Vairocana

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Dainichi Nyorai (�Great Sun Buddha�) by Unkei, lacquered wood sculpture, 1175; in the �
Asuka-en

In Mahayana and tantric Buddhism, the supreme buddha who is the cosmic counterpart of Sakyamuni in his teaching mode.

He is the most prominent of the five self-born buddhas, those who were born as humans to propagate the dharma. Though without canonical basis, Vairocana holds a special place in Tibetan Buddhism and has a special role in the Avatamsaka-sutra, in which he is the solar buddha who is both the ultimate reality of the cosmos and the one who pervades its component parts.

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Kegon - Buddhist philosophy introduced into Japan from China in the 8th century.

Avatamsaka-sutra - Mahayana Buddhist sutra that explores the teachings of the Buddha Gautama.

More on "Vairocana" from the 32 Volume Encyclopædia Britannica:

Vairocana - ("Great Illuminator"), the supreme Buddha, as regarded by many Mahayana Buddhists of East Asia and of Tibet, Nepal, and Java.

Fudo Myo-o - in Japanese Buddhist mythology, the fierce form of the Buddha Vairocana, and the most important of the Myo-o class of deities. See Myo-o.

Usnisavijaya - popular Buddhist goddess in Nepal, Tibet, and Mongolia. Her name in Sanskrit means "victorious goddess of the usnisa," the last-named object being the protuberance on the top of the Buddha's skull. She wears an image of the Buddha Vairocana in her headdress and is described as residing in the cellar of the caitya ("shrine"). She may be identified by the small figure of Buddha seated on a lotus, ...

Adi-Buddha - among some sects of Mahayana Buddhism, the first, or self-existing, Buddha, from whom are said to have evolved the five Dhyani-Buddhas (see Dhyani-Buddha). Though the concept of an Adi-Buddha was never generally popular, a few groups, particularly in Nepal, Tibet, and Java, elevated Vairocana to the position of Adi-Buddha or named a new deity, such as Vajradhara or Vajrasattva, as the supreme ...

Buddhism - In the Mahayana tradition the Buddha is viewed as a supramundane being. He multiplies himself and is often reflected in a pentad of buddhas-Vairocana, Aksobhya, Ratnasambhava, Amitabha, and Amoghasiddhi-who reveal various doctrines and elaborate liturgies and sometimes take the place of Shakyamuni.

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