The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (53 page)

di Br
hma Sam
j
.

The ‘original’
Brahmo Sam
j
(according to its adherents) when the movement split.

 
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(Skt.; Tib.,
dang.po'i.sangs.rgyas
). Primordial Buddha, the highest being in Tibetan Buddhist cosmology. Although teachings regarding the
di Buddha existed in India at least as early as the 7th cent. CE, they did not enter Tibet until the arrival of
Ati
a
in 1042, after which the
di Buddha, known in India as Vajradh
ra, became identified as Dorje Chang
(Tib.,
rDor.rje.ch'ang
., ‘Holder of the Thunderbolt’) by all schools except the
Nyingma
, who know him as Kuntu Zangpo
(Tib.
kun.tu. bzang.po
., ‘Goodness in all Ways’; Skt.:
Samantabhadra
).
The Tibetan traditions have avoided the attribution to him of theistic qualities by stressing his nature as
nyat
, and by seeing his purpose as essentially that of a device within the confines of tantric practice. His
b
ja
mantra
is
OM.AH.HUM.
, which represents the
body, speech, and mind
of all buddhas.