Five female buddhas
The five female buddhas of the five families, also known as the five mothers (Wyl. yum lnga) are:
- Dhatvishvari (Skt.; Tib. Template:BigTibetan, Ying Chukma) also known as Vajra Datvishvari or White Tara, the consort of Vairochana, who represents the purity of the element space
- Buddhalochana (Skt.; Tib. Template:BigTibetan, Sangyé chenma) the consort of Akshobhya, who represents the purity of the element earth
- Mamaki (Skt.; Tib. Template:BigTibetan, Mamaki) the consort of Ratnasambhava, who represents the purity of the element water
- Pandaravasini (Skt.; Tib. Template:BigTibetan, Gökarmo) the consort of Amitabha, who represents the purity of the element fire
- Samayatara (Skt.; Tib. Template:BigTibetan, Damtsik Drolma) also known as Green Tara, the consort of Amoghasiddhi, who represents the purity of the element wind
The Five Female Buddhas are a set of figures visualized in meditation. They embody aspects of wisdom, and through visualizing them and reciting their mantras gradually something of that wisdom ‘rubs off’. Most of these five figures have not played a very important role in the Buddhist tradition. They appear mainly in the tantric context as consorts of the five Template:Wiki figures known as the Five Jinas (‘Conquerors’ – of suffering) or the Five Dhyani Buddhas (‘Buddhas of meditation’). The sacred union Mandala of the Five Wisdom Template:Wiki and Female Buddhas is a representation of our mind, when our mind is free from delusion. It is the union of our Template:Wiki and Template:Wiki sides in deep awareness.
In Tibetan Buddhism it is believed that enlightenment is obtained through the union of wisdom and compassion. The figures in a Yab Yum (father mother) Mandala are meditation tools, the Template:Wiki deity representing compassion, the Template:Wiki representing wisdom (insight), and their balanced union an offering of compassion for the world.
The process of contemplating and practicing with the five wisdom “fathers and mothers Buddhas” allows us to become grounded in a deeper knowledge of ourselves, our patterns and the workings of our consciousness.