Toh 44-10Chapter 10: Vairocana

Commentary on Chapter 10: Vairocana (Rnam par Snang mdzad)

Background

The chapter on Vairocana is recorded in the Kangyur, the scriptural collection of the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, within a great sutra of the Mahayana. Vairocana (Tibetan: rnam par snang mdzad) is an extremely important buddha in the Northern Buddhist system, especially in the Nyingma school and later schools.

This chapter is set in the context of the Tathagatagarbha and Yogacara traditions, two deeply influential philosophical traditions of the Mahayana. Vairocana is not a buddha of one particular world, but a symbol of universal cosmic light, of the luminous nature of mind and absolute awakening. Northern scriptures regard Vairocana as the central buddha, the ontological principle of all other buddhas, often depicted at the center of directional mandalas.

Main Content

The chapter on Vairocana explains the sacred characteristics of this buddha. According to the Northern tradition, Vairocana is the symbol of the dharmakaya, the first body of the Buddha, the absolute nature of awakening beyond form and personhood. Vairocana is often described with an entire body of radiant white, holding the wheel of Dharma, seated in the central position of the mandala of the five buddhas.

The content of this sutra reveals that Vairocana is the lucid principle of mind, the absolute light that shines throughout the ten directions. All that we perceive, objects, sense faculties, and consciousness, are embodiments of the light of Vairocana. The sutra teaches that our true mind, if rightly recognized, is Vairocana itself. This is a profound Mahayana concept: the non-differentiation between our mind and the Buddha, between buddha-nature and the minds of sentient beings.

This chapter also highlights Vairocana’s role in the mandala system and in Vajrayana practice, where meditation focused on the image and qualities of Buddha Vairocana is regarded as a means to realize the luminous nature of mind.