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An Explanation of Vairochana Mandala
Vairochana Mandala
Mandala is a sacred space where the Buddha bodhisattvas gather to teach and transform living beings It is the place the Buddhas manifest their samadhi concentration spiritual and healing powers Vairochana Mandala is a mandala whose dharma host is Vairochana Buddha who represents the non duality of all phenomena Vairochana Mandala is constructed based on the philosophy of the Avatamsaka Sutra 3
Vairochana Buddha The nature of Buddhahood is non dualistic but its feature is the limitless and boundless light This feature is expressed in the statue made of transparent clear crystal Meaning of the hand mudra The left index finger represents the noosphere of us commoners The right index finger represents the enlightened mind of the Buddhas Two indexes meet to signify how the Buddha has come to meet us and bring their enlightened knowledge to us All four right fingers embrace the left index to represent how the Buddhas embrace all living beings hearts and minds 4
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On the head of the Buddha is the siddham A meaning Entering into Sphere of Totality It represents the dharmadhatu the realm of absolute reality from which the non dualistic lights are unfolded into every level of consciousness The path of unfolding lights is called the path of Mansjuri A 6
On the chest of the Buddha is the siddham VA meaning the Non duality of Compassion and Wisdom It represents the instant realization transforming darkness into light compassion into wisdom The path of transformation is called the path of Samantabhadra VA 7
Essentially Vairochana Mandala presents 2 paths of practice that are taught in the Avatamsaka Sutra The path of Mansjuri The path of This is the path of unfolding Samantabhadra the limitless lights from the This is the path of spiritual True Nature onto all levels transcendence returning to all layers of darkness the the True Mind by instant Five Skandhas realization in every step of practice 8
The end of Mansjuri s path is the beginning of Samantabhdra s path that is great compassion Great compassion can be expressed in the siddham VA VA The path of Mansjuri The path of When the brilliant light Samantabhadra from the True Mind The start of any reaches living beings enlightening practice hearts it is called great begins with compassion compassion 9
The path of Mansjuri unfolds the dharma body seen as the absolute principle The path of Samantabhadra transcends and realizes the dharma body in every step of practice Two paths are two complement aspects of one non dualistic reality One Vairochana Buddha Dharma body seen as absolute principle Dharma body manifested as non dualistic wisdom 10
The path of Mansjuri Bodhisattva Unfolding limitless light from the dharma body to every levels of consciousness 11
Dharma body seen as absolute principle Limitless light from the dharma body is unfolded into all levels of consciousness all 5 layers of darkness Five Skandha body and its sensation feelings and emotions thoughts habitual energy and consciousness Consciousness Darkness is used to describe the state of duality created by the attachment to the existence of subjectobject Habitual energy Thoughts Feelings Body The web of dualism 12
Mapping the path of unfolding onto Vairochana Mandala In Vairochana Mandala 5 colored squares represent the 5 layers of duality and darkness Skandha 1 White Consciousness Skandha 2 Green Formation Skandhas habitual energy habits 3 Red Thought Skandha 4 Blue Feeling Skandha emotions 5 Yellow Form Skandha body and its sensation 1 2 3 The web of dualism 4 5 13
When Vairochana Buddha Each kind of lights is shining to each form of shadows unfolds the non dualistic light it manifests into many kind of lights A Enter the Sphere of Totality Consciousness RA Differentiation of Infinite Levels Habitual energy PA Shining Everywhere Throughout the Dharmadhatu CA Universal Sphere Cutting Through All Discriminations Thoughts Feelings NA The Unsurpassed Independent Attainment Body VA Cause to Establish Everywhere the lights 14 The web of dualism
A RA PA CA NA VA 15
The lights unfold from Vairochana Buddha arrows Dualistic consciousness The non dualistic True Mind Habitual energy Thoughts Feelings The web of dualism Physical body forms 16
A Enter the Sphere of Totality A The sphere of Totality embraces the whole Realm of Reality and all the universes of duality When cultivates the seed of light A Bodhisattva manifests the dharma body that is identical with the Dharmadhatu the Realm of Reality This dharma body is non dualistic formless shapeless uncreated beyond birth and death A 17
RA Differentiation of Infinite Levels RA The seed of light RA is the great compassion that permeates the web of affinities When cultivates RA Bodhisattva emanates great compassion in many forms such as kindness nonpossessive love empathy forgiveness Towards one s parent that compassion is filial respect towards one s spouse it is called unconditional love towards community it The lights of compassion radiate from the Heart Center permeating all living beings in the web of affinities RA is total dedication Compassion has infinite manifestations in the web of immeasurable affinities RA RA 18
PA Shining Everywhere Throughout the Dharmadhatu PA The seed of light PA is the light of nourishment nourishes all webs of life in the Triple Realm realm of desires realm of forms and realm of formlessness Wherever there is consciousness and life there is PA When engages with the world Bodhisattva cultivates PA to engender grow and nourish truthfulness goodness and beauty in the hearts of all living beings PA PA The lights of PA radiate compassion to nourish all living beings in the web of life with truthfulness goodness and beauty PA PA 19
CA Universal Sphere Cutting Through All Discriminations CA The seed of light CA produces a light as sharp concentrated and focused as a laser beam It represents the single mindedness of Bodhisattva s meditation The light from CA penetrates every levels of consciousness every layers of darkness the Five Skandha body and sensations feelings thoughts habits and habitual energy dualistic consciousness CA Lights from CA shine without from obstruction the conscious superto cuts through all duality and discriminations enables Bodhisattva to dwell on non duality without any attachments the conscious to the sub CA conscious penetrate all layers of darkness CA CA CA 20
NA Unsurpassed Independent Attainment NA Lights from NA integrate all the other lights of RA PA CA and create a web of lights that pervade the entire Dharmadhatu NA RA PA CA 21
NA Unsurpassed Independent Attainment NA The seed of light NA integrates and embraces all other lights from the Buddha nature into a torus shape light that pervades all the Realm of Absolute Reality It represents the nature of Bodhisattva s samadhi singleminded and yet fully embracing NA is the samadhi of Bodhisattvas from the Ten Grounds and beyond NA NA 22
The path of Samantabhadra Bodhisattva Transcending and realizing the dharma body in every step of practice 23
Thousand petal lotus In the path of Samantabhadra bodhisattva transcends and realizes the dharma body in every step of practice White Lotus every stage of realization and eventually unites with Vairochana Buddha Purple or green lotus Like an emerging lotus that constantly grows toward the sun the practice of Samantabhadra bodhisattva directs one s spirit to rise out of the embedded consciousness ceaselessly Red lotus tending toward the dharma body the source of limitless lights Blue lotus Great Earth Web of dualism 24
Thousand petal lotus Wonderful Enlightenment White Lotus Equal Enlightenment According to the Avatamsaka Sutra there are 6 stages of Purple or green lotus Ten Grounds spiritual unfoldment and transformation 1 The Ten Abodes represented as the earth 2 The Ten Practices blue lotus 3 The Ten Transferences red lotus 4 The Ten Grounds purple lotus 5 Equal Enlightenment White lotus 6 Wonderful Enlightenment thousand petal lotus Red lotus Ten Transferences Blue lotus Ten Practices Each stage is represented with a siddham to signify the type of practice in that stage Great Earth Ten Abodes Web of dualism 25
Web of dualism 26
Non dualistic True Mind When practices meditation and samadhi bodhisattva achieves liberation from the illusory mental spheres Liberation from Upside down Noosphere noosphere as follows 1 The Ten Abodes free from Solid Noosphere 2 The Ten Practices free from Illusory Clarity Liberation from Subtly Hidden Noosphere Noosphere 3 The Ten Transferences free from Interconnected Liberation from Interconnected Noosphere Noosphere 4 The Ten Grounds free from Subtle Hidden Noosphere 5 Liberation from Illusory Clarity Noosphere Equal Enlightenment free from Upside down Noosphere 6 Liberation from Solid Noosphere Wonderful Enlightenment True Mind ultimate liberation Web of dualism 27
Web of dualism 28
According to Samantabhadra bodhisattva a practice is integral and prefect when it fuses all other practices into one For example when practices Ten Abodes bodhisattva selectively integrates other appropriate domains of the Ten Practices Ten Transferences Ten Grounds and Equal Enlightenment into one s dominant practice without hindrance or confusion Ten Practices Domain of emotions feelings emotional relationships Ten Transferences Domain of thoughts ideas ideology intellect world views Equal Enlightenment Domain of self awareness dualistic consciousness Ten Grounds Domain of habitual energy cultural undercurrents values subconscious schemas Ten Abodes Domain of behaviors social roles responsibilities 29
Wonderful Enlightenment Equal Enlightenment Each stage of bodhisattva practices is a spiral integration of Ten Grounds all domains and values Ten Transferences Ten Practices Ten Abodes Web of dualism 30
In each and every step of the Samantabhadra practice bodhisattva wakes up to the non dualistic nature of phenomena and thus instantly realizes the Wonderful Enlightenment ever present dharma body represented as the seed of lights VA Equal Enlightenment VAM Ten Grounds Ten Transferences Ten Practices Ten Abodes Web of dualism 31
Wonderful Enlightenment Mapping the path of Samantabhadra onto Vairochana Mandala each stage of spiritual practice is represented by a colored square 1 White Equal Enlightenment 2 Green Ten Grounds 3 Red Ten Transferences 4 Blue Ten Practices 5 Yellow Ten Abodes Equal Enlightenment Ten Grounds Ten Transferences The thousand petal lotus becomes the circle of Wonderful Enlightenment or Vairochana Buddha Ten Practices 1 2 3 4 5 Ten Abodes 32 Web of dualism
Non dualistic True Mind Equal Enlightenment Ten Grounds Ten Transferences Web of dualism Ten Practices Ten Abodes 33
The path of Samantabhadra is the spiral path of spiritual growth in which bodhisattva ceaselessly transforms and constantly awakens to the dharma body in every step of the way 34
Summary Two complementary paths 35
Mansjuri Path Wonderful Enlightenment Equal Enlightenment Consciousness Skandha Ten Grounds Formation Skandha Thought Skandha Feelings Skandha Ten Practices Ten Abodes Form Skandha Web of dualism 36 Ten Transferences Samantabhadra Path
Mansjuri Path Wonderful Enlightenment Equal Enlightenment Consciousness Skandha Formation Skandha Ten Grounds Thought Skandha Ten Transferences Feelings Skandha Ten Practices Form Skandha Ten Abodes Web of dualism 37 Samantabhadra Path
Top down view of Mandala 38
Front view of Mandala 39
Side view of Mandala 40
