The Emergence of Swayambhu Jyotirupa from a Lotus
painting on cloth
by Lama, 1995
Private Collection

The lotus located in the center of the painting depicts the great thousand petaled lotus that grew from seeds tossed into the lake by Vipasa Tathagata, the first Manusi Buddha to visit Nepal. According to sacred history, the seeds took root at Guhyesvari and blossomed into the lotus. The Five Dhyana (Jina) Buddhas, personifications of the five aspects of knowledge that make up enlightenment, emanate from the lotus as five rays of colored light. Guhyesvari is understood to be the mother of the lotus that gives rise to the five Buddhas. Therefore, she is understood to be the source of the five transcendent knowledges.