Item: Vairochana Buddha

Vairochana, Buddha (Tibetan: nam par nang dze): the leader and central figure of the Five Families of Celestial Buddhas.

Gazing forward, youthful in appearance, he is white in colour with one face and two hands. Placed at the heart and holding a Dharma wheel, the hands perform the mudra (gesture) of teaching. Adorned with various jeweled ornaments and garments of silk, he sits in vajra posture atop a multi-coloured lotus seat encircled by a blue-orange nimbus and dark green areola.

Arranged in neat rows are 200 alternating figures of the two main forms of the bodhisattva Tara. Green Tara, dark in complexion, extends the right hand across the knee and the left holds the stem of a lotus blossom to the heart. In a relaxed posture, the right leg is pendant. White Tara, performing the same hand gestures, sits with the legs in vajra posture. (See Amitabha from the same series).

Jeff Watt 2-2000