Pure Land Buddhism as Vaishnavism
Part Five: Who
Is The Jewel / Mani in the Lotus / Padma ?
By Bhakti Ananda Goswami
So Who IS 'The Jewel in the Lotus' of Tibetan
Buddhism, and the rest of Mahayana Buddhism? OM MANI PADME HUM is one of the
main mantras of Nepalese and Tibetan Mahayana Buddhism. It is Sanskrit. It
invokes 'The Jewel in the Lotus'. Mani means 'jewel' or 'pearl' and Padma means
'lotus'. These words do not refer to a mundane pearl in a lotus, or to mundane
Tantric intercourse as has been promoted by the late 'Tantrists'. The Mani
referred to is the Dharma Kaya or Original Form of the Adi Buddha. He is called
AMITABHA, BHAGAVAN, CHAKRAVARTIN, PUROSHOTTAMA, HRIH, ADI BUDDHA and other names
of Krishna / Vishnu in the Pure Land Buddhist Scriptures, and is identified with
the two-armed Form of Amitayus (Tshe-dpag-med) Lokeshvara HRIH in Sanskrit, and
sometimes Chen Rei Zei (Spyan-ras-gzigs) in Tibetan. Thus AMITABHA'S Mani Padme
Mantra is sometimes referred to as the Mantra for Chen Rei Zei.
AMITABHA / Chen Rei Zei's highest unity with His Feminine Shakti is not
depicted iconographically in full realistic detail, as with the multi-form of
Tara and Lokeshvara. In Their 'Lila Avatara' Forms, such as Lakshmi-Nrsimha, in
Tibetan iconography, the YAB-YUM or MALE-FEMALE Forms of the Lord and His Shakti
are revealed in their inseparability in a conjugal union. However when it
comes to the form of Lokeshvara, Chen Rei Zei, Amitayus or Amitabha, the
union is symbolized by the Masculine / Giver Deity's presence within or on a
PADMA / LOTUS, which represents the highest, most esoteric Form of His
Feminine / Receiver Shakti. Thus the 'Original' or Dharma Kaya Form
of Amitabha (‘Od-dpag-med’ in Tibetan) is depicted standing or sitting on
His Shakti in Her Form as His PADMA or Lotus-abode. Since secular scholars
have long considered Amitabha to be in the class of 'supreme solar deities', it
amazes me that there have not been any major studies (that I know of anyway)
comparing Helios of Rhodes (in the Minoan Era Mediterranean), with the Mani
Padme Tradition of Amitabha.
On ancient Rhodes, Helios Kouros (Krishna) was worshiped with His Beloved Rhoda. They were considered to be the Transcendent Origin of all the gods and goddesses. One of Rhoda-Kore's names on Rhodes was Nymphia. Nymphia means both Maid / Bride / Virgin and LOTUS. Rhoda means Red, Rose, or any Red or Pink Flower. Another by-name of Rhoda-Nymphia was ASTERIA meaning Star. TARA means STAR. Asteria's symbol was the HEXAD, a pictorial pun on another one of Her numerous by-names HEKATE. The Hexad is the STAR, ROSE or LOTUS SYMBOL used for Shekinah & Eli-Yahu Bridal Mysticism in the Judeo-Catholic Traditions, and for the unity of Shiva & Shakti, Vishnu & Shakti and Lokeshvara & Shakti. When the Star, Lotus or Rose / Red Flower has a Jewel, Bija, Circle, Pearl, Vajra or other Purusha / Masculine Deity symbol in it, this is an iconographic short-hand for depicting the unity of Krishna and Radha, Kouros and Rhoda, Eli-Yahu and Shekinah, Shiva and Shakti, Vishnu and Padme (Sri Lakshmi is worshiped in the Amida cultus of Yakushi-ji as Kichijo-ten in Japan), Lokeshvara and Tara, and Their Dharma Kaya Forms as the 'Jewel in the Lotus'. From ancient Greco-Egyptian and related Buddhist and Vaishnava symbols to the NYMPHIA (LOTUS), RHODON (ROSE), STAR (HEXAD) and 'SOLAR CIRCLE', all these were common Jewish symbols found on such artifacts as the official state seals of Israel and Judah, and on royal amulets etc. All the way to modern Tibetan and Japanese Pure Land Buddhist CIRCLE-LOTUS and related icons, the Original or ADI PURUSHA and PRAKRITI have been worshiped as 'The (HRIH) Jewel in the Lotus'.
Taoism's Yang and Yin are Purusha and Prakriti as the Tibetan Buddhist-related Yab and Yum. These are the later Neo-Confucian Father Heaven and Mother Earth. Two of the most important Pure Land Mahayana Buddhist texts, the 'Lotus Sutra' or Saddharma Pundarika and the Sukhavati Vyuha both refer to this Lotus Tradition. Sakyamuni Buddha reveals the Tri Kaya and Transcendent Buddha Realms, salvation by grace, etc. in His Lotus Sutra. In the Sukhavati Vyuha, just as in the Vaishnava Tradition, the supernal Buddha Realms are Lotus island-lokas / planets in the spiritual sky where there is no material birth, death, disease or old age. The supreme Lotus Abode is that of Amitabha. In fact, He has created the entire Pure Land of the Deathless Spiritual Sky, in unity with His Supreme Shakti / Padma. If we doubt Padma / Tara's association with Radha / Rhoda, then there are numerous ways to confirm it. All red or pink flowers are sacred to Tara ! These are offered to Her, and to step on or defile a red or pink flower is an offence to Tara. In ancient areas where the lotus or rose was not common, other red or pink flowers were substituted. For instance, the PINK RHODO-dendron (ROSE-tree) was sacred to SITA in SRI LANKA and NEPAL. The red Chrysanthemum became associated with Mother Kuan Yin (Tara) in the Orient. Of course the tradition of MARY THE MYSTICAL ROSE is related to the worship (veneration) OF RHODA-NYMPHIA. As STELLA (STAR) with six points, Mary is Hekate (Egyptian SEKHET, Hebrew SHEKINAH) and her symbol was the hexad of SRI LAKSHMI ( KICHIJO-TEN), or the SRI YANTRA. As STELLA with five points, her symbol was the "Star" of DURGA or KALI. Both of these yantras for MARY as STELLA or TARA can be seen on the dome of the Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington D.C., U.S.A. The great ROSE WINDOWS in Catholic Churches and Cathedrals represent MARY, through whom the infinite light of God has entered into the world. In the Orient, Tara is considered the Mother of all of the Incarnations of the Buddha. This is the prophetic significance of the STAR OF BETHLEHEM. The heavenly Tara appearing as Mary on Earth was about to deliver the promised Buddha of infinite compassion, whose rule of love would embrace all humanity and have no end ! The National Shrine of Mary (see pictures below) is the most astounding 'DEVI TEMPLE' built in modern times, and it is full of the symbology of Mary as the Shakti of both Vishnu / Lokeshvara and Shiva. For instance, Mary's inner dress is usually RED (RHODA) and Her outer mantle is usually BLUE (NILA). This symbolism reveals Her inner mysticism as RADHA and Her outer revelation as NILA or DURGA. Both the SIX / HEX pointed Star (hexagram) and the PENTA / PANCHA FIVE pointed Star (pentagram) appear as Her symbols throughout the Shrine. Roses have always been one of the most important of Mary's symbols. In Her Bridal Mysticism related Form, She is even called ROSA MYSTICA the 'MYSTICAL ROSE' !
Left: Star/Asteria/Tara Yantras on the Dome of Mary's Basilica
Right: Mary Rosa Mystica's Rose Window
For more information on the Shrine, see www.nationalshrine.com
HEXAD (HEXAGRAM 'STAR') = Sanskrit SHAKTI, Greek HEKATE, Egyptian SEKHET, and Hebrew SHEKINAH.
STAR = STELLA, Greek ASTERIA, Sanskrit ASTRAYA and TARA
ROSE (flower) , RED (color) or ROSE (pink color) = Latin ROSA, Greek RHODA, pictorial pun on the Name RADHA, which is why Sri Radha often has a red or pink dress and holds a rose !
LOTUS = Greek NYMPHIA, Sanskrit PADMA
In the ancient Vaishnava Scripture the Brahma Samhita, Krishna is worshiped as the supreme wish-fullfilling Mani (jewel) in the supreme lotus-abode of Goloka Vrindavana ! The Earthly parallel to Goloka is Gokula. Amitabha's (Amida's) or HRIH's Supreme Lotus-abode in Japanese Pure Land Buddhism is called Gokuraku. The English word ‘bucolic’ comes from the Greek name of the cow paradise of Helios ! The bucolic cow-paradise of the Buddhist Gokuraku is clearly the Vaishnava cow-paradise of Gokula / Goloka. The Pure Land Buddhist circle dance with the Sanskrit refrain "Gate Gate Param Gate" is clearly related to the Goloka Vrindavana tradition of the rasa lila circle dance. In the Mediterranean, this was the dance of the Greco-Egyptian Helios and the Jewish deity Eli-Yahu. BOTH THE COW-PARADISE AND THE CIRCLE DANCE (CHORUS, HORA) came through into Christianity through the CATHOLIC BRIDAL MYSTICISM TRADITION OF THE GARDEN OF PARADISE. Krishna-Amitabha's Brahma Samhita abode is also called CHINTAMANI DHAMA. In studying hundreds of icons of Amitabha / Chen Rei Zei, I saw scores of variations on His Original Form. Like Krishna, He is a beautiful, beardless, long haired youth, two armed, three-curved, dressed and ornamented exactly like Krishna, often blue in color, always on / in a lotus, often with a peacock feather...in all respects as the Dharma Kaya in this Form, He is the same as Krishna. He is often depicted on His Lotus in a mandala like the Western mandorla or 'almond' shaped radiance (CORONIS / HARINI). This usually represents His Feminine Shakti as Shekinah / Energy or Power, and is related to Hekate (Egyptian SEKHET) as CORONIS (Sanskrit HARINI). I saw dozens of murtis of CHINTAMANI LOKESHVARA on His Lotus Abode with a KALPA VRIKSHA TREE, Which He holds, revealing Himself to be the wish-fulfiller of Chintamani Dhama ! So Who is the 'Jewel in the Lotus ' and Who is the Lotus of Nepalese and Tibetan Buddhism ? All of the interdisciplinary evidence related to the above confirms that the JEWEL-IN-THE-LOTUS IS THE SUPREME FATHER-AND-MOTHER GOD/ESS WORSHIPED AT THE CORE OF INDO-EUROPEAN, SEMITIC, AFRICAN AND ASIAN DEVOTIONAL TRADITIONS, AND KNOWN TO KRISHNA-CENTRIC VAISHNAVAS AS KRISHNA AND RADHA. OM MANI PADME HUM invokes SRI KRISHNA as the WISH FULFILLING MANI / JEWEL IN THE LOTUS OF HIS HLADINI SHAKTI IN HIS SUPREME ABODE OF GOLOKA VRINDAVANA.
In Catholic iconography, when a hexad appears on the womb of Mary, it usually has a dot in the middle of it, which (like the circle) represents the conjugal union of Mary with God, or Her Motherhood of the Messianic Incarnation, Jesus.
May She bless us all with Her Motherly protection today, and May She introduce us to her Spouse and Son in Their supreme PURE LAND ABODE OF GOLOKA / GOKURAKA some eternal 'day' !