Thangka painting of Dhyani Buddha Mandala
Medium:Pigment on cotton, with silk hanging on wood
Geography: Tibet
Date: 19th century AD
Object number: 910.45.1
DescriptionIn Vajrayana Buddhism, the five Dhyani (wisedom) Buddhas represent the five qualities of the Buddha which include an all-accommodating nature, discriminating awareness, and a sense of equality. They each have an expansive number of associations both symbolic and spiritual which together constitute the Buddhist mind. In this work, the five Dhyani Buddhas are represented most prominently at the top seated cross-legged on lotus thrones floating on the clouds. Vairochana is depicted in the centre in white and is associated with the symbol of the wheel and the element of space. The others are: Ratnasambhava (south, yellow, jewel, earth); Amitabha (west, red, lotus, fire); Akshobhya (east, blue, vajra, air); Amoghasiddhi (north, green, double vajra, water). In this way, the mandala functions like a concept map, a tool for understanding and decoding the Buddhist Dharma (law).
