The Indian Buddhist Iconography, Mainly Based on the Sadhanamala and Other Cognate Tantric Texts of Rituals c12.12

c12.12

It has been made abundantly clear that the Buddhists believe that their gods and goddesses affiliate themselves to the families of the five Dhyāni Buddhas, and as such, various attempts were made to assign Mañjuśrī to a particular Dhyāni Buddha. Sometimes in the Sādhanas he is made an offspring of Amitābha of red colour, and sometimes of Akṣobhya with the blue colour. Mañjuśrī also shows several colours showing his allegiance to several Kulas or families. The human origin of Mañjuśrī seems to be responsible for this kind of confusion. Mañjuśrī seems to have been deified in the same manner as Aśvaghoṣa, Nāgārjuna, Āryadeva, Asaṅga and many others were regarded as Bodhisattvas in the time of Hiuen Tsang.