gachirin　月輪

KEY WORD :　art history / sculptures

Also gatsurin, getsurin. A perfectly round circle meant to represent the full moon, a frequently used symbol in Buddhist painting and sculpture. It represents the Buddha's knowledge and virtue which are considered perfect and all-encompassing. It also symbolizes sentient beings aspiration for Buddhahood. In the Esoteric Buddhist *Kongoukai mandara 金剛界曼荼羅, for example, each of the nine divinities is shown seated in the circle of a full moon. The gachirin is also the chief attribute of Gakkou bosatsu 月光菩薩 (see *Nikkou Gakkou 日光・月光). He is often shown in statues and paintings wearing a headpiece representing the moon or holding a circular form in the palm of his hand.

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*jimotsu 持物

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