Adi-Buddha

Buddhism

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Article History

Adi-Buddha, among some sects of Mahayana Buddhism, the first, or self-existing, buddha (“enlightened one”), from whom are said to have evolved the five Dhyani-Buddhas. Though the concept of an Adi-Buddha was never generally popular, a few groups, particularly in Nepal, Tibet, and Java, elevated the Dhyani-Buddha Vairochana to the position of Adi-Buddha or named a new deity, such as Vajradhara or Vajrasattva, as the supreme lord. The Adi-Buddha is represented in painting and sculpture as a crowned buddha, dressed in princely garments and wearing the traditional ornaments of a bodhisattva (“buddha-to-be”).

This article was most recently revised and updated by Matt Stefon.