Medicine Buddha (Buddhist Deity)
Person
Biography
Medicine Buddha or the Healing Buddha is acknowledged as Bhaiṣajyaguru, the master of medicines and “doctor of souls and bodies.” Identical to Buddha Śākyāmuni, he has the ushnisa on the top of his head, is clad in a monastic robe and is seated in Padmasana. Bhaiṣajyaguru is symbolic of the healing facet of Buddha Śākyāmuni in Mahayana Buddhism. Medicine Buddha is always portrayed in a profound lapis lazuli blue, with his left hand positioned in the meditation mudra holding a medicine bowl, and his right placed on the right knee clasping a stem or fruit of the myrobalan plant (a medicinal plant found in India).