Vajradhara is the sambhogakaya manifestation of the primordial buddha Samantabhadra, the dharmakaya made visible in a form adorned with silks and jewels, holding the crossed vajra and bell that signify the inseparability of wisdom and compassion.
⚠ The Nyingma tradition regards Samantabhadra as the ultimate primordial buddha with Vajradhara as his sambhogakaya form, while the Kagyu tradition often treats Vajradhara himself as the primordial source without requiring a dharmakaya 'behind' him.
Vajradhara was transmitted directly from Indian Vajrayana into Tibetan Buddhism, where he became the primordial Buddha of the Kagyu lineage and the form in which the guru is visualized during tantric practice.
Tilopa received the mahamudra transmission directly from Vajradhara in visionary experience, without any human teacher as intermediary, establishing the Golden Rosary lineage that would pass through Naropa and Marpa to become the foundation of the Kagyu school.
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