Five tathāgatas

The five tathāgatas.

The five tathāgatas (Skt. pañcatathāgata; T. de bzhin gshegs pa lnga; C. wuzhi rulai/wu fo) are a grouping of buddhas found in Vajrayana that correspond to the five wisdoms of the Sanskrit Mahayana tradition. According to Williams, et al, they are emanations and representations of the five qualities of the primordial buddha (ādibuddha, in the form of Vairocana or Vajradhara) which is associated with dharmakaya.

These are also known as the "five conquerors" (pañcajina). They are also sometimes called, in English, the "five dhyani buddhas."

These five buddhas feature prominently in various Buddhist tantras and are the primary object of realization and meditation in Shingon Buddhism, a school of Vajarayana founded in Japan.

The five tathāgatas are:

1. Akshobhya
2. Ratnasambhava
3. Amitabha
4. Amoghasiddhi
5. Vairocana

Sources

• Buswell, Robert E.; Lopez, Donald S. (2014), The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism, Princeton University 
• Kalupahana, David J. (1991), Buddhist Thought and Ritual, Paragon House 
• Keown, Damien (2003), A Dictionary of Buddhism, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-860560-9 
• Thrangu Rinpoche (author) & Peter Roberts (translator) (1998). The Five Buddha Families and The Eight Consciousnesses. Boulder, CO, USA: Published by the Namo Buddha Seminar. Source: [1] (accessed: November 22, 2007)

Further reading

• Buddhas of the five families, Rigpa Shedra Wiki
• de_bzhin_gshegs_pa_lnga, Rangjung Yeshe Wiki
• Williams, Paul and Anthony Tribe. Buddhist Thought (Routledge, 2000), p. 211 (Table 1)