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Images of Buddha
The Teravada school only recognises one buddha and one
bodhisattva, whereas the Mahayana school has developed an extensive pantheon of
buddhas, bodhisattvas and auxiliar dieties.
The practice of Mahayana buddhism is not uniform, and different dieties are recognised in different schools. The form practised on Java shows great similarity to those in Tibet and Nepal, but has little
in common with practices in China, Korea and Japan.
The historical Buddha Gautama is the only buddha recognised by the Teravada school. The Mahayana school recognises a historical, present and
future buddha: Amithabha, Sakyamuni and Maitreya. This scheme has
been further developed into a
pantheon of buddhas that each express distinct qualities of Buddha are are grouped into distinct functional
schemes. In addition to buddhas, Mahayana Buddhism recognises
bodhisattva, who stand closer to believers and assist them in some particular manner. Further minor dieties also
exist. While some of these deities can act alone, others are always part of a scheme.
One common text that informed Java's Mahayana Buddhism was the Sang
Hyang Kamahayanikan. It laid down a detailed route to salvation
comprising of ritual exercise, worship of the buddhas and
obedience to one's teacher.
The principal mandala venerated on Java is that of the Dhyani buddhas (Meditation buddhas, also known as Jina) in which the buddhas each govern a point of the compass:
When depicted, these buddha all look identical, and are distinguished only by their attributes:
The mudra or hand poses of the
buddha communicate the nature and function of the particular image:
Dharmacakra mudra: turning the Wheel of the Law - left arm and hand are raised to breast level and the index finger nearly touches the thumb.
The right hand makes an OK sign and touches the left hand.
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Bhumisparsha mudra: Calling the Earth as Witness/ Enlightenment - right hand reaches down to touch the earth.
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Abhaya mudra: Reassurance/ Fearlessness - left hand rests opened in lap right hand is raised and opened to the viewer.
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Dhyana mudra: Meditation - left hand rests opened in lap, right hand rests opened in the left hand.
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Wara mudra: Bestowing favour or blessing - left hand rests opened in lap, right hand is turned down to cover right knee, but palm faces viewer.
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Vitarka mudra: Teaching, giving instruction or addressing people - left hand rests opened in lap, right hand is raised as in wara mudra, but first finger touches the thumb and is separate from the index finger.
The scheme of Dhyani buddhas described above can be further supplemented with a mystical projection
(dhyani bodhisattva) and an active agent (manushi
buddha) for each historical buddha.
Zenith |
Vairocana |
Samantabhadra |
Krakuchandra |
East |
Akshobhya |
Vajrapani |
Kanakamuni |
North |
Amogasiddha |
Vishvapani |
Maitreya |
West |
Amitabha |
Avalokitshvara |
Gautama/Sakyamuni |
South |
Ratnasambhawa |
Ratnapani |
Kacyapa |
The consorts given to each buddha are all forms of Tara, a
female goddess that according to Jansen (2002) originated from a tear of
Avalokitesvara. Tara over time developed into many distinct forms, including
some that also became consorts to buddha:
Zenith |
Vairocana |
Prajnaparamita or Vajradatawiswari |
East |
Akshobhya |
Locana |
North |
Amogasiddha |
Ayratara or Syamatara |
West |
Amitabha |
Pandurawasini |
South |
Ratnasambhawa |
Mamaki |
Candi Mendut is
an example of a temple venerating a different mandala from the one described
above, as Candi Jago. Candi Jago and Kalasan
both venerate tara.
Mounted: 3-Feb-06; Last
changed: 7-Feb-10
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