The great Indian tantric master Padmasambhava (Sanskrit: ‘Lotus-Born’) is credited with the introduction of Buddhism in Tibet during the eight century. Guru Rinpoche, as he is known to the Tibetans, is considered to be the founder of the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism. Vajrayāna practitioners regard him as an emanation of the Lord of the […]
In Tantric Buddhism, Amitābha is one of the Five Dhyani Buddhas (the other four being Vairocana, Akshobhya, Ratnasambhava, and Amoghasiddhi respectively). Each of these Meditation Buddhas inhabits a cardinal direction; Amitābha resides in the West. There he dwells in a celestial realm known as Sukhāvatī; i.e., the Pure Land of “Ultimate Bliss” (Sanskrit: sukhāvatī). From […]
Amitāyus is considered to be a manifestation of the Enjoyment Body (Sanskrit: sambhogakāya) of the Buddha of Infinite Light; i.e., Amitābha. Though strictly speaking Amitāyus is an emanation of Amitābha, yet both are in fact one and the same Buddha, differentiating from each other only in terms of their iconographical depictions. For instance, Amitāyus is […]
