The Indian Buddhist Iconography, Mainly Based on the Sadhanamala and Other Cognate Tantric Texts of Rituals c10.s8: Mortal Buddhas

The Indian Buddhist Iconography, Mainly Based on the Sādhanamālā and Other Cognate Tāntric Texts of Rituals c10.s8

Language: English

c10.s8.t1 Vajrāsana — 11 parts
c10.s8.t2 Durgatipariśodhana — 5 parts

Mortal Buddhas

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Both the Mahāyānists and the Hīnayānists hold that a Buddha is one who is endowed with the thirty-two major and eighty minor auspicious marks known as "external characteristics" as enumerated in the Dharmasaṃgraha, attributed to Nāgārjuna. He must have in addition, three kinds of mental characteristics, namely, the ten Balas or forces, eighteen Āveṇika Dharmas or peculiar properties, and the four Vaiśaradyas or points of self-confidence or assurance.

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The Hīnayānists, even in their earlier stages, recognised twenty-four bygone Buddhas, each having a peculiar Bodhi tree. The Mahāyānists also give several lists, though not systematically and thirty-two different names have been recovered. The last seven Tathāgatas are well known, and are designated by the Mahāyānists as Manuṣi or Mortal Buddhas. These are, Vipaśyin, Śikhī, Viśvabhū, Krakucchanda, Kanakamuni, Kaśyapa and Śākyasiṃha. The historicity of these Buddhas is still uncertain excepting of course that of the last, but there are good grounds for thinking that Kanakamuni and Krakucchanda really were historical personages.

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Attempts have been made to establish a fantastic connection between the last five Mortal Buddhas and the five Dhyāni Buddhas and their Bodhisattvas by holding that the Divine Bodhisattvas discharge their duties of creation through the agency of the five Mortal Buddhas. The theory may be current in Tibet; it may ingeniously establish a new connection and may find strong support from scholars, but it is against all Tāntric traditions of India.

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When represented, the last seven Mortal Buddhas appear all alike; they are of one colour and one form, usually sitting cross-legged, with the right hand disposed in the Bhūmisparśa Mudrā (earth-touching attitude), which is the Mudrā peculiar to Akṣobhya and as a matter of fact, it is not possible to identify a sculpture of the latter unless it is coloured or if no other identification mark is present. In paintings, the Mortal Buddhas have usually a yellow or golden complexion. The only possible chance of identifying them is when they appear in groups of seven.¹

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¹ Colossal images of the Seven Mortal Buddhas representing them with the Bhūmisparśa mudrā appear in one of cave temples at Ellora. Fergusson and Burgess: Cave Temples of India, p. 383.

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Sometimes they are represented as standing, in which case they appear under a distinguishing Bodhi Tree and with a distinguishing Mudrā. The Indian Museum image No. B. G. 83 (Fig. 45) is an image of this kind. It may be noted, however, that Maitreya, the future Buddha, has been added to this group.

Vajrāsana

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Gautama, the last of the group of the seven Mortal Buddhas, is widely represented both in sculptures and in paintings. His images date from a period anterior to the birth of Christ and the fascination of Indian sculptors for Buddha images seems never to have diminished. Innumerable images of Buddha in innumerable attitudes and with innumerable expressions have been discovered in India, as in those other countries which came under the influence of Buddhism. Images of Buddha, therefore, are an independent study by themselves.

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The Sādhanamālā furnishes us with several descriptions of Buddha Vajrāsana sitting in the Vajraparyaṅka attitude, with his right hand displaying the Bhūmisparśa pose. The Dhyāna, as given in one of the Sādhana is quoted below:

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“Savyakareṇa Bhūsparśamudraṁ utsaṅgasthitāvasavyahastaṁ kāṣāya-vastrāvaguṇthanaṁ nīlagauraraktaśyamacatur-Māropari viśva-padmavaj-rāvasthitaṁ śāntaṁ lakṣaṇavyañjanēnanvitagātraṁ. Tasya Bhagavato dakṣiṇe Maitreya-Bodhisattvaṁ gauraṁ dvibhujaṁ jaṭāmukuṭinaṁ savyakareṇa cāmararatnadhāriṇaṁ avasavyena nāgakeśārapuṣpacchaṭā-dhāriṇaṁ. Tathā vāmato Lokeśvarraṁ śuklaṁ dakṣiṇakareṇa cāma-

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rādharam vāmakareṇa kamaladharam Bhagavanmukhāvlokanaparau ca tau bhāvayet. Iti Vajrāsanasādhanam samāptam” Sādhanamālā, p. 24.

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“The worshipper should meditate himself as (Vajrāsana) who displays the Bhūsparśa Mudrā in his right hand while the left rests on the lap. He is dressed in red garments and sits on the Vajra-marked double lotus placed on the four Māras of blue, white, red and green colour. He is peaceful in appearance and his body is endowed with all the major and minor auspicious marks.

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“To the right of the God is Maitreya Bodhisattva who is white, two-armed, and wears the Jaṭāmukuṭa (crown of matted hair), and carries the chowrie-Jewel in the right hand, and the Nāgakeśara flower in the left.

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“Similarly, to the left of the principal God is Lokeśvara of white complexion, carrying in his right hand the chowrie and the lotus in the left.

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“These two gods should be meditated upon as looking towards the face of the (principal) god……

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“Here ends the Sādhana for Vajrāsana”

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Images of this divinity are found in overwhelming numbers in almost all Buddhist centres in India. The Indian Museum image (Fig. 46) is an example of this form of Gautama.

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Buddha Śākyasiṃha was conceived in another form which was called by the name of Durgatipariśodhana. This particular form of Śākyasiṃha is described in the Niṣpannayogāvalī of Abhayākara Gupta.

Linked texts (3)

Sādhanamālā — Sanskrit
Dharmasaṃgraha — Nāgārjuna, Sanskrit
Niṣpannayogāvalī — Abhayākaragupta, Sanskrit