Vairocana Mahāhimasāgara

• The cosmic buddha rnam par snang mdzad gang chen mtsho, Vairocana Mahāhimasāgara, one of the five buddhas from which, according to Mahayana cosmology, all of existence emanates. This name, which translates as "The One Who Manifests the Universe, Great Glacial Lake," presumably derives from the description of this Buddhas as being the basis for the manifestation of all the buddha fields and universes. The term "Great Glacial Lake" derives from the scented water that is said to pour down from the pores of his body and gather in pools, out of which more universes manifest. Though Vairocana is often described as manifesting the universe in this manner, a similar process occurs simultaneously with the remaining four buddhas of the five buddha families. This presentation of Buddhist cosmology is described in detail by Longchenpa in his zab don rgya mtsho'i sprin, pp. 42-44. CJD