Vairocana Buddha (Vairocana) - Birushanabutsu

Japanese: 毘盧遮那仏(毘盧舎那仏) - びるしゃなぶつ

The Buddha with the strongest pantheistic color in Mahayana Buddhism, who attributes light. It is a transliteration of the Sanskrit Vairocana, where the prefix vai means "wide" and the root ruc of lochana means "to illuminate." It is abbreviated to Vairocana, and is called Kōmyō Henshō (light is shining). It is considered to be part of a series of Buddhas and Bodhisattvas, such as the Buddha of Infinite Light (Amitabha Buddha) and Maitreya Bodhisattva, who are said to have appeared in connection with Iranian sun god worship. He lived in the Lotus Treasury World and became the head of the Avatamsaka Sutra and the Brahma Net Sutra, and in the latter in particular, he is said to have manifested countless Shakyamuni and preached in various ways, and was the model for the Great Buddha of Todaiji Temple.

Source: Heibonsha World Encyclopedia, 2nd Edition Information

Japanese:

大乗仏教のなかでも最も汎神論的色彩の濃い，光明を属性とする仏。サンスクリットのバイローチャナVairocanaの音訳で，前接辞バイvai‐は〈広く〉の意，ローチャナの語根ルチrucは〈照らす〉の意である。略して盧遮那（るしやな）仏，意訳して光明遍照と呼ばれる。イランの太陽神信仰などと関連して出現したとされる無量光仏(＝阿弥陀仏)，弥勒菩薩などの一連の仏菩薩の一環と考えられよう。蓮華蔵世界に住し，《華厳経》や《梵網経》の教主となり，とくに後者においては，無数の釈迦を化現してさまざまに説法するとされ，東大寺大仏のモデルとなった。

出典　株式会社平凡社世界大百科事典第２版について　情報

<<: Emanuel Hirsch

>>: Hirsau (English spelling)