Special Topics
Buddhas and Bodhisattvas in the Pure Lands
More than 2,600 years after his parinirvana, the Buddha's compassion and wisdom, asembodied in concrete figures of the Buddha (Skt. buddharūpa), still transcends the barrier of time, space, and language, guiding and leading sentient beings to the path to the truth. Statues of the Buddha have long been used by Buddhist disciples as an object of focus (ālambana) for their spiritual practice. These statues help Buddhists recall and visualize the Buddha's image, epithets, and m...
The Triad of Sakyamuni Buddha
An introduction to combinations of Buddhist statues – one buddha flanked by two bodhisattvas The Triad of Sakyamuni Buddha – Delivering sentient beings in the evil world of five defilements The three-figure arrangement typical to Buddhist statuary has emerged around the second to third century CE. This format features the central figure as the principal one, flanked by two other figures on each side. For instance, for the arrangement of three Buddha statues together, the cen...
Three Saints of the Ghanavyūha
An introduction to combinations of Buddhist statues – one buddha flanked by two bodhisattvas Three Saints of the Ghanavyūha In Buddhist cosmology, the universe is comprised of innumerable worlds. On the Fragrant Ocean Of Boundless Light Of Wondrous Flowers (無邊妙華光香水海), there is a great lotus flower, which contains the "Base For The World Of Precious Brilliant Light Of The Ten Directions" (十方熾燃寶光明世界種). In this base, there are twenty tiers of Ghanavyūha,&n...
Three Saints of the Western Pure Land
An introduction to combinations of Buddhist statues – one buddha flanked by two bodhisattvas Three Saints of the Western Pure Land – Guides to the World of Ultimate Bliss As narrated in the Longer Sukhāvatīvyūha Sūtra, in ten trillion Buddha lands from the west of the Sahā World, there is Western World of Ultimate Bliss. It is a pure Buddha land accomplished by Amitābha Buddha through the fulfillment of 48 great vows made during his practice in the causal ground. The Shorter...
Three Saints of the Eastern Pure Land
An introduction to combinations of Buddhist statues – one buddha flanked by two bodhisattvas Three Saints of the Eastern Pure Land and their approaches to gain peace and joy in the present life At a distance of lands as numerous as the sands of ten Ganges rivers from the east of the Sahā World, lies the Eastern Pure Land of Azure Radiance (Vaidūryanirbhāsā). It is a pure Buddha-land created as a result of Bhaiṣajyaguru Tathagata (Medicine Buddha)'s twelve great vows. In Medici...
Buddhas of the Three Times
An introduction to combinations of Buddhist statues – Three buddhas Buddhas of the three times – the blessings beyond time and space When walking into the main hall of a Buddhist temple, we often find three Buddha statues sitting on an elevated platform. These three Buddhas are the main objects of veneration in Mahayana Buddhism. However, what are the three Buddhas we refer to? What does each symbolize? The emergence of the Buddhas of the three times was first menti...
One Buddha Flanked by Two Disciples
An introduction to combinations of Buddhist statues – One buddha flanked by two disciples In addition to flanking bodhisattvas, we occasionally can see statues of two disciples on each side of Sakyamuni Buddha. Who are these disciples? In the one-Buddha-flanked-by-two-disciple arrangement, the Buddha's flanking attendants are normally Śāriputra and Maudgalyayana in the Theravada tradition. On the other hand, in the Northern Buddhist tradition, these two positions are occupied ...