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Medicine Buddha and Medicine Tantra
The historical
Shakyamuni Buddha provided teachings on healing and systems of medicine
which were collected into four volumes called "The Four Medicine Tantras".
These teachings became the basis for the system of medicine practiced in
Tibet
and other Buddhist lands. They are characterized by a belief that all
disease is essentially rooted in a psychosomatic cause, namely, spiritual
confusion. His Holiness the Dalai Lama teaches that although there is no
beginning point of the root confusions, there can be an end to them through
enlightenment. The many confusions may be traced to three main poisons, or
wrong attitudes, of greed (grasping), hatred (fear), and ignorance (mistaken
beliefs). Until the mistaken attitudes are released, all other cures are at
best, only temporary. His Holiness also teaches that, unlike ignorance,
wisdom does have a beginning, but no end! Once we do cleanse our beliefs, we
reach a luminous enlightened mind, free of stain, which remains eternally
so.
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In the
Medicine Tantras, Shakyamuni describes Medicine Buddha as an
enlightened being who has special powers of healing. The special
healing blessings of Medicine Buddha may be obtained by reciting his
name or mantra. For centuries, Buddhists have been reciting this
mantra prayer, to bring an ultimate healing of spiritual disease, as
well as cures for everyday problems of the body and mind.
The full name
of the Medicine Buddha is Bhaishajyaguru Vaiduryaprabha, the Healing
Master of Lapis Lazuli Radiance. Like Shakyamuni he wears the robes
of a monk and is seated in the full cross-legged posture. His left
hand is in the meditation mudra, resting in his lap and holding a
begging bowl filled with medicinal nectar and fruit. His right hand
rests upon his knee with palm facing outward in the mudra granting
blessings and holds the stem of a myrobalan plant (Terminalia
chebula), renowned as the king among medicines because of its
effectiveness in treating both mental and physical diseases.
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Click here to see all Lotus Sculpture's Medicine
Buddha Statues
In traditional
Tibetan tangkas, the Lapis Healing Master is often shown in the company of
seven other Medicine Buddhas, one of whom is Shakyamuni himself. And in
depictions of his eastern Buddha realm known as Pure Lapis Lazuli, the
Healing Master is generally flanked by the two leading bodhisattvas of that
pure land, Suryaprabha and Chandraprabha, respectively All-pervading Solar
and Lunar Radiance.
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The most
distinctive feature of this Medicine Buddha is his color, the deep
blue of lapis lazuli. This precious stone has been greatly prized by
Asian and European cultures for more than six thousand years and,
until relatively recently, its ornamental value was on a par with,
or even exceeded, that of the diamond. An aura of mystery surrounds
this gemstone, perhaps because of its principal mines are located in
the remote Badakshan region of northeast
Afghanistan
, an all-but-inaccessible area located behind the
Hindu Kush
. One commentator has written, "the finest specimens of lapis, intensely
blue with speckled waves and swirls of shining gold-colored pyrite,
resemble the night aglow with myriads of stars." Traditionally this
beautiful stone was used to symbolize that which is pure or rare. It
is said to have a curative or strengthening effect on those who wear
it, and its natural smoothness allows it to be polished to a high
degree of reflectivity. For all these reasons ‚ plus the fact that
deep blue light has a demonstrable healing effect on those who use
it in visualization practices ‚ lapis is the color of the principal
Medicine Buddha. |
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The Lapis Healing
Master is one of the most honored figures in the Buddhist pantheon. The
sutras in which he appears compare his eastern pure land with the western
paradise of Amitabha, and rebirth there is said to be as conducive to
enlightenment as is rebirth in Sukhavati. Recitation of his mantra, or even
the mere repetition of his holy name, is said to be sufficient to grant
release from the lower realms, protection from worldly dangers and freedom
from untimely death. In one of the main sutras concerning the Medicine
Buddha, Shakyamuni tells his close disciple and attendant Ananda:
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If these
sentient beings [those plunged into the depths of samsara's
sufferings hear the name of the Lord Master of Healing, the Lapis
Lazuli Radiance Tathagatha, and with utmost sincerity accept it and
hold onto it, and no doubts arise, then they will not fall into a
woesome path.
In
Tibet
the Medicine Buddha is revered as the source of the healing arts for
it is through him that the teachings embodied in the Four Medical
Tantras, the basis of Tibetan medicine, came into being. As
explained in the first of these Four Tantras, the Lapis Lazuli
Healing Master was once seated in meditation surrounded by an
assembly of four circles of disciples including divine physicians,
great sages, non-Buddhist gods and bodhisattvas, all of whom wished
to learn the art of healing. Rendered speechless by the radiant
glory of his countenance, they were unable to request the desired
teachings. To accommodate their unspoken wishes, the Medicine Buddha
manifested two emanations, one to request the teachings and the
other to deliver them. In this way, then, the Buddhist explanation
of the various mental and physical ailments, their causes, diagnoses
and treatment and the maintenance of health is said to have
originated. |
According to the Four
Tantras, the fundamental cause of every disease is to be found in the three
poisonous delusions; ignorant bewilderment, attachment and hatred‚ occupying
the hub of the wheel of samsaric existence. These three root delusions lead
to imbalances in three so-called humors (phlegm, wind and bile), the various
bodily constituents (blood, flesh, bone, etc.) and waste products, or
impurities, all of which are analyzed in twenty-five divisions. The Root
Tantra says:
Thus if all these
twenty-five are in balance and the three factors of the (1) tastes and (2)
inherent qualities of one's food and (3) one's behavior are wholesome, one's
health and life will flourish. If they are not, one's health and life will
be harmed.
Click here to see all Lotus Sculpture's Medicine
Buddha Statues
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Articles |
Lotus
Sculpture Donates Books for Poor Indian Schools
After visiting several poor schools
in the area and speaking with the principals of the schools we
decided the best way to allocate the remaining money left in our
account from donations made last year was to buy books and start on
a small "library" for 4 schools that had no access to any school
books....
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About Bronze Casting and the Lost Wax method
The "Lost Wax Method"
is the only technique used by the artisans of Lotus Sculpture to
create our Bronze statues. All of the artwork is one of a kind and
is never reproduced on a large scale. Bronze casting in south India
and Bangladesh is a skill passed on from generation to generation.
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