|
The Medicine Buddha, is believed to be a transformation of Shakyamuni Buddha, who manifest as the Medicine Buddha in order to give the medicine teaching to the fourfold assembly of Hindu gods, rishi-sages, bodhisattvas, and arhats. The entire assembly during that teaching perceived the world as a pure universe, as if actually made of medicine, wherein every substance was found to be healing. In another sutra, the Medicine Buddha had attained perfect enlightenment many eons previously. He vowed that his buddhaverse would be a world of healing, and that throughout that buddhaverse, wherever beings suffer from sickness and injury, he would eternally manifest to bring them his healing knowledge. By this account, Shakyamuni, when he gave the medicine teaching, was merely identifying himself with the age-old healing energy of enlightened beings.
Here the Medicine King Buddha holds a myrobalan plant and a medicine bowl, his sapphire blue body radiating healing rays of energy to all suffering beings. He is flanked by the standing bodhisattvas Chandragarbha on his right and Suryagarbha on his left. Triads of the eight Medicine Buddha with their attendants surround the main group. The four guardian kings sit two on a side at the base of the large pedestal. Above the Medicine Buddha, showing the profuse presence of infinite enlightened beings in the universe, sixty-one buddhas who resemble Shakyamuni sit in rows, all making the earth-witness gesture. Below sit the twelve world gods on their characteristics mounts, left to right Vishnu, Indra, Agni, Yama, Nairrtya, Varuna, Vayu, Kuvera, Shiva, Brahma, Surya, and Chandra. Across the bottom row are a multicoloured set of Jambhala wealth deities, each holding a jewel-spitting mongoose.
|
