Buddhist Deity: Achala (Body, Speech & Mind)

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Achala Iconography

Subjects, Topics & Types:
- Description (below)
- Body Family (Standing)
- Speech Family (Right Knee Up)
- Mind Family (Left Knee Up)
- Confusions
- Others...

Jeff Watt, 10-2026

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"Achala's family is explained in three ways:

Body family. Vairocana is the body, and Achala is his emanation, so Achala belongs to the body family.

Speech family. Mañjuśrī is the speech family. The Mañjuśrīnāmasaṃgīti and the Vairocanābhisaṃbodhi say things like "Achala binds up his single braid," so Ācārya Kumāragupta holds that Achala belongs to the speech family.

By posture. Chapter seven of the Kalpa Tantra says there are three Achalas. The one with one leg extended and one bent belongs to the body family, the one with the left knee planted to the speech family, and the one with the right knee planted to the mind family. Therefore Achala is the emanation of the body, speech and mind of all the tathāgatas."

(Sonam Tsemo, 1142-1182. BDRC OCR file W00EGS1017151-v5, images 422–455. Printed pp. 416–449 of a Sakya Kabum volume. The same texts appear in the 2007 Beijing dpe bsdur ma edition, vol. 9, pp. 213–247, BDRC W2DB4568).

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(The images below are only a selection of examples from the links above).