Eight Medicine Buddhas

The idea of Medicine Buddha roots in a history of the Buddha Shakyamuni.

Motivated by his great compassion in order to heal all living beings which suffering in Samsara the Buddha Shakyamuni manifested himself as Medicine Buddha — Bhaisajyaguru (tib. sman bla — Healing Guru) — the head Buddha among eight Medicine Buddhas.

Bhaisajyaguru, dressed in monk’s robes, is sitting on a lion throne. The deep blue color of his body symbolizes wisdom of Dharmadhatu. In his left hand resting on his thigh he holds a monk’s bowl (sanskr. patra) of healing nectar — a symbolic remedy for three poisons: ignorance, anger and passion. In his right hand stretched in the gesture of giving (sanskr. varada mudra) Manla holds a twig of Myrobalan tree (lat. Terminalia che-bula) known as the master remedy for its efficiency in treatment of physical and mental illnesses.

Thangka depicts Bhaisajyaguru in the middle of his pure land Vaiduryanirbhasa surrounded by the rest of Medicine Buddhas (including Shakyamuni), Bodhisattvas Surya-Prabha (the light of the sun) and Candra-Prabha (the light of the moon) who heal all the «hot» and «cold» sickness. At the bottom depicted the primary protector of Tibetan medicine Dorje Duddul (tib. shang blon rdo rje bdu’dul).