Five Tathagatas
Buddha ( Skt ) Consort Dhyani Bodhisattva Pure land Bīja
Vairocana White Tara or Dharmadhatvishvari Samantabhadra central pure land Akanistha Ghanavyuha Om
Akshobhya Locanā Vajrapani eastern pure land Abhirati Hum
Amitābha Pandara Avalokiteśvara western pure land Sukhavati Hrih
Ratnasaṃbhava Mamaki Ratnapani southern pure land Shrimat Tram
Amoghasiddhi Green Tara Viśvapāni northern pure land Prakuta [ es ] Ah
Qualities
There is an expansive number of associations with each element of the mandala , so that the mandala becomes a cipher and mnemonic visual thinking instrument and concept map ; a vehicle for understanding and decoding the whole of the Dharma . Some of the associations include : Family/Buddha Colour ← Element → Symbolism Cardinality → Wisdom → Attachments → Gestures Means → Maladaptation to Stress Season Wisdom Buddha/Vairocana white ← space → wheel center → all accommodating → rūpa → Teaching the Dharma Turning the Wheel of Dharma → ignorance n/a 法界体性智 , Hokkai taishō chi : The wisdom of the essence of the dharma-realm meditation mudra . Karma/Amoghasiddhi green ← air , wind → double vajra north → all accomplishing → mental formation , concept → fearlessness protect , destroy → envy , jealousy summer 成所作智 , Jōshosa chi : The wisdom of perfect practice . Padma/Amitābha red ← fire → lotus west → inquisitive → perception → meditation magnetize , subjugate → selfishness spring 妙観察智 , Myōkanza chi : The wisdom of observation . Ratna/Ratnasambhava gold/yellow ← earth → jewel south → equanimous → feeling → giving enrich , increase → pride , greed autumn 平等性智 , Byōdōshō chi : The wisdom of equanimity . Vajra/Akshobhya blue ← water → sceptre , vajra east → nondualist → vijñāna → humility pacify → aggression winter 大円鏡智 , Daienkyō chi : The wisdom of reflection . The five Tathāgathas are protected by five Wisdom Kings , and in Japan are frequently depicted together in the Mandala of the Two Realms and are in the Shurangama Mantra revealed in the Śūraṅgama Sūtra . They each are often depicted with consorts , and preside over their own pure lands . In East Asia , the aspiration to be reborn in a pure land is the central point of Pure Land Buddhism . Although all five Buddhas have pure lands , it appears that only Sukhavati of Amitābha , and to a much lesser extent Abhirati of Akshobhya ( where great masters like Vimalakirti and Milarepa are said to dwell ) attracted aspirants .
In Vajrayana Buddhism, the Five Tathāgatas (pañcatathāgata) or Five Wisdom Tathāgatas (), the Five Great Buddhas and the Five Jinas (Sanskrit for conqueror or victor), are emanations and representations of the five qualities of the Adi-Buddha or first Buddha Vairocana or Vajradhara, which is associated with Dharmakaya. They are also sometimes called the dhyani-buddhas, a term first recorded in English by Brian Hodgson, a British Resident in Nepal, in the early 19th century, and is unattested in any surviving traditional primary sources. These five Buddhas are a common subject of Vajrayana mandalas. These five Buddhas feature prominently in various Buddhist Tantras and are the primary object of realization and meditation in Shingon Buddhism, a school of Vajarayana Buddhism founded in Japan by Kūkai.