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TIBETAN
ART Page 4
The
Buddhas
Tibetan art depicts various classes and types of Buddhas, as detailed
below. The concept of Buddha has, according to scholars, never been
exclusively limited to the "one" historic Buddha, Shakyamuni,
who was neither the first Buddha nor will he be the last one. Rather,
the Buddha is conceived of in multiple manifestations: not only
past and future ones, but also simultaneous appearances, occurring
in different, concurrent universes. The Buddhas (the name means
"enlightened ones") are the supreme entities in the pantheon,
and are envisioned in an unending chain. Thus the artistic motif
of the "thousand Buddhas," depicted as rows of tiny identical
figures, is a common theme, seen frequently in gompa wall paintings
(as at Jampa) and on thangkas.
Buddhism,
like Hinduism, conceives not of linear time but of huge cycles or
ages. According to Buddhist cosmology, eternity, in its incomprehensible
vastness, consists of such innumerable, successive ages, known as
kalpas. One such Buddha of a past kalpa was Dipankara, the subject
of many legends; very few others are thus named or treated in myth.
Shakyamuni
is considered to have had many previous lives. The Jataka tales
are legends about his deeds of compassion and self-sacrifice in
those previous lives, as well as about his period as a Bodhisattva
in Tushita, the Buddhist heaven, before he descended to earth and
was manifested as a human being.
As
noted above, Shakyamuni is not considered to be the last or final
Buddha. The future Buddha, whose arrival in the next age has been
foretold, is Maitreya (Jampa in Tibetan), also a figure in many
legends. Now waiting in the Tushita heaven as a Bodhisattva, Maitreya
will at the right time descend to earth as a Manushi-Buddha (see
below) to re-establish the truth and the teachings that lead to
liberation. Unlike many of the deities recognized only in Mahayana
and Vajrayana, Maitreya is known in Theravada Buddhism. Westerners
may think of Maitreya/Jampa as a Buddhist messiah, but this analogy
is not accurate. Since Buddhism envisions neither a beginning nor
an end, there will be Buddhas beyond Maitreya.
Another
identified group are the Medicine Buddhas; the best-known of these
is Bhaisajyaguru (Manla in Tibetan), frequently depicted in Tibetan
art. His color is blue, and he holds a bowl filled with a special
medicinal fruit, the myrobalan. The symbolism of the Medicine Buddha
is integral to the concept of Buddhahood, since the Buddha is not
only a teacher but also a physician: he understands the illness
that befalls the human spirit in its ignorance, and prescribes the
saving treatment.
The
Tri-kaya (three bodies)
Just as Buddhist cosmology does not conceive of a single, exclusive
Buddha, the nature of a Buddha is similarly complex, in that it
has multiple aspects. It comprises, according to most Mahayana schools
of thought, three "bodies" (kaya). But although the word
"body" is a translation of the Sanskrit term, this concept
should not be taken to refer to "body" in its common meaning,
but rather to a more abstract type of entity. The three kaya can
be better understood as distinct, yet simultaneous natures or manifestations.
Here again, as with so many other features of Buddhism, its resemblance
to Christianity (i.e., the holy trinity) is merely superficial.
In our terms, the kaya may be thought of as three tiers of the Buddha-nature.
And, in the highly symbolic world of Tibetan Buddhism, the tri-kaya
or three manifestations represent mind, speech, and body:
1. The Dharmakaya, the truth body: the elemental, primordial Buddha-nature;
2. The Sambhogakaya, the glorious or beatific body;
3. The Nirmanakaya, or transformation body: the Buddha in human
existence, teaching others the path to liberation.
Dharmakaya
This kaya, the truth body, is the ultimate nature, the essence,
of the Buddha-mind. This concept signifies the primordial Buddha--infinite,
eternal, omniscient, self-existing (swabhava) and self-created (swayambhu),
without beginning or end. This primordial essence is variously known,
according to the particular sect, as the Adi-Buddha, Samantabhadra,
or as Vairocana, Vajrasattva, or Vajradhara. The Adi-Buddha is sometimes
considered as the creator of the universe, of whom all things, including
all the Buddhas, are manifestations or emanations. In his various
forms, the Adi-Buddha is shown wearing the dress and ornaments of
a Bodhisattva (see below), but as Samantabhadra, he is dark blue,
unclothed and unadorned, as he is above all worldly attributes.
He is shown in the pose of union, embracing his consort, who is
also nude, and white.
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