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SubscribeBuddha Families
Buddha Families
In the Yoga Tantras, practitioners are initiated into one of five Buddha families, which together form a mandala. Each family has a name, buddha, color, direction, and symbolic attribute:
- Buddha family, Vairocana, white, center, wheel
- Karma family, Amoghasiddhi, green, north, crossed vajra or sword
- Lotus family, Amitabha, red, west, lotus
- Jewel family, Ratnasambhava, yellow, south, jewel
- Vajra family, Akshobhya, blue, east, vajra
Each of the five directional buddhas also represents a specific wisdom quality, which overcomes a corresponding mental affliction.
