Studies in Indian Art c12.s3.1

c12.s3.1

The Buddhists believe in a Pantheon consisting of the five Dhyāni Buddhas and five Bodhisattvas emanating from the former. The Dhyāni Buddhas, also known as the Divine Buddhas, are of a passive nature in the process of creation. They remain merged in peaceful meditation and voluntarily restrain themselves from directly associating in the act of creation. They therefore represent the principle of rest in Buddhist philosophy. To create is the duty of their emanations, the Divine Bodhisattvas, who as their counterparts are mainly responsible for controlling and guiding the dynamic aspect of the cosmic forces. There are in the main five Bodhisattvas corresponding to the five Dhyāni Buddhas. The five Dhyāni Buddhas might have owed their origin to the eternity of the five senses and the five elements, with which they are severally connected. According to Advaya Vajra, a writer of the eleventh century, they took their origin from the five Buddhist Skandhas, or rather they were the embodiments of the Skandhas which were held by Lord Buddha to be the constituents of a Being. (Cf. Buddhist Iconography by B. Bhattacharya).