Sutra of the Three Heaps

He sits on a lotus in a center of Mandala holding the vase of immortal life. In Tantric Buddhism, Amitayus is the focal point of spiritual practices that conceive of the body as the vessel of enlightenment. The intricately conjured palace that surrounds his luminous form expresses the realization of body and mind as the temple of liberation. Meditating upon Amitayus's radiant form confers long life and transcendent vision.

In the first ring surrounding the figure are the eight lucky signs of Buddhist Tradition. In the space above the mandala, an image of Sakyamuni Buddha radiates beyond the picture frame. Below him is a Garuda, a celestial eagle that, in Buddhist myth, can cover the span of the universe with a single flap of its wings. To the left is Avalokitshvara, the bodhisattva of compassion, and to the right is Jey Tshongkapa, the founder of the Gelugpa lineage of Tibetan Buddhism. Protecting the mandala from below are wrathful Tantric guardians. If we pray to him, we will be blessed with long life, peace, harmony, good fortune and wisdom. He is resplendent in red holding a vase filled with the nectar of perpetuity. He is the Samboghakaya or enjoyment body of Amitabha Buddha.