concept among some sects of Mahayana Buddhism, which refers to the first, or self-existing Buddha, from whom are said to have evolved the five Dhyani-Buddhas. Although the notion of an Adi-Buddha was never generally popular, a few groups, particularly in -Nepal, Tibet, and Java, elevated Vairochana to the position of Adi-Buddha or named a new -deity, such as Vajradhara or Vajrasattva, as the supreme lord. The Adi-Buddha is -represented in painting and sculpture as a crowned Buddha, dressed in princely garments and wearing the traditional ornaments of a bodhisattva (Buddha-to-be).
