Vajrarāṣṭra

So I have heard. At one time the Buddha was staying near Sāvatthī in Jeta’s Grove, Anāthapiṇḍika’s monastery.

Then, late at night, the glorious god Shiva, lighting up the entire Jeta’s Grove, went up to the Buddha, bowed, stood to one side, and recited these verses in the Buddha’s presence:

“Associate only with the virtuous!
Try to get close to the virtuous!
Understanding the true teaching of the good,
things get better, not worse.

Associate only with the virtuous!
Try to get close to the virtuous!
Understanding the true teaching of the good,
wisdom is gained—but not from anyone else.

Associate only with the virtuous!
Try to get close to the virtuous!
Understanding the true teaching of the good,
you don’t sorrow even among those who sorrow.

Associate only with the virtuous!
Try to get close to the virtuous!
Understanding the true teaching of the good,
you shine among your relatives.

Associate only with the virtuous!
Try to get close to the virtuous!
Understanding the true teaching of the good,
sentient beings go to a good place.

Associate only with the virtuous!
Try to get close to the virtuous!
Understanding the true teaching of the good,
sentient beings live happily.”

Then the Buddha replied to Shiva in verse:

“Associate only with the virtuous!
Try to get close to the virtuous!
Understanding the true teaching of the good,
you’re released from all suffering.”

- Siva Sutta

Vajrabhairava: The Adamantine Frightful One

Vajrabhairava or Yamāntaka Vajrabhairava is a major deity of Vajrayāna Buddhism.

Vajrabhairava is an Anuttarayoga Tantra Yidam and he's considered the terrifying and wrathful Heruka manifestation of the Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī, the Buddha of Wisdom. Vajrabhairava can be depicted in a multitude of ways, from a simple one faced deity with two hands all the way up to a nine faced, thirty-four armed with sixteen legs, but there's two constant iconographic characteristics to be found: His Buffalo head and, atop of it, the head of Mañjuśrī.

Yamāntaka Vajrabhairava's full name means "The Indestructible Terrifier Conqueror of Death" and his practice is considered one of the most powerful in all of Esoteric Buddhism. He's usually known as the "Buffalo-headed Yamāntaka", this iconography tied to the Vedic Deva Yamarāja, the King of the Underworld and judge of beings at time of death, who is described riding a water-buffalo.

Bhairava or Mahākāla Bhairava is also the terrifying and wrathful form of Śiva in different Śaiva Traditions. Interestingly enough, the Arya Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa, a Buddhist Kriyā Tantra, states that mantras taught in Śaiva Tantras will be effective if applied by Buddhists since they were all taught originally by Mañjuśrī. At the same time, some Śaiva Traditions consider Bodhisattvas like Mañjuśrī to be emanations of Śiva.

Yamāntaka: Conqueror of Death

Yamāntaka is a classification of major deities within Tantric Buddhism.

Yamāntaka deities are Anuttarayoga Tantra Iṣṭadevatās and are considered terrifying and wrathful manifestations of the Bodhisattva Mañjuśrī, the Buddha of Wisdom. Yamāntaka deities can be depicted in a multitude of ways, from a simple one faced deity with two hands all the way up to a nine faced, thirty-four armed with sixteen legs, but there's a constant iconographic characteristic to be found: A water-buffalo, be it as a mount or as the head of the deity itself.

Yamāntaka means "Conqueror of Death" or “Destroyer of Death” and the practice of Yamāntaka deities are considered some of the most powerful in all of Esoteric Buddhism. The iconography of Yamāntaka deities is tied to the Vedic Deva Yamarāja, the King of the Underworld and judge of beings at time of death, who is described riding a water-buffalo.

The core Yamāntaka deities are Kṛṣṇa Yamāri, Rakta Yamāri and Vajrabhairava. Within Buddhism, "terminating death" is a quality of all Buddhas as they have stopped the cycle of death and rebirth. So Yamāntaka represents the goal of the Vajrayāna practitioner's journey to enlightenment, or the journey itself: On final awakening, one manifests Yamāntaka – the ending of death.

Yamāntaka deities are related to Kalantaka (“He who ends Death”) or Kalasamhara (“Slayer of Death”), a terrifying and wrathful form of Śiva, personified as the Conqueror of Death in different Śaiva Traditions. Interestingly enough, the Arya Mañjuśrīmūlakalpa, a Buddhist Kriyā Tantra, states that mantras taught in Śaiva Tantras will be effective if applied by Buddhists since they were all taught originally by Mañjuśrī. At the same time, some Śaiva Traditions consider Bodhisattvas like Mañjuśrī to be emanations of Śiva.

The Neo-Gothic Buddhist Temple

Wat Niwet Thammaprawat Ratchaworawihan is a Buddhist Temple of the Dhammayuttika Nikaya Order, located in Thailand, unique for its Neo-Gothic architecture.

The temple, commissioned by King Somdetch Phra Paramindr Maha Chulalongkorn (Rama V), was inaugurated in the 19th century. It's a Noble Class temple, and one of the sixteen temples that receive offerings at the annual Kathina festival.

Designed by Joachim Grassi, one of the first Italian architects hired by the king, the temple has a high tower, characteristic of its architectural style, as well as pillars, decorated stained glass windows and a gothic altar with a Buddha statue as a central piece.

The temple is located on an island of the Chao Phraya River, near the Royal Palace of Bang Pa-In, in the sub-district of Ban Len, district of Bang Pa-In, Province of Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, without any type of road or bridge, only accessible by a cable car.

This temple, masterfully brings together the Indo-European religion of Theravada Buddhism practiced in Southeast Asia with the beautiful aesthetics of the Gothic Revival architecture from Western Europe.

Buddha descends from the Trayastrimsa heaven flanked by Indra and Brahmā

The Buddha is shown sequentially three times descending the central steps in a vertical register in the middle of the panel. In each sequence he is flanked by the attending figures of the Vedic Gods Indra-Śakra to the right, wearing the fortress-shaped crown, and Brahmā shown as an ascetic with tresses piled up on his head, to the left. Each of them descends on his own adjacent stairway. These attending Vedic Deities pay homage to the Buddha, facing towards him with their hands joined together, showing reverence for the wisdom of his teachings.

The Buddha's descent is witnessed by an assembled cast of celestial and human worshippers, arranged over six rows on either side of the staircase. The upper four rows contain divine devotees, distinguished by their nimbi in alternate floating rows of kneeling and standing figures. The two lower registers depict the lay faithful, some of whom are princely figures on horseback and, of particular interest, on the lower left hand side, a horse-drawn chariot, the body of which is decorated with a chevron pattern starred with central dots under a deeply curvaceous top-rail. The chariot carries a turbaned man and woman with a wreath headdress carrying a lotus stem, and a smaller figure clutching the rail and peering round the woman with his leg raised up onto the edge. This group may be intended to refer to King Udayana of Kausambi, who is remembered in Buddhist legend as the first to commission an image of the Buddha (a sandalwood sculpture), and who is described as being present at this miraculous event. The others may be his queen and the crown prince. An attendant stands behind the chariot, bearing a flower tray on his head from which others appear to be casting flowers in celebration of the Buddha's return to earth.

The wide sweeping folds of the Buddha's robes seem to anticipate the distinctive style of the Buddha's robe treatment associated with the Gupta period in India, and point to a late 3rd-century date. All the Buddhas are shown in a swaying pose as the weight of his body is taken on his right leg with the left leg poised to step down. The right arm is held aloft in abhaya mudra while the left is held up under his robes in the middle scene with the top and bottom Buddhas holding their left arms down by their thighs. The lowest Buddha has lost his face but the other two heads remain intact with differing hairstyles: the top one has his hair in straight ribbed strands rising up to an ushnisha, but the middle one has wavy locks rising to his.
The panel is shown without any frame, but the row of figures at the bottom edge are shown on a plain plinth, in the middle of which, just off-centre below the figure of Brahma, is the silhouette of what possibly might have been the figure of a donor.

This relief in the Gandhara style must originally have formed part of the decoration of a Buddhist temple or stupa. Ancient Gandhara region, 2nd to 3rd century CE.

Atlas Holding the Triratna

Kushani stone relief showing three interlocking wheels held by Atlas. One knee on the pedestal, the other raised, Atlas lifts both hands to hold each of the outer wheels; his tilted head has a vertical gash on the forehead. A cloak is knotted across his chest, a scarf falls from both shoulders and its drapery billows upwards and behind the outer wheels, somewhat resembling wings.

His eyes are ringed with narrow lids and his mouth is thin; the long straight hair falls behind the head except for some strands drawn back from over the forehead. His pedestal is plain with fillets at the top, the wheels slightly interlock, have eight spokes each and semi-circular projections prolonging them outside the rim and the same occurs on the outer wheels between the spokes inside.

Flanking this atlas figure are five kneeling and standing monks, all with hands joined, part of another above, throwing flowers and Vajrapāṇi, depicted as Hēraklês. The monks all wear their robes with their right shoulder bare, they have shaven heads without a hairline, large, almost staring eyes ringed with narrow lids and fixed expressions; Vajrapāṇi wears a long cloak knotted over the chest like that of Atlas and a short lower garment with a girdle. His eyes are like the monks, his hairstyle like that of Atlas with hair drawn over the top and round the back of the head as well as down the nape and he has the same vertical central gash on the forehead and in addition a curved gash on either side of the mouth. He holds a vajra beside his right shoulder. All the garments are densely ridged to indicate folds.

Ancient region of Gandhāra, 2nd to 3rd century CE.