Amitayus or Buddha Aparimita

Buddha Amitayu is very popular in bestowing long life upon the devotees. He is red in colour. His hands are in dhyani mudra and holds ambrosia vase (Skt. Amrit kalasha). He usually wears all the ornaments of different kinds peculiar to a Sambhogakaya Buddha. He is never depicted with any consort. He wears a crown and has Ushnisha and Urakosh in his body.

Buddha Amitayus is invoked or worshipped for lengthening the life span of fast relief from deathful diseases or from moral danger. In Nepalese Mahayana tradition the dharani of Buddhas Amitayus is often recited by the devotees in the presence of dying patients. The recitation of dharsni is said to be efficacious when carried out in utter sincerity. It is said that famous Mahayamika Buddhist philosopher Arys Nagarjuna had escaped his early death after recitation of this dharani one complete day and night.

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Vajrakilaya

The winged head Heruka Archetype deity with three faces and six arms is probably Vajrakumara (also known as Vajrakila). He is shown as terrific union with his wisdom consort. Together they represent the union of wisdom (female) and artful method (male), which is the compassionate action. They stand on prostrate figures, one male and one female, symbolizing their triumph over delusion. Marks of his status as a terrific Heruka includes the flayed skin of an elephant and of a human being, both of which are stretched over his back as two separate pieces. He wears a long garland of fifty severed heads, representing the negative attitudes severed and turned into ornaments by wisdom. He also wears over each face a five-skull crown, representing the five addictions transmuted into the five wisdoms. His consort is one-faced and two-armed and holds vajra chopper and r bowl. She is dressed in a leopard-skin shirt, wears a five-skull crown, and has a flower on the back of her hair.

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Yemantaka

Yamantaka presides over the Eastern direction and is one of the popular deities of Nepalese Buddhist Pantheon. It is said that he is emanation of Bodhisattva Manjushree. With great awesome and virtuous strength, he is capable of subduing poisonous serpent and eliminating countless obstacles.
Bodhisattva Manjushree took this wrathful form in order of subdue the lord of death. So Yamantaka symbolizes the victory over wisdom over death, evil and sufferings. How Yamantaka subdued Yama Lord of Death is described in the legend. It is said that of Bonpo ascetic was just attaining the final stage of his meditative experience after a long years of samadhi. In the mean time a gang of robbers entered his cave in order to slaughter a bull they have stolen. Having cut off the bull's head they happened to see him and immediately began to attack him. This ascetic begged for mercy but they did not hear his request. They severed his head. All of a sudden this severed head took the form of Yama and fitted the bull's head onto the place of his own lost head and then massacred the robbers and drunk their blood from the cups made of their skulls. Out of the great rage he even threatened to destroy the whole of Tibet. Then the Tibetans prayed to their protector Manjushree, who then transformed himself into a wrathful appearance of Yamantaka in order to conquer Yama. In the ferocious battle that followed, Yama was subdued. He later determined to become a protector of dharma (thus the name Dharma raja for Yama.)

Among the many forms of Yamantaka, Yamantaka Bajrabhairava is the most popular. He is described in meditational text as follow

Yamantaka Vajrabhairava has 8 heads. The principle head is that of a bull or a buffalo. He has 34 arms and 16 feet to subdue Yama from escaping. On the top of the 8 heads lies the gentle face of golden colored image of Manjushree. His two principal hands hold a skull bowl in a Vajra chopper. The legs are clustered together. His erect phallus has bright red tip. He wears a garland of severed heads, a crown of 5 skulls symbolizing he has the wisdom of 5 Buddhas. Beneath the feet lie the subjugated deities and animals. He is usually depicted with his Prajna.

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White Tara

The origin of White Tara is same as that of Green Tara. She appeared out of tear drops of Avalokiteshwara when he saw the beings in samsara are still full of misery in spite of his efforts to liberate them. This form of Tara is described in the meditational text as follows.

White Tara is seated in full vajra posture and her left hand which is poised at the heart holds the stem of the lotus that opens into blossom beside her left shoulder. Her right hand is in the varada mudra symbolizing supreme generosity. She is seated upright on the moon disk. She is wearing all sorts of precious ornaments and looks beautiful maiden of 16 years of age. Amitabha Buddha image sits upon the head as a crown. The practice of white Tara is basically performed in order to prolong life as well as for healing purpose. It is said that because Aryatara is the collective manifestation of the enlightened activity of all the Buddhas, her sadhana is easily accomplished. The recitation of her mantra merely a hundred thousand times with the motivation of bodhicitta will cause avertion of hindrances.

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Wheel of Life

The wheel of life shows the six spheres of existence within which sorrowful lives take place and to which a man is chained by desire, ignorance and hatred. The circle is held by demon ~ Yama indicating lives must die and live again.

The outer circle of the wheel shows 12 links in the chain of causation which binds living beings to the misery of inner circle and six world of ~
1 Gods symbolizes the life of comfort, pleasure and apparent immorality which leads to pride and self assurance.
2 Titans or semi gods is that of suffering caused by perpetual strife due to envy.
3 Human realms are marked by the suffering of sickness, old age and death caused by desire or passion.
4 Animal worlds symbolize lethargy and spiritual incapacity of life governed by instincts.
5 Spirit symbolizes the suffering through permanent hunger caused by greed and avarice.
6 Hell is that of suffering of fiery heat and icy cold caused by hatred and anger.

Twelve sections of Outer ring are –

1 Death shown by a man carrying on his back a corpse to the funeral prey.
2 Birth shown by birth scene.
3 Becoming is shown by union of husband and wife.
4 Appropriation is shown by a man picking fruit from a tree and storing it.
5 Desire is shown the form of man drinking wine.
6 Feeling is shown by an arrow entering a man's eye.
7 Contact is shown as an embrace between lovers.
8 Senses are represented by a house with six windows.
9 Personality is shown by a boat with two persons.
10 Consciousness is shown by a monkey climbing a tree,
11 Elemental impulses are shown by the pots which a potter shapes from clay.
12 Ignorance is represented by blind women led by a stick.

As a spontaneous search back into the origin of death and rebirth, the ultimate cause of which is ignorance, which stimulates desires and maintains self propelling of existence.

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Manjushree

Manjushree is the embodiment of the characteristics of enlightened mind i.e. discriminating wisdom. Manjushree has the ability to see the nature of reality as it is. He is seen holding the flaming sword of wisdom with his right hand and a book called Prajnaparamita with his left hand. He has many names such as Manjuvajra, Manjughosa, Vajishvara, Arapacana, etc. In Mahayana Buddhist tradition, he is regarded as having supreme wisdom among Bodhisattvas. He is also called prince of Dharma because of his eloquent wisdom.

According to Surangamasamadhi sutra, he became a Buddha in past immeasurable aeon ago although he manifests as the assistant to Shakyamuni Buddha. According to Manjushreevyuhalamkara sutra, he was the teacher of countless Buddhas in the past and led numerous cultivators to certify the fruits of Buddha hood. He is thus, called the mother of all Buddha in three worlds. In Namasangiti text he is designated as Adi‑Buddha, premoridial Buddha i.e. embodiment of all self existing awareness. He is said to have cut the gorge of Chovar hill with his flaming sword Chandrahasa and led the waters flow out and thereby open the valley for human habitation and spread Buddha Dharma.

In Gandav Yuha sutra, it is said that Manjushree incited Bodhisattva Sudhana to seek dharmas of enlightenment from 53 Kalyanamitras.

Wu‑Tai‑Shan Mountain of mainland China is said to be the Bodhimanda of Manjushree.

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Manadala

Among all those Thankas Mandala is the most famous one. Mandala are graphic, geometric representations of the cosmos ~ Paychocos mograms symbolizing the order or harmony achieved by truly enlightened mind. They have great power, being seen as concentrated areas where the forces of the universe are gathered. (MANDA means essence while LA means container).

The design is symmetrical, based or circles or squares, with central focal point. In tantric Buddhism where the mandala is used to support meditation, adept seek to absorb its power. Sometimes a Mandala takes the form of an elaborate four gated city '' A palace of knowledge'' which the practitioner mentally enters and approaches the centre of life in order to achieve a state of mystical unity with the Buddha.

Although not created premanly to please the eye. Mandalas are often works art with great stylistic elegance or beauty. They are most frequently displayed on Thankas but are also seen on the walls of temples and monasteries. A few monasteries such as Shakya and Tashilhunpo still create magnificient mandalas made of colored sand.


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Mahakala

Mahakala is the deity worshipped by both the Hindus and Buddhists. He can be seen in the entrance of every Buddhist monasteries of the Kathmandu Valley. He is said to be the protector of doctrine of Buddha Shakyamuni. There are many forms of Mahakala among them two armed, four armed, six armed and sixteen armed are being most popular one.
In Nepalese Buddhist tradition, two armed form of Mahakala carved in stones is found in large number. The two armed form is described as follows:
His body is dark blue in color. He looks wrathful bedecked with ornaments of serpents. He wears a garland of severed heads and a crown of 5 skulls symbolizing the 5 defilements. His right hand holds Kartri symbolizing that it can cut ego-clinging and attachment and his left hands holds an apala filled with blood symbolizing the subjugation of evil ones. He wears tiger skin symbolizing the purification of desire. He has three eyes symbolizing his clear comprehension of three times. He looks ferocious against the blazing fire. His mouth is smeared with blood signifying that he is active in eliminating evils.

The characteristic feature of the protector Mahakala is that he, during war, can protect those relying on him since there is limitless number of retinue of spirits and ghosts under his command who are skillful in battle. He can provide sufficient foods to the needy. Separate temples with Mahakala along can be found in large number.

It is said that Mahakala is the manifestation of Bodhisattva Avalokiteshvara. From the heart of Avalokiteshvara emerged a dark blue Hung Letter, which transforms into the instantaneous protector of wisdom. Buddha Amitabha proclaimed thus, '' Son of the family, you shall have the strength of the wrathful Yama, Lord of death. You shall have the mountain spirits, the yakshas, and the devils in the demonesses as your messenger. You shall embody the great wrathful empowerments of the body, speech, mind, qualities and activities of all the Buddhas throughout the three times.'' Ever since Mahakala has remained as the doctrine protector of all the Buddha fields.

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Kubera

Kubera is the lord of wealth and guardian of the Northern direction. According to the Hindu methodology, he is said to have preformed austerities for a thousand years, in regarded for which the Bramha gave immorality and made him the god of wealth, guardian of all the treasures of the earth, which has to distribute according to the destiny of the receivers. Kubera’s dwelling place was said to be on Alaka in the Himalayas, abounding in wealth and magnificent. Kubers is also worshipped by Buddhist.

Lokeshora

LOKESHWORA

Thousand Armed Lokeshwara

This is one of the many forms of Avalokiteshvara comprising 108 as depicted in the Kanak Chaitya Mahavihara of Kathmandu.

He manifests in many forms in order to help sentient beings. His 1000 arms form is described as follows

His body is white. He has 1000 arms and 1000 eyes. However, his original 2 hands and 2 eyes are not included. Out of 1000 arms of Avalokiteshvara, 38 arms of this Lokeshvara are depicted with various symbols of emblems. Sometimes he is depicted with emblems with 8 arms only carrying rosary, disc, varada mudra and jewel with his right hand and lotus, bow, vase and clapping ratna with his left hands. He wears an antelope skin on his shoulders symbolizing compassionate nature. He wears all the Bodhisattva ornaments like earrings and so on. He has 11 heads. The 11 heads being his spiritual sire Buddha Amitaba. It is said that Bodhisattva Avalokiteshwara made the commitment in front of Buddha Amitabha to intentionally manifest into the 3 realms of samsara in order to liberate all sentient beings from samsara and to be their supreme guide. He also vowed if by chance his compassion and courageous mind of mercy for sentient beings were to decrease, then let his head and body just completely crack and fall into 1000 pieces. Receiving blessings from Buddha Amitabha Avalokiteshvara went through universal manifestations into the 3 realms of samsara. Thereby he went to hell and emancipated them from both the hot and cold hells by teaching Om Mane Pad me Hung. He in turn went to ghost realm, human, Asura and Deva realms to free the sentient beings from their respective sufferings. He absolutely emptied the ocean of suffering. Following which he went back to Buddha Amitabha and declared that the liberation had been effective. Buddha Amitabha said to him, "You should look again, look back again and again into the world." And as he did, there he saw once again that sentient beings were in samsara and in sorrow. He became as disappointed as he saw the sight and then his enlightened thought (Bodhicitta) decrease into the moment and he lost his courage. He became disappointed in the very presence of Buddha Amitabha. He felt how the time could come to liberate all sentient beings for ever from this type of condition. And instantly, when his mind felt with sorrow, his body and head just cracked and fell apart into one thousand pieces and then he fainted.

Avalokiteshvara thus fainted and Buddha Amitabha said to him, "My son where has your courage, your mental strength gone?" He picked up all the pieces of his body and his head. At the same time he said, "This happened because of your prayer. You deserve praise of all Buddhas since your prayer was efficacious. However, noble son! Don't worry." Thereby he blessed his broken heads in 11 faces and he sat upon those heads, and his broken body into one thousand hands like one thousand petals of the lotus. Thereafter he said, "I bow to you because your thousand heads are the heads of the thousand universal emperors and those eyes in each of the palms of the hands are eyes of one thousand Buddhas who will appear in this fortunate aeon. After that Avilokiteshvara appeared in many different forms in order to tame the suffering sentient beings and he successfully accomplished many events.

The image of 1000 armed Avalokiteshvara in stones is rare in Kathmandu valley. The bronze images can be seen here and there. Basically, a system of fasting ceremony nyune from Tibet came to Kathmandu too, through Tibetan Buddhist masters. In this fasting ceremony, the practice or sadhana is usually devoted to this form of Avalokiteshvara.

Thousand armed Avalokiteshvara form of image can be found in China too. A giant image of thousand armed Avalokiteshvara (360 cms) is installed in the Maitriya temple in Tainan. It was carved out of wood and has aesthetical value.

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Kalachakra Mandala

It is reported that in the year after Buddha Shakyamuni attained enlightenment, he was asked by the king Chandrabhadra of Shambhala to teach the Kalachakratantra. The Buddha manifested himself in the form of Kalachakra meditational deity in the South India and gave the full teaching and initiation of this tantra. The Kalachakra teaching was then transmitted through a lineage of 7 kings and 25 propagators.
The Mandela of Kalahari has three major squares and corresponding entrance gates. The Mandela has been elaborately described in Nispannayogavali of Abhyakaragupta. The Mandela, according to this Nispannayogavali, has more than 700 deities standing or seated holding various emblems. There are two ways of presenting Kalachakra. The first one is to represent all the deities in the proper order according to the text and while the other is to depict the Mandela in the symbols of animals, and flowers. Examples of such Kalachakra Mandala paintings can be found in the potala palace and in the Musee Guimet Collection, show the divinities in figures, but even there the artist find it impossible to depict all the elements described in the text.

This painting shows a heavenly palace with torona, watch towers, middle gates, and the central palace (Kutagar) in which the main divinity Kalachakra and its consort Vishvamata reside. The principal deities in the Mandela are in the orange pericarp of the central green lotus. They are surrounded by four Buddhas and their consorts and depicted in the colors and positions prescribed in the text. These include Amoghsiddhi (dark green) in the east, Ratnasambhava (red) in the south, Vairocana (yellow) in the west and Amitabha (white) in the north. The positions and colors of the Buddha in this Kalachakra are different from the typical portrayals.
The four entrances nearest to the center are said to be Cittacakra (mind-wheels), in the middle entrances are said to be vakcakra (voice-wheels) represented by four wrathful deities in their consorts in standing positions. These include Vighnantaka (east), Prajnanaka, Yamantaka and Padmantaka. Outside the gates of vakcakra are figures of various animals, including a corpse and marigold-like lotus flowers. They include a deer, buffalo, ram, peacock, elephant, goose, bull, makara, mouse and garuda. They are the vehicles of various divinities of Hindu pantheon. For instance, a corpse is a vehicle of the deity Narrate, a deer is the vehicle of vaudeville and so forth.

The outermost gates belong to third circle called Kayacakra (body-wheel). There are 4 gates and 4 chariots one in each gate. A green chariot is drawn by boars at the eastern gate, a res chariot is drawn by horse in the southern gate, yellow chariot is drawn by elephants in the western gates and a white chariot is drawn by the lions at the northern gate. The three-storied gate-houses are inhabited by many divinities. Two more chariots, Zenith and Nadir, are on the roofs of the houses. Chariot at the zenith is driven by Sardula and one at the nadir is driven by Garuda. The beautiful multi colored writing in the Ranjana script is seen at different places. They are seed syllables such as Hum, Vam, and Yam representing various Tantric divinities and planets.

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Kalachakra

Kalachakra is the deity of Highest Yoga Tantra class, its initiation is given to only selected disciples who are qualified and had a foundation experience of renunciation, Bodhisattva and correct view of Emptiness. In Nepalese tradition too, the initiation of Kalachakra is performed very often by learned Vajracharya priests. Receiving empowerment of this deity is a rare event these days.

It is said that one year after Shakyamuni Buddha attained Enlightenment, he was requested by King Candrabhadra of Shambala to teach the Kalchakra Tantra. Buddha then manifested himself in the form of Kalachakra meditational deity in South India and gave the full teachings and initiation of his tantra.

Kalachakra teaching was then transmitted through a lineage of seven kings and 25 propagators. The Kalachakra initiation session have been performed several times by His Holiness the fourteenth Dalai Lama at the present time also. Those who have received this initiation may use this meditational deity for Yidam practice.

Kalachakra has four faces, 24 arms and 2 legs. His front face is blue with bear fangs; right face is red, left white and rear yellow each with three eyes. His blue face expresses wrathfulness. The deity is adorned with many jewels, ornaments, such as the earrings, necklace, the crown, the bangles and anklets and so on. He is dressed in a tiger skin.
Among his 24 arms, 12 arms are on either side. The first 4 arms black, the middle red, and the last 4 arms are white. The first of the black arms embraces the consort and holds a vajra in the hand, the second a sword, third trident, and the fourth a cleaver. The first of the right red hand holds an arrow, the second long handled vajra hook, the third a damaru and the fourth a hammer. Again, the first of the right white hands holds a wheel, the second a sword, the third a stick, and the fourth an axe. The first of the left black hands holds a bell, the second a shield, third a khatvang, the fourth kapala i.e. skull cup. The first of the left right hands bow, the second a lasso, the third a precious jewel and the fourth a white lotus. The first of the left white hands holds a white conch, the second a mirror, the third an iron chain and the fourth the head of the deity Brahma by the hair.

The Kalachakra has two legs. The right one is red and the left one is white symbolizing the right energy channels containing blood and left energy channels containing white bodhicitta. The consort of Kalachakra is called Visvamati. She is yellow in color and has four faces, each with three eyes. The other three faces are white, black and red. She has eight arms, 4 each on the either side. First right hand embraces Kalachakra, the second a vajra hook, the third a damaru and the fourth a rosary. The first of her left hand embraces Kalachakra, holds a kapala filled with blood, the second a lasso, the third a lotus, the fourth a precious jewel. The consort wears a crown and is adorned with five types of ornaments. She is in union with the deity Kalachakra.

Ganesh

Ganesh is one of the god of Hinduism. The elephant headed god of wisdom and success is the defender and remover of obstacles and has to be propitiated first before worship to other gods. He is one of the sons of Lord Shiva. He is known as “Siddhi data” or bestowed of success In the work.