Indian Sculpture and Painting, Illustrated by Typical Masterpieces, with an Explanation of their Motives and Ideals c7.270

c7.270

The Adi-Buddha of later Buddhism, from whom the Dhyâni-Buddhas and the rest of the Buddhist theogony were said to proceed, appears in orthodox Hinduism as Ishvara, the first manifestation of the Divine Consciousness preceding the creation of the universe. The Buddhist Trimûrti, or Triad—Manjusri, Avalokiteshvara, and Vajrapâni—correspond to the later Hindu Triad of deities—Brahmâ, Vishnu, and Siva, and similarly it is possible to find a Hindu analogue for almost every one of the Buddhist pantheon. In fact, the great strength of Hinduism has always been in its capacity for appropriating and assimilating the ideas of every religious system which comes into contact with it.