According to the Mahayana Buddhist tradition, there are many Buddhas in the universe. When people pay a visit to a monastery, they may wonder whose images are placed in different buildings for worship. Following are the common images of Buddhas in the Mahayana monasteries.
The Three Sages of Sakya
Sakyamuni is the Master Buddha in the Land of Saha(or the World of Reality). He often preaches his sermons with two Bodhisattvas, namely Manjusri and Samantabhadra. The Buddha always stands in the middle with Manjusri on his left side and Samantabhadra on his right. The two Bodhisattvas serve as the Master Buddha’s retinues. They are also known as the Three Saints of Avatamasaka(or Hua-yen). Dharmakaya Buddha is the embodiment of Sakyamuni in Heaven. His image represents the Darma. Darma means the truth of life and the law of universe.
The Three Venerable Masters in the Eastern Pure Land
According to the Mahayana tradition, Bhaiṣajyaguru is known as the Buddha of Healing and Medicine. He teaches the Medicine-Buddha Mantra in the Eastern Pure Land of Lpais Lazuli with two retinues whose name are Surya-prabha and Candra-prabha. Surya-prabha Bodhisattva stands on the left side of the Medicine Buddha. His image represents the sunshine. The image of Candra-prabha is on the right side of the Buddha and is the symbol of moonlight.
The Three Saints in the Western Pure Land
The Three Saints in the Western Pure Land refer to Amitabha Buddha, Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva and Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva. They are called the Three Masters with the Name of Amitabha. Amitabha resides in the Western Pure Land where is also known as the Sukhavati or the Land of Bliss. According to the Buddhist Sutra, Amitabha used to a king who renounced his throne after coming into contact with Buddhist teaching. He became a monk and was renamed Dharmakara. Amitabha made 48 vows. One of the vows was that he must gain the power to eradicate anyone’s crimes and make them be reborn immediately in the Land of Bliss, if they could remember his name with faith to him at their last moment. Amitabha is also known as the Buddha of Collecting the Deceased. The Sukhavati Buddhists believe that their soul will be picked up on the way to the Land of Bliss, if they intone his title. In the Mahavira Hall, Amitabha often wares a red robe, sits cross-legged and makes the wish-fulfilling gesture. The gesture is made in the way that the right palm presses the left one with palm center upward. He is holding a vase or a golden lotus flower. The image of Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva is placed on the left side of Amitabha and the image of Mahasthamaprapta Bodhisattva is on the right. The former holds a vase(the Pure Vase) and a twig of willow in his hands, the latter grasps a lotus flower.
The Buddhas in Three Realms
The Buddha in Three Realms include Sakyamuni, Bhaiṣajyaguru and Amitabha. Buddhists hold that there are six pure lands in the universe, such as the Eastern Pure Land of Lpais Lazuli and the Western Pure Land of Bliss. The world of human beings is called Saha. It is located in the middle. Sometimes, the rulers of the three realm are placed together in the Great Buddha Hall for worship. Sakyamuni is the Master of Saha, and he sits in the middle. Bhaisajyaguru rules the Eastern Pure Land, and his statue is put on the left side of Sakyamuni. The image on the right side is Amitabha. He is the ruler of the Western Pure Land.
The Buddhas in Three Generations
The Buddhas in Three Generations are the Buddha in the Past, the Buddha at Present and the Buddha in the Future. According to the Mahayana tradition, before Sakyamuni descended to the world, six Buddhas preached sermons and ruled the Saha World in different ages. Dipamkara was one of the six Buddhas. He is also known as the Fixed-Light Buddha. It is said that when he was born, his body was illuminated by bright light. The former incarnation of Sakyamuni once offered a five-stem lotus to Dipamkara Buddha. The Fixed-Light Buddha prophesied that Sakyamuni would attain Buddhahood after having experienced 91 miseries. Another Buddha is Kasyapa. He was the teacher of the former incarnation of Sakyamuni. Kasyapa was the Sixth Master Buddha in the Saha World. The other four Master Buddhas in the past were Vipasyin Sikhin Visvabhu and Krakucchanda. Sakyamuni is the Master Buddha at present, and the Master Buddha in the future is Maitreya. In some monasteries, the image of Sakyamuni is placed with Maitreya and Dipamkara or Kasyapa. Sakyamuni sits or stands in the middle. The one on the left side of Sakyamuni is Dipamkara or Kasyapa. Maitreya’s image is put on the right side of Sakyamuni. When the image of Sakyamuni is placed together with the Six Buddhas in the Past, the building is called the Seven-Buddha Hall.
The Three Incarnations of the Master Buddha
According to the Buddhist Sutra, the Master Buddha has three bodies or incarnations, namely Dharmakaya, Sambhogakaya and Nirmanakaya. The images of the three are usually placed together in the Great Buddha Hall for worship.
The middle one is Dharmakaya who is also called the Absolute Body of Buddha. His image is the symbol of the innate cause for attaining Buddhahood that everyone has inside their bodies. Dharmakaya is also the embodiment of Darma, the truth of life and the law of universe. Dharmakaya is also known as Vairocana Buddha.
Sambhogakaya stands or sits on the left side of Dharmakaya. His image represents the acquired causes for attaining Buddhahood that everyone can achieve the enlightenment through a self-disciplined practice of Buddhist teaching. He is also called Rocana Buddha.
The image of Nirmanakaya is on the right side of Dharmakaya. Nirmanakaya is the incarnation of the Master Buddha in the Saha World, the world where devas(immortals), humans and any other living things. He is called Sakyamuni Buddha who descend to the world to redeem all the beings.
Author: Tina Luo
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