442 LANGUAGES, &c. OF THE 



the tertiary and active authors of creation. These creations are but perish- 

 able, and since the beginning of time, three of them have passed away. 

 The present world is, therefore, the work of the fourth Bodhisatwa, who is now 

 Lord of the ascendant, and his worshippers in Nepal are wont to invest 

 him with all the powers of a Supreme and sole God, the *' Prcesens Divus 

 being, as usual, every thing. When the existing system of worlds shall have 

 run its course, the offices of creator and governor of the next will be assumed \ 

 by the fifth Bodhisatwa. The names and lineage of these Dhydni Bodhisatwas 

 are as follows : 



Btiddhas. Bodhisatwas. 



1. Vairochana. !• Samantabhadra. 



2. Akshobhya. 2. Vujra Pdni. 



3. Ratnasamhhava. 3. Retna Pdni. 



4. Amitdbha. 4. Padina Pdni. 



5. Amoghasiddha, . 5. Viswa Pdni, 



The Dhydni Buddhas and Bodhisatwas are considered to stand in the 

 relation of fathers and sons to each other, and as there are Dhydni Bodhi- 

 satwas, so are there Mdniishi Bodhisatwas ; who again bear to their respec- 

 tive Mdnushi BuddhaSy the connexion of pupil to teacher, of graduate to 

 adept, of the aspirant after the wisdom of Buddhism to him who possesses 

 that wisdom. I should add, that it is competent for a mortal man to become 

 a Buddha^* whilst he yet lingers in the flesh ; albeit, the entire fulfilment of 

 the rewards, if not of the prerogatives of the transcendent character, is assign- 

 ed to a more unearthly state, viz. the state of Nirvritti. 



The images of the Dhydni Buddhas, which have been forwarded to 

 the Society, occupy (and exclusively of all lower Buddhas) the base of 



* Hence the Divine Lamas of £/iof, though the original idea has been perverted somewhat. 



