Also known as the Medicine Buddha, he is the Buddha of healing and medicine in Mahayana Buddhism and is believed to cure suffering through his teachings. He is considered a bodhisattva who took twelve significant vows upon attaining enlightenment. He is also an important deity in Chinese Buddhism, along with Amitabha and Shakyamuni. The deity is typically depicted seated, holding a lapis or blue jar of medicine in his left hand and the stem of the aruna fruit (myrobalan or Terminalia chebula) in his right hand. He is also depicted with a blue halo. From the Sanskrit bhaisajyaguru, meaning “medicine master.”