Dhyani Buddhas ?

[Stephen Hodge]

Ven Tantra wrote:

> How then might one refer to the traditional grouping
> of five "dhyani" Buddhas? Is there mandalic
> functioning, etc., not of some importance and
> therefore worth retaining?

My personal feeling is that it is hard enough to understand half or
more of Buddhist technical terms without confusing the issue even
further with neologisms.   From what I have seen, there is already a
perfectly good term used in the tantras and elsewhere -- "jina".  I
also believe that the term was modelled on terms like the "yoga /
yogi" pair and so does not mean "meditation Buddha" as many would have
it.  Anyway, are the jinas or dhyaani Buddhas actually abiding in
dhyaana when they are in the mandalas ?   Just a quibble, but would it
not be more accurate to call them samaadhi buddhas IF that is what
they are doing ?  In my own limited reading of texts, I have never
come across any mention of Buddhas engaging in dhyaana and, in my
understanding, there is a qualitative difference between dhyaana and
samaadhi.   Still, some people seem very attached to the term so I am
probably fighting a lost cause -- looks like heuristic neologisms win
out over terminological accuracy.

Best wishes,
Stephen Hodge