Notes on Deities in Tibetan Buddhism
藏傳佛教神祇概述
Buddhas
佛
A Buddha is a title for the awakened one who has achieved enlightenment. In Buddhism, various Buddhas are represented, among which three are displayed in this exhibition.
佛即證道之覺者。佛教中有無量諸佛，是次展覽可見其三。
Shakyamuni
釋迦牟尼
Shakyamuni is the historical Buddha, the originator of Buddhism. In Sanskrit, ‘Shakya’ is his clan name while ‘muni’ is the name given to a benevolent sage in ancient India. He was believed to have lived around the 5th or 6th century BCE. Born a prince of Kapilavastu (now part of Nepal), he later became a monk and at the age of 35 achieved enlightenment.
釋迦牟尼為歷史上佛教的奠基者，釋迦為其梵文族名，牟尼為古印度對聖者的尊稱。他生於公元前5至6世紀，為迦毗羅衛國（今尼泊爾）王子，後來出家，並於35歲成道。
Vajradhara
金剛總持
‘Dhara’ literally means ‘Permanent Possession’. Vajradhara is the ultimate primordial Buddha and the the progenitor of the Vajrayana system of Buddhism. He is represented as a Sambhogakaya Buddha, one of the three forms that the Buddha manifests.
金剛總持是原始報身佛，代表證悟圓滿，其名有永恆統攝一切金剛之意，為金剛乘的主要神祇。
Akshobya
阿閦佛
The ‘Unshakeable One’ presides over the Vajra family of Buddhas and bodhisattvas. He acts as the corrective to anger and hatred as his mirror-like wisdom reflects the world in its truest state, devoid of any distortions warped by the human ego.
阿閦佛又名不動如來，金剛部諸佛菩薩之部主，具大圓鏡智，可如實照見世間事物，破除我見之愚痴。
Passed on from the Indian subcontinent to the Himalayas, Tibetan Buddhism followed the Vajrayana tradition. ‘Vajra’, meaning diamond, is also the thunderbolt weapon held by many deities that symbolise the immovable state of Buddha’s enlightenment, while ‘yana’ means a vessel or a vehicle. Vajrayana thus means the ‘Path to Buddhahood’ and its believers practice tantras and worship specific deities. Many deities in Tibetan Buddhism thus carry ‘vajra’ in their names, and their statues are holding the weapon vajra.
佛教傳入喜馬拉雅山一帶，承傳金剛乘教派。金剛即鑽石（金剛石），寓意佛陀覺悟之完滿，堅不可摧，亦指法器金剛杵，象徵智慧堅利，足以斷除一切煩惱。乘是古印度一種器皿或載具，故金剛乘乃指達至覺悟的修法途徑。而藏傳佛教不少神祇具金剛之名，造像手持金剛杵。
In Vajrayana Buddhism, the world is made up of five cosmic elements, which are represented through the five Celestial Buddhas. Each Buddha embodies an aspect of wisdom with a corresponding colour, cardinal direction and hand gesture. Vairochana is the central Buddha, while Akshobya, Amitabha, Ratna Sambhava and Amogha-siddhi represent the East, West, South and North, respectively.
金剛乘中，東南西北中五方，各有一佛主持，具獨特手印和顏色，分別為中央毗盧遮那佛、東方阿閦佛、西方阿彌陀佛、南方寶生佛和北方不空成就佛。
Bodhisattvas
菩薩
A bodhisattva is a person who is on the path towards ‘bodhi’ (awakening or Buddhahood). This refers to an enlightened being who is fully equipped to attain nirvana, but has postponed it for the altruistic purpose of saving all living creatures. In order to do so, they often assume various forms, such as the wrathful ones, rendered so as to frighten away the egotism—the cause of all sufferings. They are also depicted in the yab-yum form—the sexual union of a male and female deity, to signify the inseparability of wisdom and compassion, which is essential on the pathway to enlightenment. This exhibition displays two prominent bodhisattvas in Tibetan Buddhism in various emanations.
菩薩具名菩提薩埵，菩提即覺悟、佛道，薩埵是眾生，眾生求入佛道名菩薩，並指發心度盡眾生，方入涅槃之覺者。為度眾生，菩薩現諸形相，如現忿怒相，以降伏我執，斷除苦集，又如雙身形相，即男女神祇合歡，象徵悲智雙運，以此證道。是次展覽可見藏傳佛教中兩位菩薩示現諸相。
Vajrapani
金剛手菩薩
‘Pani’ means ‘in hand’, so Vajrapani translates as the ‘Vajra Holder’. As an attendant to Akshobya, he is a patron deity of Tibet, and the primary keeper of all tantric teachings. Vajrapani, Avalokiteshvara and Manjushri are the three great bodhisattvas of Tibetan Buddhism, manifesting power, compassion and wisdom of Buddha respectively.
金剛手，意即手持金剛杵，密法之護持者，承傳阿閦佛法脈。金剛手菩薩、觀世音菩薩和文殊菩薩並稱西藏三怙主，分別代表佛陀之力量、慈悲和智慧。
Avalokiteshvara
觀世音菩薩
Avalokiteshvara, known as Chenrezi in Tibetan, meaning ‘Looking with a Merciful Eye’ at sentient beings, is the Bodhisattva of Compassion. Considered to be the attendant of Amitabha, he is the patron deity of Tibet rendered in 108 emanations. All of the Dalai Lamas, the Karmapas and many other religious leaders are considered manifestations of Avalokiteshvara.
觀世音菩薩（藏「Chenrezig」），又稱觀自在菩薩，其名意為觀照世間音聲覺悟有情，慈悲救度眾生，為阿彌陀佛脅侍菩薩，亦為西藏三怙主之一，現108種形相。信眾奉達賴喇嘛和噶瑪巴等宗教領袖為其化身。
Usually rendered in yab-yum form, the male Vajrapani, symbolising compassion, embraces the female partner who represents wisdom. This signifies that only by combining the two can enlightenment be achieved.
大輪金剛手菩薩通常為雙身像，金剛手菩薩象徵慈悲，明妃代表智慧，是為悲智雙運。
Mahacakra Vajrapani
大輪金剛手菩薩
Avalokiteshvara is commonly personified as Padmapani (literally ‘Lotus Bearer’), identified by the winding stem held in his left hand. The lotus is an emblem of Amitabha and is a symbol of Avalokiteshvara’s immaculate purity and compassion.
蓮華手觀音（意為手持蓮花），多以左手持蓮花莖部。蓮花為阿彌陀佛的標識，亦象徵觀世音菩薩的純潔和慈悲。
Padmapani
蓮華手觀音
Shadakshari, meaning the ‘Six-syllable Mantra’, is the personified form of the om ma ni pad me hum (hail to the jewel in the lotus) mantra, which calls upon Avalokiteshvara to help guide all beings towards enlightenment. Rendered in the tantric form with four arms, he is also referred to as the four-armed Avalokiteshvara. The four arms represent the four divine states of mind: compassion, love, sympathetic joy and equanimity.
四臂觀音梵文意為六字觀音，即其心咒——六字大明咒「唵嘛呢叭咪吽」（字面意為珍寶在蓮花上），持誦此咒者，即得救度。其四臂象徵四無量心：慈、悲、喜、捨。
Shadakshari
四臂觀音
Being another manifestation of Avalokiteshvara, Amoghapasha literally means the ‘Unfailing Lasso’, referring to a constant form of compassion that brings all sentient beings out of suffering and into a state of happiness leading to enlightenment.
「羂索」為捕捉野獸的繩索，「不空」則指不落空、不遺漏。不空羂索觀音名號是指其慈悲心如羂索般，接引眾生，離苦得樂，悉皆救度，無有遺漏。
Amoghapasha
不空羂索觀音
Other Deity
其他神祇
Vajrayogini
金剛瑜珈母
Vajrayogini is the principal female deity in Tibetan Buddhism, representing wisdom. Although found in a variety of forms, including Vajravarahi in this exhibition and the female consort to Cakrasamvara, she is common to all schools of Tibetan Buddhism.
金剛瑜珈母是藏傳佛教重要的女神祇，為諸教派所供奉，象徵智慧，現諸種形相，如勝樂金剛的明妃及展覽中的金剛亥母。
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