Ep. 112: The Vairochana Buddha at Lingyin Temple
The Great Sun Buddha is my favorite Buddha
The following is adapted from an article I wrote for the Shenzhen Daily, published October 26, 2015.
This statue of Vairochana Buddha is at the very top of Hangzhou's Lingyin Temple in the "Hall of Avatamsaka" or Huayan Hall. I've written about one such hall in Ep. 104: Indra's Net of Gems. This one lacks the mirrors and whatnot, but does have this Vairochana at the center.
You may have heard me call Vairochana my "favorite Buddha," or even my "personal Buddha." Here's why.
The first time I recall seeing his statue--in a museum on Mount Koya in Japan--I was immediately captivated by the mudra (ritual gesture) used to identify him in Japan and Korea. He is usually seated, one hand (usually the left) in his lap, with the index finger raised. This is grasped by the fingers of the right hand, like a closed fist around the finger. It struck me, and I got it right away: "Apprehend the One."
Later I learned that in folk Buddhism, this was the Buddha dedicated both to my birth year (Sheep) and my birth month (July). That cinched it.
In China, he is called Dari Rulai (Great Sun Buddha) or Piluzhena Fo, a transliteration of his Sanskrit name Vairochana (sometimes Mahavairochana, or Great Vairochana), which connotes "brilliant and luminous sun." In Japan, he's best known by the Japanese pronunciation of the same characters for Dari Rulai: Dainichi Nyorai.
His mudra is different in China. His hands are clasped, with the two index fingers raised and touching. If you look carefully, though, the tips of the fingers usually are not even, leaving the impression that one finger is pointing at the other--again, directing one's attention to "the One."