Idam

Idam

Idam, yidam (ishta-devata)

In the Buddhist tradition of Vajrayana — an enlightened being or a deity of meditation, expressing an initially awakened state of consciousness. In Buddhism the idam is not the same as the deities in Hinduism, but rather it is the ideal form with which the practitioner identifies himself for revealing the Buddha's nature in himself. As a rule, there are idamas of peaceful and angry forms, as well as their various mandalas and mantras.