the school Nyingmapa, for example. In the Japanese school Shingon, Mahavairocana is responsible for the lesson esoteric, the Buddha Gautama or the sambhoghakayas fascinating charges the lesson with them exoteric.

Representations

Mandalas

On the tantric Mandala S, it is located at the center, is surrounded to the four orients of its emanations. It is generally about Akshobhya, Amida, Ratnasambhava and Amoghasiddhi, but their identity can vary. Together they set up the group of the Five Buddhas of meditation. The entourage can be more important because, in addition to the four Buddhas, can also be represented Bodhisattva S, parèdres and Dakini S etc In the Shingon school it is traditionally represented on two mandalas:

On the Gharbha Dhatu , or Taïzôkaï , associated with the Soutra de Maha Vairocana and affixed with the wall Is temples, it is surrounded by 414 deities divided into 12 districts and represents the matter, the matrix, the rising sun, the lotus, the compassion, the female one.
On the Vajra Dhatu or Kongôkaï , associated with the Soutra of the height of the Vajra , affixed with the Western wall, it is accompanied by 1461 deities divided into nine groups representing the successive degrees of spiritual progress; on these mandalas Vairocana represents the world of the spirit, the Vajra, the setting sun, the teaching of the dharma, the masculine.

By extension, it symbolizes the life of the universe, the 5 large elements symbolized by the Stupa and Taïzôkaï (ground, water, fire, air and space) and the sixth, the spirit which perceives them, represented in Kongôkaï.

In Japan, it has two irritated forms Fudo myoo and Aizen myoo, corresponding respectively to both mandalas of the matrix and of will vajra.

It is often white, color of the light and nap of the colors of the Buddhas which emanate from him.

Other representations

It can be represented in image or statue, only or surrounded of the bodhisattvas Samantabhadra (on its line) and Manjusri (on its left), the " Three saints of Huayan ". He often sat on a lion or a couple of lions, Samantabhadra on an elephant and Manjusri on a lion.

He in general makes the gesture of startup of the wheel of the dharma (will dharmachakra will mudra), that of the Gautama Buddha at the time of its first sermon.

Its emblem is the solar wheel.

The largest statue of Vairocana is that of the temple Todai ji to Nara, Japan.

The largest destroyed effigy with Bamiyan in Afghanistan represented Vairocana or Dipankara.

Under the name of Rulaifo, it appears in the Voyage in Occident ; the episode where the King of the monkeys learns that whatever the distance covered, one never leaves the palm of Vairocana is well-known of the Chinese.

See too

External bonds

Vairocana

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