In the Buddhāvataṃsaka Sūtra , Vairocana is described as having attained enlightenment immeasurable ages ago and residing in a world purified by him while he was a bodhisattva. He also presides over an assembly of countless other bodhisattvas.

Vairocana is a supreme cosmic Buddha who is said to contain all world systems within his all-encompassing cosmic body.[8] The Avatamsaka sutra also states that the wisdom of the Buddha (the Tathagata) is present everywhere in the universe, indeed, it is present within every living being.