VAJRADHARA Card

(Tibetan: Dorje Chang) Vajradhara- meaning 'the holder of the vajra'- is the supreme dharmakaya manifestation of the primordial or Adi Buddha from which the Five Enlightened Buddha Families emanate. He is considered to be the form in which Shakyamuni Buddha manifests in order to reveal the tantric transmissiosns. Along with Samantabhadra- the Adi Buddha of the 'ancient school' (Tibetan: Nyingma) of Tibetan Buddhism- Vajradhara is the only other deity who arises from the pure empty radiance of the dharmakaya. He is however represented in sambhogakaya form, endowed with the thirty-two major and eight minor marks of an enlightened being, and attired in the divine jewels and silks of a bodhisattva. His dark blue color symbolises space, as the pristine radiance of the dharmakaya. His two arms are crossed in the adamantine gesture of vajrahumkara-mudra and hold a vajra and bell- symbolising the perfect union of skillful means and wisdom.