ADAM'S Fine Asian Art 25th June 2025

126 | ADAM’S 370 A WOOD PAINTED ‘FIVE BUDDHAS’ SUTRA MANUSCRIPT COVER 西藏 15-16世纪彩绘五方佛护经板 Tibet, 15-16th century painted with, from left to right: Ratnasambhava (yellow), Akshobhya (blue), Vairochana (white), Amitabha (red), and Amoghasiddhi (green). The Buddhas are separated by columns decorated with lotus motifs, each with a treasure vase at its base, each is seated cross-legged on a lotus pedestal. Size.12.5x50.3cm € 2,000 - 3,000 Note Similar iconography of the Five Buddhas can be found in the large paintedmurals on thewalls of the Kangyur Lhakang at ShaluMonastery in Tibet (Himalayan Art Resources item no. 59662-59666). Shalu Monastery, located south of Shigatse, Tibet, was founded in the 11th century and became an important center for the fusion of Chinese and Tibetan artistic and architectural traditions during the 14th century. The Five Dhyani Buddhas, or Five Wisdom Tathāgatas, are central figures in Vajrayana Buddhism, symbolizing five aspects of enlightened consciousness. Unlike historical Buddhas, they are abstract representations of spiritual qualities that transform the five root afflictions—ignorance, anger, desire, pride, and jealousy—into five corresponding wisdoms. Each Buddha is associated with a color, direction, symbolic gesture (mudrā), and spiritual function: Vairocana (center, white) embodies the Dharmadhātu Wisdom; Akshobhya (east, blue), Mirror-like Wisdom; Ratnasambhava (south, yellow), the Wisdom of Equality; Amitābha (west, red), Discriminating Wisdom; and Amoghasiddhi (North, green), All-accomplishing Wisdom. Together, they form a mandalic system that maps cosmological space and inner transformation. Originating in Indian tantric texts such as the Guhyasamāja Tantra and the Vajrasekhara Sutra, the concept of the Five Buddhas spread to Nepal, Tibet, and East Asia, where it shaped the ritual and iconographic foundations of esoteric Buddhism. In artistic contexts, they are often found in mandalas, murals, and thangkas, as in the notable murals of Shalu Monastery. Beyond their visual presence, they serve as meditative archetypes in tantric practice, guiding practitioners in purifying the mind and realizing wisdom through visualization and mantra. The Five Buddhas thus exemplify the integration of cosmology, psychology, and ritual that defines Vajrayana thought. 类似的五方佛图像出现在西藏夏鲁寺《甘珠尔殿》的壁画中（Himalayan Art Resources item no. 59662-59666）。夏鲁寺位于日喀则以南，始建于11世纪，在14世纪萨迦派主导下成为融 合汉地与藏地艺术与建筑风格的重要中心，其壁画艺术在内容与技法上均体现出中原与本土风格的结合。 五方佛（又称五智如来）是密宗佛教中的核心象征，代表佛陀觉悟心识的五种智慧层面，旨在通过修持转化众生的五种根本烦恼：无明、嗔怒、贪欲、傲慢与嫉妒。五方佛分别为中央 的毗卢遮那佛（白，法界体性智）、东方的阿閦佛（蓝，大圆镜智）、南方的宝生佛（黄，平等性智）、西方的阿弥陀佛（红，妙观察智）与北方的不空成就佛（绿，成所作智）。他们分别 与特定的颜色、方位、手印和象征智慧相关联，共同构成密教宇宙观的曼荼罗结构。 五方佛的观念起源于印度密教发展成熟阶段的经典体系，如《密集金刚续》与《金刚顶经》，此后经由尼泊尔传入西藏与中国，并在藏传佛教中形成稳定的图像类型与修行法门。在视 觉艺术中，五方佛常见于坛城中心、唐卡与壁画中，如夏鲁寺即保存有此类图像的早期实例。在密宗实践中，五方佛不仅是崇拜对象，更是内观修行的核心原型。修行者通过观想、持咒 与仪轨结合，旨在净化五蕴，达至与佛智相应的转化过程。这一体系结合了宇宙观、心理结构与修行技术，体现出金刚乘佛教复杂而系统的救度路径。