1.
Japan
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Japan is a sovereign island nation in Eastern Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies off the eastern coast of the Asia Mainland and stretches from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea, the kanji that make up Japans name mean sun origin. 日 can be read as ni and means sun while 本 can be read as hon, or pon, Japan is often referred to by the famous epithet Land of the Rising Sun in reference to its Japanese name. Japan is an archipelago consisting of about 6,852 islands. The four largest are Honshu, Hokkaido, Kyushu and Shikoku, the country is divided into 47 prefectures in eight regions. Hokkaido being the northernmost prefecture and Okinawa being the southernmost one, the population of 127 million is the worlds tenth largest. Japanese people make up 98. 5% of Japans total population, approximately 9.1 million people live in the city of Tokyo, the capital of Japan. Archaeological research indicates that Japan was inhabited as early as the Upper Paleolithic period, the first written mention of Japan is in Chinese history texts from the 1st century AD. Influence from other regions, mainly China, followed by periods of isolation, from the 12th century until 1868, Japan was ruled by successive feudal military shoguns who ruled in the name of the Emperor. Japan entered into a period of isolation in the early 17th century. The Second Sino-Japanese War of 1937 expanded into part of World War II in 1941, which came to an end in 1945 following the bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Japan is a member of the UN, the OECD, the G7, the G8, the country has the worlds third-largest economy by nominal GDP and the worlds fourth-largest economy by purchasing power parity. It is also the worlds fourth-largest exporter and fourth-largest importer, although Japan has officially renounced its right to declare war, it maintains a modern military with the worlds eighth-largest military budget, used for self-defense and peacekeeping roles. Japan is a country with a very high standard of living. Its population enjoys the highest life expectancy and the third lowest infant mortality rate in the world, in ancient China, Japan was called Wo 倭. It was mentioned in the third century Chinese historical text Records of the Three Kingdoms in the section for the Wei kingdom, Wa became disliked because it has the connotation of the character 矮, meaning dwarf. The 倭 kanji has been replaced with the homophone Wa, meaning harmony, the Japanese word for Japan is 日本, which is pronounced Nippon or Nihon and literally means the origin of the sun. The earliest record of the name Nihon appears in the Chinese historical records of the Tang dynasty, at the start of the seventh century, a delegation from Japan introduced their country as Nihon
2.
Buddhism
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Buddhism is a religion and dharma that encompasses a variety of traditions, beliefs and spiritual practices largely based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. Buddhism originated in India sometime between the 6th and 4th centuries BCE, from where it spread through much of Asia, two major extant branches of Buddhism are generally recognized by scholars, Theravada and Mahayana. Buddhism is the worlds fourth-largest religion, with over 500 million followers or 7% of the global population, Buddhist schools vary on the exact nature of the path to liberation, the importance and canonicity of various teachings and scriptures, and especially their respective practices. In Theravada the ultimate goal is the attainment of the state of Nirvana, achieved by practicing the Noble Eightfold Path, thus escaping what is seen as a cycle of suffering. Theravada has a following in Sri Lanka and Southeast Asia. Mahayana, which includes the traditions of Pure Land, Zen, Nichiren Buddhism, Shingon, rather than Nirvana, Mahayana instead aspires to Buddhahood via the bodhisattva path, a state wherein one remains in the cycle of rebirth to help other beings reach awakening. Vajrayana, a body of teachings attributed to Indian siddhas, may be viewed as a branch or merely a part of Mahayana. Tibetan Buddhism, which preserves the Vajrayana teachings of eighth century India, is practiced in regions surrounding the Himalayas, Tibetan Buddhism aspires to Buddhahood or rainbow body. Buddhism is an Indian religion attributed to the teachings of Buddha, the details of Buddhas life are mentioned in many early Buddhist texts but are inconsistent, his social background and life details are difficult to prove, the precise dates uncertain. Some hagiographic legends state that his father was a king named Suddhodana, his mother queen Maya, and he was born in Lumbini gardens. Some of the stories about Buddha, his life, his teachings, Buddha was moved by the innate suffering of humanity. He meditated on this alone for a period of time, in various ways including asceticism, on the nature of suffering. He famously sat in meditation under a Ficus religiosa tree now called the Bodhi Tree in the town of Bodh Gaya in Gangetic plains region of South Asia. He reached enlightenment, discovering what Buddhists call the Middle Way, as an enlightened being, he attracted followers and founded a Sangha. Now, as the Buddha, he spent the rest of his teaching the Dharma he had discovered. Dukkha is a concept of Buddhism and part of its Four Noble Truths doctrine. It can be translated as incapable of satisfying, the unsatisfactory nature, the Four Truths express the basic orientation of Buddhism, we crave and cling to impermanent states and things, which is dukkha, incapable of satisfying and painful. This keeps us caught in saṃsāra, the cycle of repeated rebirth, dukkha
3.
Shingon Buddhism
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For that reason, it is often called Japanese Esoteric Buddhism, or Orthodox Esoteric Buddhism. The word Shingon is the Japanese reading of Chinese, 真言 Zhēnyán True Words, Kūkai returned to Japan as Huiguos lineage- and Dharma-successor. Shingon followers usually refer to Kūkai as Kōbō-Daishi or Odaishi-sama, the name given to him years after his death by Emperor Daigo. Before he went to China, Kūkai had been an independent monk in Japan for over a decade and he was extremely well versed in classical Chinese prose, calligraphy and Buddhist texts. Esoteric Buddhism was not considered to be a different sect or school yet at that time, Huiguo was the first person to gather the still scattered elements of Indian and Chinese Esoteric Buddhism into a cohesive system. When Kūkai was 22, he learned this mantra from Gonsō and he persevered in this mantra practice for seven years and mastered it. According to tradition, this brought him siddhis of superhuman memory retention. Kūkai would later praise the power and efficacy of Kokuzō-Gumonjiho practice, kūkais respect for Ākāśagarbha was so great that he regarded him as his honzon for the rest of his life. It was also during this period of intense mantra practice that Kūkai dreamt of a man telling him to out the Mahavairocana Tantra for the doctrine that he sought. The Mahavairocana Tantra had only recently made available in Japan. He was able to obtain a copy in Chinese but large portions were in Sanskrit in the Siddhaṃ script, which he did not know, and even the Chinese portions were too arcane for him to understand. He believed that teaching was a door to the truth he sought. Thus, Kūkai resolved to travel to China to spend the necessary to fully understand the Mahavairocana Tantra. When Kūkai reached China and first met Huiguo on the month of 805, Huiguo was age sixty. Huiguo exclaimed to Kūkai in Chinese, At last, you have come, I have been waiting for you. Quickly, prepare yourself for initiation into the mandalas, Huiguo had foreseen that Esoteric Buddhism would not survive in India and China in the near future and that it was Kukais destiny to see it continue in Japan. In the short space of three months, Huiguo initiated and taught Kūkai everything he knew on the doctrines and practices of the Mandala of the Two Realms as well as mastery of Sanskrit and Chinese. Huiguo declared Kūkai to be his disciple and proclaimed him a Dharma successor
4.
Buddhahood
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In Buddhism, buddhahood is the condition or rank of a buddha. The goal of Mahayanas Bodhisattva path is Samyaksambuddhahood, so one may benefit all sentient beings by teaching them the path of cessation of dukkha. This contrasts with the goal of Hinayana path, where the goal is Arhatship, in Theravada Buddhism, Buddha refers to one who has become awakened through their own efforts and insight, without a teacher to point out the Dharma. A samyak sambuddha teaches the dharma to others after his awakening, a pratyeka-buddha also reaches Nirvana through his own efforts, but does not teach the dharma to others. An Arhat needs to follow the teaching of a Buddha to attain Nirvana, in this broader sense it is equivalent to Arahant. Buddhahood is the state of an enlightened being, who having found the path of cessation of suffering, is in the state of No-more-Learning. There is a spectrum of opinion on the universality and method of attainment of Buddhahood. The level to which this manifestation requires ascetic practices varies from none at all to a requirement, dependent on doctrine. Mahayana Buddhism emphasizes the Bodhisattva ideal instead of the Arhat, the Tathagatagarba and Buddha-nature doctrines of Mahayana Buddhism consider Buddhahood to be a universal and innate property of absolute wisdom. This wisdom is revealed in a current lifetime through Buddhist practice. Buddhists do not consider Siddhartha Gautama to have been the only Buddha, the Pali Canon refers to many previous ones, while the Mahayana tradition additionally has many Buddhas of celestial origin. A common Theravada and Mahayana Buddhist belief is that the next Buddha will be one named Maitreya, the various Buddhist schools hold some varying interpretations on the nature of Buddha. All Buddhist traditions hold that a Buddha is fully awakened and has completely purified his mind of the three poisons of desire, aversion and ignorance, a Buddha is no longer bound by Samsara, and has ended the suffering which unawakened people experience in life. Most schools of Buddhism have also held that the Buddha was omniscient, however, the early texts contain explicit repudiations of making this claim of the Buddha. Some Buddhists meditate on the Buddha as having ten characteristics, in the Madhupindika Sutta, Buddha is described in powerful terms as the Lord of the Dhamma and the bestower of immortality. Similarly, in the Anuradha Sutta Buddha is described as the Tathagata—the supreme man, actually, the Buddha was a human being, not a mere human being as is sometimes said but a special class of human called a complete person. Such complete persons are no different from others and indeed they physically remain quite ordinary. Sangharakshita also states that The first thing we have to understand -, but a special kind of human being, in fact the highest kind, so far as we know
5.
Bodhisattva
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Bodhisattvas are a popular subject in Buddhist art. In early Indian Buddhism, the term bodhisattva was primarily used to specifically to Gautama Buddha in his former life. The Jataka tales, which are the stories of the Buddhas past lives, depict the various attempts of the bodhisattva to embrace qualities like self-sacrifice, mount Potalaka, for example, is one of Bodhisattvayana. Because Hinayana was disliked and the terms Śrāvaka-Bodhisattva or Pratyekabuddha-Bodhisattva were not widely used, nevertheless, bodhisattva retained an implied reference to someone on the path to become an arhat or pratyekabuddha. In contrast, the goal of Mahayanas bodhisattva path is to achieve Samyaksambodhiṃ, when, during his discourses, he recounts his experiences as a young aspirant, he regularly uses the phrase When I was an unenlightened bodhisatta. The term therefore connotes a being who is bound for enlightenment, in other words, in the Pāli canon, the bodhisatta is also described as someone who is still subject to birth, illness, death, sorrow, defilement, and delusion. Some of the lives of the Buddha as a bodhisattva are featured in the Jataka tales. According to the Theravāda monk Bhikkhu Bodhi, the path is not taught in the earliest strata of Buddhist texts such as the Pali Nikayas which instead focus on the ideal of the Arahant. In later Theravada literature, the bodhisatta is used fairly frequently in the sense of someone on the path to liberation. He also quotes an inscription from the 10th Century king of Sri Lanka, Mahinda IV, paul Williams writes that some modern Theravada meditation masters in Thailand are popularly regarded as bodhisattvas. Like perhaps some of the early Mahāyāna forest hermit monks, or the later Buddhist Tantrics and they are widely revered, worshipped, and held to be arhats or bodhisattvas. Mahāyāna Buddhism is based principally upon the path of a bodhisattva, according to Jan Nattier, the term Mahāyāna was originally even an honorary synonym for Bodhisattvayāna, or the Bodhisattva Vehicle. The Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra contains a simple and brief definition for the term bodhisattva and this definition is given as the following. Because he has enlightenment as his aim, a bodhisattva-mahāsattva is so called, the early Rastrapalapariprccha sutra also promotes a solitary life of meditation in the forests, far away from the distractions of the householder life. The Rastrapala is also critical of monks living in monasteries and in cities who are seen as not practicing meditation. These texts seem to indicate the initial Bodhisattva ideal was associated with a strict forest asceticism, Mahāyāna Buddhism encourages everyone to become bodhisattvas and to take the bodhisattva vows. With these vows, one makes the promise to work for the enlightenment of all sentient beings by practicing the six perfections. Indelibly entwined with the vow is merit transference
6.
Wisdom King
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In Vajrayana Buddhism, a Wisdom King is the third type of deity after buddhas and Bodhisattvas. In Tibetan Buddhism, they are known as Herukas, the female counterparts of Wisdom Kings are known as Wisdom Queens, although it is ignored except the Tantrism. On a general level, the Wisdom Kings are viewed as the guardians of Buddhism, in particular, the Five Wisdom Kings are the protectors of the Five Wisdom Buddhas. As mentioned above, Wisdom Kings are usually represented as deities, often with blue skin, multiple arms, sometimes with many faces. They hold weapons in their hands and are adorned with skulls, snakes or animal skins. The Five Kings are usually defined as follows and they are organised according to the directions of the compass. Ragaraja Ucchusma Dharmapāla and Lokapāla, the Protectors in Tibetan Buddhism Mark and Luebeck, big Book of Reiki Symbols, The
7.
Funeral
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A funeral is a ceremony connected with the burial, cremation, etc. of the body of a dead person, or the burial with the attendant observances. Customs vary widely both between cultures and between groups and denominations within cultures. Common secular motivations for funerals include mourning the deceased, celebrating their life, additionally, funerals often have religious aspects which are intended to help the soul of the deceased reach the afterlife, resurrection or reincarnation. The funeral usually includes a ritual through which the corpse of the deceased is given up, depending on culture and religion, these can involve either the destruction of the body or its preservation. Differing beliefs about cleanliness and the relationship between body and soul are reflected in funerary practices, when a funerary ceremony is performed but the body of the deceased is not available, it is usually called a memorial service. The word funeral comes from the Latin funus, which had a variety of meanings, including the corpse, Funerary art is art produced in connection with burials, including many kinds of tombs, and objects specially made for burial with a corpse. Funeral rites are as old as human culture itself, pre-dating modern Homo sapiens, substantial cross-cultural and historical research document funeral customs as a highly predictable, stable force in communities. Funeral customs tend to be characterized by five anchors, significant symbols, gathered community, ritual action, cultural heritage, and transition of the dead body. The Baháí funeral service also contains the only prayer thats permitted to be read as a group - congregational prayer, the Baháí decedent often controls some aspects of the Baháí funeral service, since leaving a will and testament is a requirement for Baháís. Since there is no Baháí clergy, services are conducted under the guise, or with the assistance of. A Buddhist funeral marks the transition from one life to the next for the deceased and it also reminds the living of their own mortality. Christian burials typically occur on consecrated ground, burial, rather than a destructive process such as cremation, was the traditional practice amongst Christians, because of the belief in the resurrection of the body. Cremations later came into use, although some denominations forbid them. Congregations of varied denominations perform different ceremonies, but most involve offering prayers, scripture reading from the Bible, a sermon, homily, or eulogy, and music. One issue of concern as the 21st century began was with the use of music at Christian funerals. Antyesti, literally last rites or last sacrifice, refers to the rituals associated with a funeral in Hinduism. It is sometimes referred to as Antima Samskaram, Antya-kriya, Anvarohanyya, a dead adult Hindu is cremated, while a dead child is typically buried. The rite of passage is said to be performed in harmony with the premise that the microcosm of all living beings is a reflection of a macrocosm of the universe
8.
Sanskrit
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Sanskrit is the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, a philosophical language of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism, and a literary language and lingua franca of ancient and medieval South Asia. As a result of transmission of Hindu and Buddhist culture to Southeast Asia and parts of Central Asia, as one of the oldest Indo-European languages for which substantial written documentation exists, Sanskrit holds a prominent position in Indo-European studies. The body of Sanskrit literature encompasses a rich tradition of poetry and drama as well as scientific, technical, philosophical, the compositions of Sanskrit were orally transmitted for much of its early history by methods of memorization of exceptional complexity, rigor, and fidelity. Thereafter, variants and derivatives of the Brahmi script came to be used, Sanskrit is today one of the 22 languages listed in the Eighth Schedule of the Constitution of India, which mandates the Indian government to develop the language. It continues to be used as a ceremonial language in Hindu religious rituals and Buddhist practice in the form of hymns. The Sanskrit verbal adjective sáṃskṛta- may be translated as refined, elaborated, as a term for refined or elaborated speech, the adjective appears only in Epic and Classical Sanskrit in the Manusmṛti and the Mahabharata. The pre-Classical form of Sanskrit is known as Vedic Sanskrit, with the language of the Rigveda being the oldest and most archaic stage preserved, Classical Sanskrit is the standard register as laid out in the grammar of Pāṇini, around the fourth century BCE. Sanskrit, as defined by Pāṇini, evolved out of the earlier Vedic form, the present form of Vedic Sanskrit can be traced back to as early as the second millennium BCE. Scholars often distinguish Vedic Sanskrit and Classical or Pāṇinian Sanskrit as separate dialects, although they are quite similar, they differ in a number of essential points of phonology, vocabulary, grammar and syntax. Vedic Sanskrit is the language of the Vedas, a collection of hymns, incantations and theological and religio-philosophical discussions in the Brahmanas. Modern linguists consider the metrical hymns of the Rigveda Samhita to be the earliest, for nearly 2000 years, Sanskrit was the language of a cultural order that exerted influence across South Asia, Inner Asia, Southeast Asia, and to a certain extent East Asia. A significant form of post-Vedic Sanskrit is found in the Sanskrit of Indian epic poetry—the Ramayana, the deviations from Pāṇini in the epics are generally considered to be on account of interference from Prakrits, or innovations, and not because they are pre-Paninian. Traditional Sanskrit scholars call such deviations ārṣa, meaning of the ṛṣis, in some contexts, there are also more prakritisms than in Classical Sanskrit proper. There were four principal dialects of classical Sanskrit, paścimottarī, madhyadeśī, pūrvi, the predecessors of the first three dialects are attested in Vedic Brāhmaṇas, of which the first one was regarded as the purest. In the 2001 Census of India,14,035 Indians reported Sanskrit to be their first language, in India, Sanskrit is among the 14 original languages of the Eighth Schedule to the Constitution. The state of Uttarakhand in India has ruled Sanskrit as its official language. In October 2012 social activist Hemant Goswami filed a petition in the Punjab. More than 3,000 Sanskrit works have been composed since Indias independence in 1947, much of this work has been judged of high quality, in comparison to both classical Sanskrit literature and modern literature in other Indian languages
9.
Acala
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Acala is a dharmapala primarily revered in Vajrayana Buddhism. He is a deity particularly in Shingon traditions of Japan where he is known as Fudō Myō-ō, in Tangmi traditions China, in Nepal and Tibet as Candarosana. He is classed among the Wisdom Kings and preeminent among the Five Wisdom Kings of the Womb Realm, accordingly, his figure occupies an important hierarchical position in the pictorial diagramatic Mandala of the Two Realms. He mirrors Vidyaraja, or king of knowledge in Sanskrit texts of Buddhism, in Japan, Acala is highly venerated in the Shingon Buddhism, Tendai, Zen, Nichiren Buddhism and in Shugendō. Fudō Myō-ō is also highly revered amongst some Yakuza members, who draw on his intense facial expression. Descriptions of his physical appearance derive from such scriptural source as the Mahavairocana Tantra and his face is expressive of extreme wrath, wrinkle-browed, left eye squinted or looking askance, lower teeth biting down the upper lip. He has the physique of a corpulent child and he bears a straight sword in his right hand, and a lariat or noose in his left hand. He is engulfed in flame, and seated on a rock base. Acala is said to be a deity who protects all by burning away all impediments antarāya and defilements. Under this conceptualization, the kings are ranked superior to the dharmapala. Nevertheless, this distinction sometimes fails to be asserted, or the two are treated as synonymous by many commentators, even in clearly Japanese religious contexts. The Sanskrit symbol that represents Acala is hāṃ हां, conventionally transliterated kān, however, it has been confounded with the similar glyph, prompting some commentators to mistakenly identify Acala with other deities. Thus Shingon Buddhist mourners assign Fudō the first seven days of service, the first week is an important observance, but perhaps not as prominently important as the observance of seven times seven days signifying the end of intermediate state. Literature on Shingon Buddhist ritual will explain that such and such Sanskrit seed syllable, or mantra or mudra is attendant to each of the buddhas for each observance period. There is claim that Acala is identifiable with one of the two kings or Niō, or the guardian deities in Japan, but that assertion is not backed by much of the available commentary on the deity. One source which makes this claim explains that the seed syllable हूं hūṃ represents Acala, but Acalas symbol is hāṃ हां as aforementioned and this probably led to the further assertion that Acala was to be identified with the closed-mouthed Nio statue represented by the hūm sound. If Acala were a Nio gate guardian, then by transference he would belong to the class of beings called Vajrapani, however, that is strictly a Japanese interpretation. In commentary on Tibetan art, one encounters many references to the Acala-Vajrapani, Fudo Myo-O, 不動明王 O-Fudo-sama in Japan Ellen Schattschneider Fudo Myoo - In, immortal wishes Shingon Buddhist International Institute Tendai Buddhist Sangha in Denver Colorado
10.
Gautama Buddha
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Gautama Buddha, also known as Siddhārtha Gautama, Shakyamuni Buddha, or simply the Buddha, after the title of Buddha, was an ascetic and sage, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. He is believed to have lived and taught mostly in the part of ancient India sometime between the sixth and fourth centuries BCE. Gautama taught a Middle Way between sensual indulgence and the severe asceticism found in the śramaṇa movement common in his region and he later taught throughout other regions of eastern India such as Magadha and Kosala. Gautama is the figure in Buddhism. He is recognized by Buddhists as a teacher who attained full Buddhahood. Accounts of his life, discourses, and monastic rules are believed by Buddhists to have been summarized after his death, various collections of teachings attributed to him were passed down by oral tradition and first committed to writing about 400 years later. Scholars are hesitant to make unqualified claims about the facts of the Buddhas life. Apart from the Vedic Brahmins, the Buddhas lifetime coincided with the flourishing of influential schools of thought like Ājīvika, Cārvāka, Jainism. Brahmajala Sutta records sixty-two such schools of thought, thus, Buddha was just one of the many śramaṇa philosophers of that time. The times of Gautamas birth and death are uncertain, most historians in the early 20th century dated his lifetime as circa 563 BCE to 483 BCE. These alternative chronologies, however, have not yet accepted by all historians. It was either a republic, or an oligarchy, and his father was an elected chieftain. He obtained his enlightenment in Bodh Gaya, gave his first sermon in Sarnath, no written records about Gautama were found from his lifetime or some centuries thereafter. One Edict of Asoka, who reigned from circa 269 BCE to 232 BCE, another one of his edicts mentions the titles of several Dhamma texts, establishing the existence of a written Buddhist tradition at least by the time of the Maurya era. These texts may be the precursor of the Pāli Canon and they are written in the Gāndhārī language using the Kharosthi script on twenty-seven birch bark manuscripts and date from the first century BCE to the third century CE. The sources for the life of Siddhārtha Gautama are a variety of different and these include the Buddhacarita, Lalitavistara Sūtra, Mahāvastu, and the Nidānakathā. Of these, the Buddhacarita is the earliest full biography, a poem written by the poet Aśvaghoṣa in the first century CE. The Lalitavistara Sūtra is the next oldest biography, a Mahāyāna/Sarvāstivāda biography dating to the 3rd century CE, the Mahāvastu from the Mahāsāṃghika Lokottaravāda tradition is another major biography, composed incrementally until perhaps the 4th century CE
11.
Manjushri
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Mañjuśrī is a bodhisattva associated with prajñā in Mahayana Buddhism. In Tibetan Buddhism, he is also a yidam and his name means Gentle Glory in Sanskrit. Mañjuśrī is also known by the name of Mañjuśrīkumārabhūta, literally Mañjuśrī, Still a Youth or, less literally. Scholars have identified Mañjuśrī as the oldest and most significant bodhisattva in Mahāyāna literature, Mañjuśrī is first referred to in early Mahayana sutras such as the Prajnaparamita sutras and through this association very early in the tradition he came to symbolize the embodiment of prajñā. The Lotus Sutra assigns him a land called Vimala, which according to the Avatamsaka Sutra is located in the East. His pure land is predicted to be one of the two best pure lands in all of existence in all the past, present and future, when he attains buddhahood his name will be Universal Sight. In the Lotus Sūtra, Mañjuśrī also leads the Nagarajas daughter to enlightenment, an example of a wisdom teaching of Mañjuśrī can be found in the Saptaśatikā Prajñāpāramitā Sūtra. This sūtra contains a dialogue between Mañjuśrī and the Buddha on the One Samadhi, constantly thus practicing, day or night, whether sitting, walking, standing or lying down, finally one reaches an inconceivable state without any obstruction or form. This is the Samadhi of One Act, within Vajrayana Buddhism, Mañjuśrī is a meditational deity, and considered a fully enlightened Buddha. In Shingon Buddhism, he is one of the Thirteen Buddhas to whom disciples devote themselves and he figures extensively in many esoteric texts such as the Mañjuśrī-mūla-kalpa and the Mañjuśrīnāmasamgīti. His consort in some traditions is Saraswati, Mañjuśrī is depicted as a male bodhisattva wielding a flaming sword in his right hand, representing the realization of transcendent wisdom which cuts down ignorance and duality. The scripture supported by the padma held in his hand is a Prajñāpāramitā sūtra. Mañjuśrī is often depicted as riding on a lion, or sitting on the skin of a lion. This represents the use of wisdom to tame the mind, which is compared to riding or subduing a ferocious lion, in Chinese and Japanese Buddhist art, Mañjuśrīs sword is sometimes replaced with a ruyi scepter, especially in representations of his Vimalakirti Sutra discussion with the layman Vimalakirti. According to Berthold Laufer, the first Chinese representation of a ruyi was in an 8th-century Mañjuśrī painting by Wu Daozi, in subsequent Chinese and Japanese paintings of Buddhas, a ruyi was occasionally represented as a padma with a long stem curved like a ruyi. He is one of the Four Great Bodhisattvas of Chinese Buddhism, in China, he is often paired with Samantabhadra. In Tibetan Buddhism, Mañjuśrī is sometimes depicted in a trinity with Avalokiteśvara and this syllabary was most widely used for the Gāndhārī language with the Kharoṣṭhī script, but also appears in some Sanskrit texts. In some of these texts, the Arapacana syllabary serves as a mnemonic for important Mahāyāna concepts, due to its association with him, Arapacana may even serve as an alternate name for Mañjuśrī
12.
Samantabhadra
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Samantabhadra is a bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism associated with practice and meditation. Together with Gautama Buddha and his fellow bodhisattva Mañjuśrī, he forms the Shakyamuni trinity in Buddhism and he is the patron of the Lotus Sutra and, according to the Avatamsaka Sutra, made the ten great vows which are the basis of a bodhisattva. In China, Samantabhadra is associated with action, whereas Mañjuśrī is associated with prajñā, in Japan, this bodhisattva is often venerated by the Tendai and in Shingon Buddhism, and as the protector of the Lotus Sutra by Nichiren Buddhism. In the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhism, Samantabhadra is also the name of the Adi-Buddha – in indivisible Yab-Yum with his consort, Samantabhadra is also a key figure in the Āvataṃsaka-sūtra, particularly the last chapter, the Gaṇḍavyūha-sūtra. In the Āvataṃsaka-sūtra, the Buddha states that Samantabhadra Bodhisattva made ten great vows in his path to full Buddhahood, To pay homage, to praise the Thus Come One-Tathagata. To repent misdeeds and evil karmas, to rejoice in others merits and virtues. To request the Buddhas to continue teaching, to request the Buddhas to remain in the world. To follow the teachings of the Buddhas at all times, to accommodate and benefit all living beings. To transfer all merits and virtues to benefit all beings, unlike his more popular counterpart Manjusri, Samantabhadra is only rarely depicted alone and is usually found in a trinity on the right side of Shakyamuni, mounted on a white elephant. In those traditions that accept the Avatamsaka Sutra as its root instruction, Samantabhadra and Manjusri flank Vairocana Buddha and it is in this guise that Samantabhadra is revered as the patron bodhisattva of the monasteries associated with Mount Emei in western China. Some believe that the elephant mount of Samantabhadra was the same elephant that appeared to Queen Maya. Mahayana esoteric traditions treat Samantabhada as one of the Primordial Buddhas and this comes from the fact that both figures have the same name but their meaning within their respective traditions is quite different. In the Tibetan Buddhist tradition, particularly the Nyingma school, Dharmakaya Samantabhadra is considered the most primordial Buddha, akin in status to Vajradhara for the Sarma traditions. Samantabhadra appears in the Vajrayana tantric text the Kunjed Gyalpo Tantra, as the Primordial Buddha, therefore, in Tibetan Buddhism the Nyingma, or Old Translation school, the Sakya and the Bön schools view Samantabhadra as the Primordial Buddha. In the Nyingma school of Tibetan Buddhist Vajrayana, Samantabhadra is considered a primordial Buddha in indivisible yab-yum union with his consort Samantabhadri, however, the Kagyu and Gelug schools use Vajradhara to represent the Primordial Buddha. Samantabhadra is not a colored being with two eyes, etc, the Mirror of the Mind of Samantabhadra is one of the Seventeen Tantras of Dzogchen Upadesha. Sri Lankan people venerates Samantabhadra Bodhisatva as Saman, the name Saman means the rising morning sun. God Saman is considered one of the deities of the island
13.
Kshitigarbha
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Ksitigarbha is a bodhisattva primarily revered in East Asian Buddhism and usually depicted as a Buddhist monk. His name may be translated as Earth Treasury, Earth Store, Earth Matrix, usually depicted as a monk with a halo around his shaved head, he carries a staff to force open the gates of hell and a wish-fulfilling jewel to light up the darkness. Ksitigarbha is one of the four principal bodhisattvas in East Asian Mahayana Buddhism, the others are Samantabhadra, Manjusri, and Avalokiteśvara. At the pre-Tang dynasty grottos in Dunhuang and Longmen, he is depicted in a classical bodhisattva form, after the Tang, he became increasingly depicted as a monk carrying Buddhist prayer beads and a staff. His full name in Chinese is Dayuan Dizang Pusa, or Bodhisattva King Kṣitigarbha of the Great Vow, pronounced Daigan Jizō Bosatsu in Japanese, because of this important role, shrines to Ksitigarbha often occupy a central role in temples, especially within the memorial halls or mausoleums. The story of Ksitigarbha was first described in the Kṣitigarbha Bodhisattva Pūrvapraṇidhāna Sūtra and this sutra is said to have been spoken by the Buddha towards the end of his life to the beings of the Trāyastriṃśa Heaven as a mark of gratitude and remembrance for his beloved mother, Maya. However, some scholars have suspected that instead of being translated, part of the reason for suspicion is that the text advocates filial piety, which was stereotypically associated with Chinese culture. It stated that Ksitigarbha practised filial piety as a mortal, which led to making great vows to save all sentient beings. Since then, other such as Gregory Schopen have pointed out that Indian Buddhism also had traditions of filial piety. Currently there is no evidence indicating either an Indian or Chinese origin for the text. In the Kṣitigarbha Sūtra, the Buddha states that in the distant past eons and she was deeply troubled when her mother died, because she had often been slanderous towards the Three Jewels. She prayed fervently that her mother be spared the pains of hell, while she was pleading for help at the temple, she heard the Buddha telling her to go home, sit down, and recite his name if she wanted to know where her mother was. Sacred Girl was greatly relieved and would have been extremely happy and she vowed to do her best to relieve beings of their suffering in her future lives for kalpas. There is a legend about how Ksitigarbha manifested himself in China and chose his bodhimaṇḍa to be Mount Jiuhua, during the reign of Emperor Ming of Han, Buddhism started to flourish, reaching its peak in the Tang and eventually spreading to Korea. At the time, monks and scholars arrived from countries to seek the dharma in China. One of these pilgrims was a prince from Silla named Kim Gyo-gak. He went to Mount Jiuhua in present-day Anhui, after ascending, he decided to build a hut in a deep mountain area so that he could cultivate the dharma. According to records, Jijang was bitten by a snake but he did not move
14.
Maitreya
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Maitreya, Metteyya, Maithri, Jampa or Di-lặc, is regarded as a future Buddha of this world in Buddhist eschatology. In some Buddhist literature, such as the Amitabha Sutra and the Lotus Sutra, according to Buddhist tradition, Maitreya is a bodhisattva who will appear on Earth in the future, achieve complete enlightenment, and teach the pure dharma. According to scriptures, Maitreya will be a successor to the present Buddha, the prophecy of the arrival of Maitreya refers to a time in the future when the dharma will have been forgotten by most on the terrestrial world. Maitreya has also adopted for his millenarian role by many non-Buddhist religions in the past, such as the White Lotus, as well as by modern new religious movements. The name Maitreya is derived from the Sanskrit word maitrī loving-kindness, the Pali form Metteyya is mentioned in the Cakkavatti-Sīhanāda Sutta of the Pāli Canon, and also in chapter 28 of the Buddhavamsa. This leads scholar Richard Gombrich to conclude that either the whole sutta is apocryphal or that it has at least been tampered with. In the Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara, in the first centuries CE in northern India, in 4th to 6th-century China, Buddhist artisans used the names Shakyamuni and Maitreya interchangeably. Indicating both that the distinction between the two had not yet been drawn and that their respective iconographies had not yet been firmly set, an example is the stone sculpture found in the Qingzhou cache dedicated to Maitreya in 529 CE as recorded in the inscription. The religious belief of Maitreya apparently developed around the time as that of Amitābha. One mention of the prophecy of Maitreya is in the Maitreyavyākaraṇa, no longer will they regard anything as their own, they will have no possession, no gold or silver, no home, no relatives. But they will lead the life of oneness under Maitreyas guidance. They will have torn the net of the passions, they manage to enter into trances. Maitreya is typically pictured seated, with both feet on the ground or crossed at the ankles, on a throne, waiting for his time. He is dressed in the clothes of either a bhikṣu or Indian royalty, as a bodhisattva, he would usually be standing and dressed in jewels. A khata is always tied around his waist as a girdle, in the Greco-Buddhist art of Gandhara, Maitreya is represented as a Central Asian or northern Indian nobleman, holding a kumbha in his left hand. Sometimes this is a wisdom urn and he is flanked by his two acolytes, the brothers Asanga and Vasubandhu. The Maitreyasamiti was an extensive Buddhist play in pre-Islamic Central Asia, the Maitreyavyakarana in Central Asia and the Anagatavamsa of South India also mention him. Maitreya currently resides in the Tuṣita Heaven, said to be reachable through meditation, Gautama Buddha also lived here before he was born into the world as all bodhisattvas live in the Tuṣita Heaven before they descend to the human realm to become Buddhas
15.
Bhaisajyaguru
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Bhaiṣajyaguru, formally Bhaiṣajya-guru-vaiḍūrya-prabhā-rāja, is the Buddha of healing and medicine in Mahāyāna Buddhism. Commonly referred to as the Medicine Buddha, he is described as a doctor who cures dukkha using the medicine of his teachings, bhaiṣajyagurus original name and title was rāja, but Xuanzang translated it as Tathāgata. Subsequent translations and commentaries followed Xuanzang in describing him as a Buddha, the image of Bhaiṣajyaguru is usually expressed with a canonical Buddha-like form holding a gallipot and, in some versions, possessing blue skin. Though also considered to be a guardian of the East, in most cases Akshobhya is given that role, as an exceptional case, the honzon of Kōya-san Kongōbu-ji was changed from Akshobhya to Bhaiṣajyaguru. Bhaiṣajyaguru is described in the eponymous Bhaiṣajya-guru-vaiḍūrya-prabhā-rāja Sūtra, commonly called the Medicine Buddha Sutra, on achieving Buddhahood, he became the Buddha of the eastern pure land of Vaiḍūryanirbhāsa Pure Lapis Lazuli. The manuscripts in this find are dated before the 7th century, the Chinese Buddhist monk Xuanzang visited a Mahāsāṃghika monastery at Bamiyan, Afghanistan, in the 7th century CE, and the site of this monastery has been rediscovered by archaeologists. Birchbark manuscript fragments from several Mahāyāna sūtras have been discovered at the site, to awaken the minds of sentient beings through his light of lapis lazuli. To provide the sentient beings with whatever needs they require. To correct heretical views and inspire beings toward the path of the Bodhisattva, to help beings follow the Moral Precepts, even if they failed before. To heal beings born with deformities, illness or other physical sufferings, to help relieve the destitute and the sick. To help women who wish to be reborn as men achieve their desired rebirth, to help heal mental afflictions and delusions. To help the oppressed be free from suffering, to relieve those who suffer from terrible hunger and thirst. To help clothe those who are destitute and suffering from cold, in the Bhaiṣajya-guru-vaiḍūrya-prabhā-rāja Sūtra, the Medicine Buddha is described as having entered into a state of samadhi called Eliminating All the Suffering and Afflictions of Sentient Beings. From this samadhi state he spoke the Medicine Buddha Dharani, namo bhagavate bhaiṣajyaguru vaiḍūryaprabharājāya tathāgatāya arahate samyaksambuddhāya tadyathā, oṃ bhaiṣajye bhaiṣajye bhaiṣajya-samudgate svāhā. The last line of the dharani is used as Bhaisajyagurus short form mantra, there are several other mantras for the Medicine Buddha as well that are used in different schools of Vajrayana Buddhism. In the sutra, he is described by his aura of lapis lazuli-colored light. In Chinese depictions, he is holding a pagoda, symbolising the ten thousand Buddhas of the three periods of time. He is also depicted standing on a Northern Wei stele from approximately 500 AD now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, within the halo are depicted the Seven Bhaiṣajyaguru Buddhas and seven apsaras
16.
Guanyin
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Guanyin or Guan Yin is an East Asian bodhisattva associated with compassion as venerated by Mahayana Buddhists. She is commonly known as the Goddess of Mercy in English, the Chinese name Guanyin is short for Guanshiyin, meaning Perceives the Sounds of the World. She is also referred to as Guanyin Bodhisattva, some Buddhists believe that when one of their adherents departs from this world, they are placed by Guanyin in the heart of a lotus, and then sent to the western Pure Land of Sukhāvatī. Guanyin is often referred to as the most widely beloved Buddhist Divinity with miraculous powers to assist all those who pray to her, as is said in the Lotus Sutra and Karandavyuha Sutra. Several large temples in East Asia are dedicated to Guanyin including Shitennoji, Sensoji, Kiyomizu-dera, furthermore, Guanyin can also be found in some influential Theravada temples such as Gangaramaya and Kelaniya of Sri Lanka. Statues can also be found in the Asian art sections of most museums in the world as a widely depicted subject of Asian art and it is generally accepted among East Asian adherents that Guanyin originated as the Bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara. In Chinese folk religion, there are mythical accounts about Guanyins origins that are not associated with the Avalokiteśvara described in Buddhist sutras, Guānyīn is a translation from the Sanskrit avalokitasvara or Avalokiteshvara, referring to the Mahāyāna bodhisattva of the same name. Another later name for this bodhisattva is Guānzìzài and it was initially thought that the Chinese mis-transliterated the word Avalokiteśvara as Avalokitasvara which explained why Xuanzang translated it as Guānzìzài instead of Guānyīn. However, the form was indeed Avalokitasvara with the ending svara. This is the equivalent of the Chinese translation Guānyīn. The original form Avalokitasvara already appears in Sanskrit fragments of the fifth century, the original meaning of the name Avalokitasvara fits the Buddhist understanding of the role of a bodhisattva. The reinterpretation presenting him as an īśvara shows an influence of Śaivism, as the term īśvara was usually connected to the Hindu notion of Śiva as a creator god. The Lotus Sutra has been dated to between the 1st century BCE and 1st century CE, in Japanese, Guanyin is pronounced Kannon, occasionally Kanon, or more formally Kanzeon, the spelling Kwannon, based on a premodern pronunciation, is sometimes seen. This rendition was used for a spelling of the well-known camera manufacturer Canon Inc. which was named for Guanyin. When iconography of Kannon depicts her with the Nyoihōju wishing gem she is known as Nyoirin Kannon, in Korean, Guanyin is called Gwan-eum or Gwanse-eum. In Thai, she is called Kuan Im, Phra Mae Kuan Im, in Burmese, the name of Guanyin is Kwan Yin Medaw, literally meaning Mother Kwan Yin. In Vietnamese, the name is Quan Âm or Quán Thế Âm, in Indonesian, the name is Kwan Im or Dewi Kwan Im. She is also called Mak Kwan Im Mother Guanyin, in Malaysian Mandarin, the name is Kwan Im Ma Mother GuanYin, GuanYin Pusa, Guan Shi Yin Pusa
17.
Akshobhya
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In Vajrayana Buddhism, Akshobhya is one of the Five Wisdom Buddhas, a product of the Adibuddha, who represents consciousness as an aspect of reality. By convention he is located in the east of the Diamond Realm and is the lord of the Eastern Pure Land Abhirati and his consort is Lochanā and he is normally accompanied by two elephants. His color is blue-black and his attributes include the bell, three robes, and staff, along with a jewel, lotus, prayer wheel, and sword. Akshobhya appears in the Scripture of the Buddha-land of Akshobhya, which dates from 147 AD and is the oldest known Pure Land text. According to the scripture, a monk wished to practice the Dharma in the world of delight. He duly proved immovable and when he succeeded, he became the buddha Akshobhya, Akshobhya is sometimes merged with Acala, whose name also means immovable one in Sanskrit. However, Acala is not a buddha, but one of the Five Wisdom Kings of the Womb Realm in Vajrayana. Prior to the advent of Bhaisajyaguru, Akshobhya was the subject of a cult in Japan as a healing buddha. Recently, newly discovered Gāndhārī texts from Pakistan in the Bajaur Collection have been found to contain fragments of an early Mahāyāna sutra mentioning Akshobhya, preliminary dating through palaeography suggests a late 1st century to early 2nd century AD provenance. More conclusive radiocarbon dating is under way, a preliminary report on these texts has been issued by Ingo Strauch, with a paper on Akshobhya texts published 2010. Akshobhya is the embodiment of mirror knowledge, a knowledge of what is real, and what is illusion, or a mere reflection of actual reality. The mirror is mind itself - clear like the sky, empty yet luminous, holding all the images of space and time, yet untouched by them. He represents the mind, and the Vajra family is connected with reason. Its brilliance illuminates the darkness of ignorance, its sharpness cuts through confusion, the Vajra family, to which Akshobhya belongs, is associated with the element of water. This is why the two colours of Vajra are blue or white, bright white like sun reflecting off water, and blue, like the depths of the ocean. Even if the surface of the ocean is blown into crashing waves, and though water may seem ethereal and weightless, in truth it is extremely heavy. Water flows into the lowest place and settles there and it carves through solid rock, but calmly, without violence. When frozen, it is hard, sharp, and clear like the intellect and these are all the essential qualities of Akshobhya
18.
Vairocana
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Vairocana is a celestial buddha who is often interpreted, in texts like the Flower Garland Sutra, as the Dharma Body of the historical Buddha. In Chinese, Korean, and Japanese Buddhism, Vairocana is also seen as the embodiment of the Buddhist concept of Emptiness, in the conception of the Five Wisdom Buddhas of Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism, Vairocana is at the centre and is considered a Primordial Buddha. Vairocana is not to be confused with Vairocana Mahabali, son of Virochana, Vairocana Buddha is first introduced in the Brahma Net Sutra, Now, I, Vairocana Buddha am sitting atop a lotus pedestal, On a thousand flowers surrounding me are a thousand Sakyamuni Buddhas. Each flower supports a hundred million worlds, in each world a Sakyamuni Buddha appears, all are seated beneath a Bodhi-tree, all simultaneously attain Buddhahood. All these innumerable Buddhas have Vairocana as their original body and he is also mentioned in the Flower Garland Sutra, however, the doctrine of Vairocana Buddha is based largely on the teachings of the Mahavairocana Sutra and to a lesser degree the Vajrasekhara Sutra. He is also mentioned as an epithet of the Buddha Śakyamuni in the Sutra of Meditation on the Bodhisattva Universal Virtue, who dwells in a place called Always Tranquil Light. Vairocana is the Primordial Buddha in the Chinese schools of Tiantai and Hua-Yen Buddhism, also appearing in schools including the Japanese Kegon, Shingon. In the case of Shingon and Hua-Yen schools, Vairocana is the central figure, as Xavier learned more about the religious nuances of the word, he substituted the term Deusu, which he derived from the Latin and Portuguese Deus. The Shingon Buddhist monk, Dohan, regarded the two great Buddhas, Amida and Vairocana, as one and the same Dharmakaya Buddha and as the nature at the core of all beings. With regard to Emptiness, the size and brilliance of Vairocana statues serve as a reminder that all conditioned existence is empty. The Vairocana statue in Naras Tōdai-ji in Japan was the largest bronze image of Vairocana Buddha in the world, the larger of the monumental statues that were destroyed at Bamyan in Afghanistan was also a depiction of Vairocana. In Java, Indonesia, the 9th-century Mendut temple near Borobudur in Magelang was dedicated to Dhyani Buddha Vairocana, built by the Sailendra dynasty, the temple featured a three-meter tall stone statue of Dhyani Buddha Vairocana, seated and performing the Dharmachakra mudra. The statue is flanked with statues of Boddhisatva Avalokitesvara and Boddhisatva Vajrapani, the Spring Temple Buddha of Lushan County, Henan, China, with a height of 126 meters, is the tallest statue in the world. Five Dhyani Buddhas Mahavairocana Tantra Mantra of Light Birmingham, Vessantara, meeting The Buddhas, Windhorse Publications, ISBN 0-904766-53-5. Cook, Francis H. Hua-Yen Buddhism, The Jewel Net of Indra, the meaning of Vairocana in Hua-Yen Buddhism, Philosophy East and West 22, 403-415 Park, Kwangsoo. A Comparative Study of the Concept of Dharmakaya Buddha, Vairocana in Hua-yen and Mahavairocana in Shingon Buddhism, International Journal of Buddhist Thought and Culture 2, 305-331 Reeves, the Lotus Sutra, A Contemporary Translation of a Buddhist Classic
19.
OCLC
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The Online Computer Library Center is a US-based nonprofit cooperative organization dedicated to the public purposes of furthering access to the worlds information and reducing information costs. It was founded in 1967 as the Ohio College Library Center, OCLC and its member libraries cooperatively produce and maintain WorldCat, the largest online public access catalog in the world. OCLC is funded mainly by the fees that libraries have to pay for its services, the group first met on July 5,1967 on the campus of the Ohio State University to sign the articles of incorporation for the nonprofit organization. The group hired Frederick G. Kilgour, a former Yale University medical school librarian, Kilgour wished to merge the latest information storage and retrieval system of the time, the computer, with the oldest, the library. The goal of network and database was to bring libraries together to cooperatively keep track of the worlds information in order to best serve researchers and scholars. The first library to do online cataloging through OCLC was the Alden Library at Ohio University on August 26,1971 and this was the first occurrence of online cataloging by any library worldwide. Membership in OCLC is based on use of services and contribution of data, between 1967 and 1977, OCLC membership was limited to institutions in Ohio, but in 1978, a new governance structure was established that allowed institutions from other states to join. In 2002, the structure was again modified to accommodate participation from outside the United States. As OCLC expanded services in the United States outside of Ohio, it relied on establishing strategic partnerships with networks, organizations that provided training, support, by 2008, there were 15 independent United States regional service providers. OCLC networks played a key role in OCLC governance, with networks electing delegates to serve on OCLC Members Council, in early 2009, OCLC negotiated new contracts with the former networks and opened a centralized support center. OCLC provides bibliographic, abstract and full-text information to anyone, OCLC and its member libraries cooperatively produce and maintain WorldCat—the OCLC Online Union Catalog, the largest online public access catalog in the world. WorldCat has holding records from public and private libraries worldwide. org, in October 2005, the OCLC technical staff began a wiki project, WikiD, allowing readers to add commentary and structured-field information associated with any WorldCat record. The Online Computer Library Center acquired the trademark and copyrights associated with the Dewey Decimal Classification System when it bought Forest Press in 1988, a browser for books with their Dewey Decimal Classifications was available until July 2013, it was replaced by the Classify Service. S. The reference management service QuestionPoint provides libraries with tools to communicate with users and this around-the-clock reference service is provided by a cooperative of participating global libraries. OCLC has produced cards for members since 1971 with its shared online catalog. OCLC commercially sells software, e. g. CONTENTdm for managing digital collections, OCLC has been conducting research for the library community for more than 30 years. In accordance with its mission, OCLC makes its research outcomes known through various publications and these publications, including journal articles, reports, newsletters, and presentations, are available through the organizations website. The most recent publications are displayed first, and all archived resources, membership Reports – A number of significant reports on topics ranging from virtual reference in libraries to perceptions about library funding
20.
Japanese Buddhist pantheon
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The Japanese Buddhist Pantheon designates the multitude of various Buddhas, Bodhisattvas and lesser deities and eminent religious masters in Buddhism. In the ancient Japanese Buddhist Pantheon, more than 3,000 Buddhas or deities have been counted, although nowadays most temples focus on one Buddha, early, pre-sectarian Buddhism had a somewhat vague position on the existence and effect of deities. Indeed, Buddhism is often considered atheistic on account of its denial of a creator god, however, nearly all modern Buddhist schools accept the existence of gods of some kind, the main point of divergence is on the influence of these gods. Of the major schools, Theravada tends to de-emphasize the gods, the rich Buddhist Pantheon of northern Buddhism ultimately derives from Vajrayana and Tantrism. The historical devotional roots of pantheistic Buddhism seem to go back to the period of the Kushan Empire, in Japan, Kūkai introduced Shingon Esoteric Buddhism and its Buddhist Pantheon, also in the 9th century. A famous statue group, the mandala located at Tō-ji temple in Kyōto, shows some of the main elements, the mandala was made in the 9th century and offered to Kūkai. A duplicate was brought to Paris, France, by Emile Guimet at the end of the 19th century, Japanese Buddhism incorporated numerous Shintō deities in its pantheon and reciprocally. Japanese Shingon also has other categories, such as the Thirteen Buddhas, zen Buddhism however clearly rejected the strong polytheistic conceptions of orthodox Buddhism. The five Wisdom Buddhas are centered around Vairocana, the supreme Buddha, each of the four remaining Buddhas occupies a fixed cardinal point. Each of them are a manifestation of Buddha-hood, and are active in different world-periods in which they manifest themselves among Bodhisattvas and these Dhyani Buddhas form the core of the Buddhist pantheistic system, which developed from them in a multiform way. At the Musée Guimet, the five Buddhas are surrounded by protective Bodhisattvas, there is also a multitude of other Buddhas, such as Yakushi, the Buddha of medicine. Bodhisattvas are personages who are on the point of entering Buddhahood, Bodhisattvas are paragons of compassion in Mahayana Buddhism. In the Buddhist Pantheon, besides the past and future Buddhas, sometimes, five main Matrix Bodhisattvas are determined, grouped around a central Bodhisattva, Kongō-Haramitsu in the case of Tōji Temple. Beyond these five main Bodhisattvas, there exists a number of other Bodhisattvas. The Wisdom Kings were initially divinities of Esoteric Buddhism but were later adopted by Japanese Buddhism as a whole. These Gods are equipped with knowledge and power that give them influence on internal and external reality. These Kings became the object of personification, either peaceful in the case of female personifications and their aggressivity expresses their will to get rid of negative forces in devotees and in the world. They are therefore an expression of the Buddhas compassion for all beings, the Five Wisdom Kings are emanations of the Buddhas and protect them
21.
Buddhas
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In Buddhism, buddhahood is the condition or rank of a buddha. The goal of Mahayanas Bodhisattva path is Samyaksambuddhahood, so one may benefit all sentient beings by teaching them the path of cessation of dukkha. This contrasts with the goal of Hinayana path, where the goal is Arhatship, in Theravada Buddhism, Buddha refers to one who has become awakened through their own efforts and insight, without a teacher to point out the Dharma. A samyak sambuddha teaches the dharma to others after his awakening, a pratyeka-buddha also reaches Nirvana through his own efforts, but does not teach the dharma to others. An Arhat needs to follow the teaching of a Buddha to attain Nirvana, in this broader sense it is equivalent to Arahant. Buddhahood is the state of an enlightened being, who having found the path of cessation of suffering, is in the state of No-more-Learning. There is a spectrum of opinion on the universality and method of attainment of Buddhahood. The level to which this manifestation requires ascetic practices varies from none at all to a requirement, dependent on doctrine. Mahayana Buddhism emphasizes the Bodhisattva ideal instead of the Arhat, the Tathagatagarba and Buddha-nature doctrines of Mahayana Buddhism consider Buddhahood to be a universal and innate property of absolute wisdom. This wisdom is revealed in a current lifetime through Buddhist practice. Buddhists do not consider Siddhartha Gautama to have been the only Buddha, the Pali Canon refers to many previous ones, while the Mahayana tradition additionally has many Buddhas of celestial origin. A common Theravada and Mahayana Buddhist belief is that the next Buddha will be one named Maitreya, the various Buddhist schools hold some varying interpretations on the nature of Buddha. All Buddhist traditions hold that a Buddha is fully awakened and has completely purified his mind of the three poisons of desire, aversion and ignorance, a Buddha is no longer bound by Samsara, and has ended the suffering which unawakened people experience in life. Most schools of Buddhism have also held that the Buddha was omniscient, however, the early texts contain explicit repudiations of making this claim of the Buddha. Some Buddhists meditate on the Buddha as having ten characteristics, in the Madhupindika Sutta, Buddha is described in powerful terms as the Lord of the Dhamma and the bestower of immortality. Similarly, in the Anuradha Sutta Buddha is described as the Tathagata—the supreme man, actually, the Buddha was a human being, not a mere human being as is sometimes said but a special class of human called a complete person. Such complete persons are no different from others and indeed they physically remain quite ordinary. Sangharakshita also states that The first thing we have to understand -, but a special kind of human being, in fact the highest kind, so far as we know
22.
Amoghasiddhi
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Amoghasiddhi is one of the Five Wisdom Buddhas of the Vajrayana tradition of Buddhism. He is associated with the accomplishment of the Buddhist path and of the destruction of the poison of envy and his name means He Whose Accomplishment Is Not In Vain. His Shakti/consort is Tara, meaning Noble Deliverer or Noble Star and he belongs to the family of Karma whose family symbol is the Double vajra/thunderbolt. Amoghasiddhi is associated with the conceptual skandha or the conceptual mind and his action towards the promotion of Buddhist paths is the pacification of evils. This is symbolised by Amoghasiddhis symbol, the moon and he gestures in the mudra of fearlessness, symbolising his and his devotees fearlessness towards the poisons or delusions. He is usually coloured green in artwork and is associated with the air or wind element and his season is autumn and his heavenly quarter is the northern buddha-kṣetra called Prakuta
23.
Ratnasambhava
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Ratnasambhava is one of the Five Dhyani Buddhas of Vajrayana or Tantric Buddhism. Ratnasambhavas mandalas and mantras focus on developing equanimity and equality and, in Vajrayana buddhist thought is associated with the attempt to destroy greed and his consort is Mamaki and his mount is a horse or a pair of lions. Often included in his retinue is the worldy dharmapāla Jambhala, the most elaborate account of him is to be found in the Panchakara section of the Advyavajra sangrah. His activity in promoting Buddhism is enriching and increasing knowledge of Dharma, Ratnasambhava is associated with the jewel symbol, which corresponds with his family, Ratna or jewel. In artwork he is shown in the mudra of giving and he is usually coloured yellow or gold. He is associated with the element earth, the quarter of the south. His cardinal direction is the south and his buddha field is known as Śrimat. In the Bardo Thodol, he is depicted in union with Mamaki and attended by the male bodhisattvas Akasagarbha and Samantabhadra and the female bodhisattvas Mala and Dhupa. In Tibet, Vaiśravaṇa, also known as Jambhala and Kubera, is considered a worldly dharmapāla, the Wisdom King Gundari is a manifestation of Ratnasambhava
24.
Vajrasattva
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Vajrasattva is a bodhisattva in the Mahayana, Mantrayana/Vajrayana Buddhist traditions. In Tibetan Buddhism Vajrasattva is associated with the sambhogakāya and purification practice, Vajrasattva appears principally in two Buddhists texts, the Mahavairocana Sutra and the Vajrasekhara Sutra. In the Diamond Realm Mandala, Vajrasattva sits to the East near Akshobhya Buddha, in some esoteric lineages, Nagarjuna was said to have met Vajrasattva in an iron tower in South India, and was taught tantra, thus transmitting the esoteric teachings to more historical figures. Mantra = । ॐ वज्रसत्त्व हूं॥ oṁ vajrasattva hūṁ Vajrasattva is a bodhisattva in the Mahayana and Vajrayana buddhist traditions, Vajrasattva is an important figure in the tantric Buddhism of the Newar Vajrācāryas of the Kathmandu Valley. He represents the ideal guru, and he is invoked in the guru maṇḍala, the foundational ritual for all other Newar Buddhist rituals. The śatākṣara is memorized early in life by most practicing Newar Buddhists, in the Shingon Buddhist lineage, Vajrasattva is traditionally viewed as the second patriarch, the first being Vairocana Buddha himself. According to Kukais writings in Record of the Dharma Transmission he relates a story based on Amoghavajras account that Nagarjuna met Vajrasattva in a tower in southern India. Vajrasattva initiated Nagarjuna into the ritual and entrusted him with the esoteric he had learned from Vairocana Buddha. Kukai does not elaborate further on Vajrasattva or his origins, elsewhere, Vajrasattva is an important figure in two esoteric Buddhist sutras, the Mahavairocana Sutra and the Vajrasekhara Sutra. In the first chapter of the Mahavairocana Sutra, Vajrasattva leads a host of beings who visit Vairocana Buddha to learn the Dharma, Vajrasattva inquires about the cause, goal and foundation of all-embracing wisdom, which leads to a philosophical discourse by the Buddha. The audience cannot comprehend the teaching, so the Buddha demonstrates through the use mandala, Vajrasattva then questions why rituals and objects are needed if the truth is beyond form. Vairocana Buddha replies to Vajrasattva that these are expedient means to bring practitioners to experience awakening more readily, in Shingon Buddhist rituals for initiation, the kechien kanjō, the initiate re-enacts the role of Vajrasattva and recites mantra and dialogue from the sutras above. The Maha Acharya enacts the role of Mahavairocana Buddha bestowing wisdom upon the student, in Tibetan Buddhism the Vajrasattva root tantra is Dorje Gyan, or Vajra Ornament. As such, Vajrasattva practice is an element of Tibetan Buddhist practice. In addition to practice, the Vajrasattva mantra is regarded as having the ability to purify karma, bring peace. In Tibetan Vajrayana Buddhist practice, Vajrasattva is used in the Ngondro, or preliminary practices, in order to purify the minds defilements, prior to undertaking more advanced tantric techniques. The yik gya, the Hundred Syllable Mantra supplication of Vajrasattva, approaches universality in the various elementary Ngondro sadhana for sadhakas of all Mantrayana, the pronunciation and orthography differ between lineages. The evocation of the Hundred Syllable Vajrasattva Mantra in the Vajrayana lineage of Jigme Lingpas ngondro from the Longchen Nyingtig displays Sanskrit-Tibetan hybridization, though Jigme Lingpa did not compose the Hundred Syllable Mantra, his scribal style bears a marked similarity to it as evidenced by his biographies
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Ucchusma
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Ucchuṣma is a vidyaraja in the Vajrayana sect of Buddhism. He is also known by other names such as Burning Impurity Kongo, Jusoku Kongo. In Japan, Ucchuṣma is a guardian of the bathroom, where his effigy is often present and he is known to the general public for his powers of purification of the unclean, in particular in respect to sexual diseases. Ucchuṣma was also thought to be able to change a female fetus into a male one, there was a Buddha in the world named King of Emptiness. He said that people too much desire turn into a raging mass of fire. He taught me to contemplate the coolness and warmth throughout my entire body, a spiritual light coalesced inside and transformed my thoughts of excessive lust into the fire of wisdom. After that, when any of the Buddhas summoned me, they used the name fire-head, from the strength of the fire-light samadhi, I accomplished Arhatship. I made a vow that when each of the Buddhas accomplishes the way, I will be a powerful knight. The Buddha asks about perfect penetration, I used attentive contemplation of the effects of heat in my body and mind, until it became unobstructed and penetrating and all my outflows were consumed. I produced a blazing brilliance and ascended to enlightenment, the Ucchusma Vajrapala Sutra, on the other hand, asserts that the Ucchusma Deity is actually the Vajra manifestation of Shakyamuni Buddha. Legend has it that when Shakyamuni Buddha was about to enter into Nirvana, all beings, with the exception of the ‘Spiral Hair-knot Brahma King’. The Brahman King was in fact enjoying himself with the heavenly maidens in his own celestial palace, the heavenly gods, being unhappy with the arrogance of the Brahma King, went to his abode and try to persuade him to attend the Dharma assembly. Upon reaching his palace however, the gods found themselves trapped in the defiled energy cast by the powers of the king. Even some of the Vajra Deities 金刚神 who were sent to apprehend the Brahman King were imprisoned by the foul forces as well. When Shakyamuni Buddha came to learn of this, He employed His Origin Wisdom, the Ucchusma Vajrapala 秽迹金刚 soon appeared from amidst the revolving radiance of the Buddha’s heart, and ascended to the celestial palace of the Brahma King. Despite the defiled energy hurled at Him by the Brahman King, in no time, the Brahma King was subdued and brought to the feet of Shakyamuni Buddha. For this reason, the Ucchusma Deity is also known as the ‘Filth-eliminating Vajrapala’ 不净金刚
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Hayagriva (Buddhism)
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In Tibetan and Japanese Buddhism, Hayagrīva is an important deity who originated as a yaksha attendant of Avalokiteśvara or Guanyin Bodhisattva in India. Appearing in the Vedas as two separate deities, he was assimilated into the worship of early Buddhism and eventually was identified as a Wisdom King in Vajrayana Buddhism. In Tibet, Hayagriva was promoted especially by Buddhist teacher Atiśa and his special ability is to cure diseases, especially skin diseases even as serious as leprosy, which is said to be caused by nāgas. Hayagrivas sphere is realm of animals, in Folk religion in Japan, Hyagriva was also worshipped as the guardian deity for horses because of its name Horse-head. The horse was symbolized as a vehicle, not as one of Hayagrivas heads, in his simplest form Hayagriva is depicted with one face, two arms and two legs. This terrifying aspect expresses compassion’s fierce determination to help us overcome inner egotism and outer obstructions
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Mahamayuri
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Mahamayuri, is one of the Wisdom Kings in the Buddhist Pantheon. Mahamayuri is a personification, in contrast to the wrathful attitudes of male personifications of the Wisdom Kings. Mahamayuri had the power to protect devotees from poisoning, either physical or spiritual, mahamayuris dharani, translated into Chinese by Kumārajīva, is considered to predate Mahayana Buddhism. It contains the mention of the Rig Veda in the entire Chinese Buddhist canon. Chinese Buddhism List of Japanese deities
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Yamantaka
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Yamāntaka is the lord of death deity of Vajrayana Buddhism. Sometimes he is conceptualized as conqueror of death and he belongs of the Anuttarayoga Tantra class popular deity within the Gelug school of Tibetan Buddhism. Yamāntaka is an expression of Mañjuśrī, the Samyaksambuddha of wisdom who, in other contexts. Yamāntaka manifests in different forms, one of which has six legs, six faces. Within Buddhism, terminating death is a quality of all buddhas as they have stopped the cycle of rebirth, samsara. In Japanese esoteric teachings, Dai Itoku-Myoo is the emanation of Amida and is pictured with six faces, legs. Yamāntaka is a Sanskrit name that can be broken down into two elements, Yama, the name of the god of death, and antaka. Thus, Yamāntaka means “Destroyer of Death” or Conqueror of Death, kalantaka is an aspect of the Hindu god Shiva as the Conqueror of Time and Death, itself personified by the god Yama. The Roar of Thunder, Yamantaka Practice and Commentary, the All-Pervading Melodious Drumbeat, The Life of Ra Lotsawa. Translated with introduction and notes by Bryan J. Cuevas, daïitoku Vajrabhairava practice support Wrathful Guardians of Buddhism - Aesthetics and Mythology Yamantaka org
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Deity
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A deity is a concept conceived in diverse ways in various cultures, typically as a natural or supernatural being considered divine or sacred. A male deity is a god, while a female deity is a goddess, the Oxford reference defines deity as a god or goddess, or anything revered as divine. Various cultures have conceptualized a deity differently than a monotheistic God, a plain deity need not be omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient, omnibenevolent, or eternal, however an almighty monotheistic God generally does have these attributes. Monotheistic religions typically refer to God in masculine terms, while other religions refer to their deities in a variety of ways – masculine, feminine, androgynous, some Avestan and Vedic deities were viewed as ethical concepts. In Indian religions, deities have been envisioned as manifesting within the temple of every living beings body, as sensory organs, but in Indian religions, all deities are also subject to death when their merit runs out. The English language word deity derives from Old French deité, the Latin deitatem or divine nature, deus is related through a common Proto-Indo-European language origin to *deiwos. Deva is masculine, and the feminine equivalent is devi. Etymologically, the cognates of Devi are Latin dea and Greek thea, in Old Persian, daiva- means demon, evil god, while in Sanskrit it means the opposite, referring to the heavenly, divine, terrestrial things of high excellence, exalted, shining ones. The closely linked term god refers to supreme being, deity, which states Douglas Harper, is derived from Proto-Germanic *guthan, from PIE *ghut-, guth in the Irish language means voice. The term *ghut- is also the source of Old Church Slavonic zovo, Sanskrit huta-, from the root *gheu- An alternate etymology for the term god traces it to the PIE root *ghu-to-, the term *gheu- is also the source of the Greek khein to pour. Originally the German root was a noun, but the gender of the monotheistic God shifted to masculine under the influence of Christianity. In contrast, all ancient Indo-European cultures and mythologies recognized both masculine and feminine deities, the term deity often connotes the concept of sacred or divine, as a god or goddess, in a polytheistic religion. However, there is no accepted consensus concept of deity across religions and cultures. Huw Owen states that the deity or god or its equivalent in other languages has a bewildering range of meanings. Some engravings or sketches show animals, hunters or rituals, the Venus of Willendorf, a female figurine found in Europe and dated to about 25,000 BCE has been interpreted as an exemplar of a prehistoric divine feminine. In Buddhist mythology, devas are beings inhabiting certain happily placed worlds of Buddhist cosmology and these beings are mortal and numerous. It is also common for iṣṭadevatās to be called deities, although the nature of Yidams is distinct from what is meant by the term. Buddhism does not believe in a creator deity, however, deities are an essential part of Buddhist cosmology, rebirth and Saṃsāra doctrines
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Four Heavenly Kings
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The Four Heavenly Kings are four Buddhist gods, each of whom watches over one cardinal direction of the world. In Chinese, they are known collectively as the Fēng Tiáo Yǔ Shùn or Sì Dà Tiānwáng, the Hall of the Heavenly Kings is a standard component of Chinese Buddhist temples. The Kings are collectively named as follows, the Four Heavenly Kings are said to currently live in the Cāturmahārājika heaven on the lower slopes of Mount Sumeru, which is the lowest of the six worlds of the devas of the Kāmadhātu. They are the protectors of the world and fighters of evil, all four serve Śakra, the lord of the devas of Trāyastriṃśa. On the 8th, 14th and 15th days of each lunar month, then they report upon the state of affairs to the assembly of the Trāyastriṃśa devas. On the orders of Śakra, the four kings and their retinues stand guard to protect Trāyastriṃśa from another attack by the Asuras and they are also vowed to protect the Buddha, the Dharma, and the Buddhas followers from danger. According to Vasubandhu, devas born in the Cāturmahārājika heaven are 1/4 of a krośa in height and they have a five-hundred-year lifespan, of which each day is equivalent to 50 years in our world, thus their total lifespan amounts to about nine million years. The umbrella was a symbol of sovereignty in ancient India. Vaiśravaṇas mongoose, which ejects jewels from its mouth, is said to represent generosity in opposition to greed, statues of the Four Heavenly Kings of Jikō-ji, Takasago, Hyōgo, Japan. Guardians of the directions Bacab Lokapala Tetramorph Titan Anemoi Four Dwarves Four Stags Schumacher, shitenno - Four Heavenly Kings of Buddhism, Guarding Four Cardinal Directions. Digital Dictionary of Buddhism in Japan
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Marici (Buddhism)
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In Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism, Marici is a deva or bodhisattva associated with light and the sun. She is known as Molizhitian or Molizhitian Pusa in China, Marishi-ten in Japan and she is one of the 20 Celestials. In Taoism and Chinese folk religion, Marici is known under the epithet of the Lady of Dipper Mother or Doumu, a name sometimes used by Buddhists. Marici is usually depicted in one of the ways, As a beautiful woman on an open lotus. As a ferocious wrathful deity perched on the back of a boar, riding a fiery chariot pulled by seven savage boars or sows. As a multi-armed woman with a different weapon in each hand standing or sitting on the back of a boar. She has been depicted with one, three, five or six faces and two, six, eight, ten or twelve arms, three eyes, in her many-faced manifestations one of her faces is that of a sow. The origins of Marici are obscure, however, she appears to be an amalgamation of Indic, Marici in China is worshiped as both a Buddhist and Taoist deity. She is highly revered in Esoteric Buddhism, most often, she is depicted with three eyes in each of her four faces, with four arms on each side of her body. Two of her hands are together, and the other six hold a sun, moon, bell, golden seal, bow. She is either standing/sitting on top of a lotus or pig and she is celebrated on the 9th day of the 9th lunar month. Due to similar iconography, she is confused with the Bodhisattva Cundī. Among Chinese Buddhists, she is worshiped as the goddess of light and as the guardian of all nations, in Taoism, Doumu remains a popular deity and is often referred to as Queen of Heaven and is widely worshiped as the Goddess of Beidou. She is also revered as the mother of the Nine Emperor Gods who are represented by the nine stars in the Beidou constellation, legend has it that one spring day a queen went to bath in a pond. Upon entering she suddenly felt moved and nine lotus buds rose from the pond, each of these lotus buds opened to reveal a star which then became the Beidou constellation. She is worshiped today in Taoist temples like the White Cloud Temple, an important deity in the Shingon and Tendai schools, Marici was adopted by the Bujin or Samurai in the 8th century CE as a protector and patron. While devotions to Marici predate Zen, they appear to be geared towards a similar mode in order to enable the warrior to achieve a more heightened spiritual level. He lost interest in the issues of victory or defeat, thus transcending to level where he became so empowered that he was freed from his own grasp on mortality, the end result was that he became a better warrior
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Daikokuten
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In Japan, Daikokuten, the god of great darkness or blackness, or the god of five cereals, is one of the Seven Lucky Gods. Daikokuten evolved from the Buddhist form of the Indian deity Shiva intertwined with the Shinto god Ōkuninushi, the name is the Japanese equivalent of Mahākāla, the Buddhist name for Shiva. The god enjoys a position as a household deity in Japan. Daikokus association with wealth and prosperity precipitated a custom known as fukunusubi and this custom started with the belief that whoever stole divine figures was assured of good fortune if not caught in the act. The toshi-no-ichi held at Sensō-ji became the venue of the sale. Many small stalls were opened where articles including images of Daikoku were sold on the eve of New Year celebrations, the Japanese also maintain the symbol of Mahakala as a monogram. The traditional pilgrims climbing the holy Mount Ontake wear tenugui with the syllable of Mahakala. Daikoku is variously considered to be the god of wealth, or of the household and he is recognised by his wide face, smile, and a flat black hat. He is often portrayed holding a mallet called an Uchide no kozuchi, otherwise known as a magic money mallet. Daikokus image was featured on the first Japanese bank note, designed by Edoardo Chiossone, the Butsuzōzui compendium of 1690 lists and illustrates six different manifestations of Daikoku, including the feminine form known as Daikokunyo or Daikokutennyo. As Daikoku is the form of the masculine Mahākāla, Daikokutennyo is the nipponized form of the feminine Mahākāli. When Daikoku is regarded as the feminine Daikokutennyo and Kisshoutennyo is counted among the seven Fukujin, Mahākāla Mahākāli Fukujin deities Buddhist Tenbu deities Shinto-Buddhism syncretism Hinduism in Japan Marici Japan and Indian Asia by Hajime Nakamura. Publication Date,1961 India and Japan, A Study in interaction during 5th cent - 14th century - By Upendra Thakur, media related to Daikokuten at Wikimedia Commons Modern depiction of Daikokuten and Daikokutennyo by Japanese artist Sekishō
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Saraswati
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Saraswati is the Hindu goddess of knowledge, music, arts, wisdom and learning worshipped throughout Nepal and India. She is a part of the trinity of Saraswati, Lakshmi, all the three forms help the trinity of Brahma, Vishnu and Shiva to create, maintain and regenerate-recycle the Universe respectively. The earliest known mention of Saraswati as a goddess is in the Rigveda and she has remained significant as a goddess from the Vedic period through modern times of Hindu traditions. Some Hindus celebrate the festival of Vasant Panchami in her honour, the Goddess is also revered by believers of the Jain religion of west and central India, as well as some Buddhist sects. Saraswati who is revered as a goddess of knowledge, music and arts is found outside Nepal and India, such as in Japan, Vietnam, Bali. It is also a Sanskrit composite word of surasa-vati which means one with plenty of water, the word Saraswati appears both as a reference to a river and as a significant deity in the Rigveda. In initial passages, the word refers to Sarasvati River and mentioned with other northwestern Indian rivers such as Drishadvati, Saraswati then connotes a river deity. In Book 2, Rigveda calls Saraswati as the best of mothers, of rivers, –Translated by John Muir In Vedic literature, Saraswati acquires the same significance for early Indians as that accredited to the river Ganges by their modern descendants. In hymns of Book 10 of Rigveda, she is declared to be the possessor of knowledge. In Upanishads and Dharma Sastras, Saraswati is invoked to remind the reader to meditate on virtue, virtuous emoluments, the meaning, Saraswati is known by many names in ancient Hindu literature. Some examples of synonyms for Saraswati include Brahmani, Brahmi, Bharadi, Vani and Vachi, Varnesvari, in Nepali language, her name is written Nepali, सरस्वती. In the Telugu, Sarasvati is also known as Chaduvula Thalli, in Konkani, she is referred to as Shārada, Veenapani, Pustaka dharini, Vidyadāyini. In Kannada, variants of her name include Sharade, Sharadamba, in Tamil, she is also known as Kalaimagal, Kalaivāni, Vāni, Bharathi. She is also addressed as Shāradā, Veenā pustaka dharani, Vākadevi, Vāni, Varadhanāyaki, in India she is locally spelled as Bengali, সরস্বতী, Saraswati. Malayalam, സരസ്വതി, Saraswati. and Tamil, சரஸ்வதி, Sarasvatī, outside Nepal and India, she is known in Burmese as Thurathadi or Tipitaka Medaw, in Chinese as Biàncáitiān, in Japanese as Benzaiten and in Thai as Suratsawadi or Saratsawadi. Saraswati is found in almost every major ancient and medieval Indian literature between 1000 BC to 1500 AD, in Hindu tradition, she has retained her significance as a goddess from the Vedic age up to the present day. In Shanti Parva of the Hindu epic Mahabharata, Saraswati is called the mother of the Vedas, in Book 2 of Taittiriya Brahmana, she is called the mother of eloquent speech and melodious music. Saraswati is the energy and power of Brahma
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Benzaiten
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Benzaiten is a Japanese Buddhist goddess, who originated from the Hindu goddess Saraswati. Worship of Benzaiten arrived in Japan during the 6th through 8th centuries, mainly via the Chinese translations of the Sutra of Golden Light and she is also mentioned in the Lotus Sutra and often depicted holding a biwa, a traditional Japanese lute, just as Saraswati holds a veena. Benzaiten is an entity with both a Buddhist and a Shinto side. Referred to as Sarasvatî Devî in Sanskrit, Benzaiten is the goddess of everything that flows, water, time, words, speech, eloquence, music and by extension, knowledge. The original characters used to write her name read Biancaitian in Chinese and Bensaiten in Japanese, because the Sutra of Golden Light promised protection of the state, in Japan she became a protector-deity, at first of the state and then of people. Lastly, she one of the Seven Gods of Fortune when the Sino-Japanese characters used to write her name changed to 弁財天. Sometimes she is called Benten although this usually refers to the god Brahma. A form of her name which definitively distinguishes her as not the masculine god Brahma is Benzaitennyo, in the Rig-Veda Sarasvati is credited with killing the three-headed Vritra also known as Ahi. Vritra is also associated with rivers, as is Sarasvati. This is probably one of the sources of Sarasvati/Benzaitens close association with snakes, earlier documents such as those recorded by Buddhist monks link the periodic appearance of comets with the goddess Benzaiten. For example, the comet appeared in 552 AD. These records suggest that the exchange of cultural and spiritual ideas from Buddhism and Hinduism in India to Japan, through such as Benzaiten. Benzaiten is a female kami to Shinto with the name Ichikishima-hime-no-mikoto, also, she is believed by Tendai Buddhism to be the essence of kami Ugajin, whose effigy she sometimes carries on her head together with a torii. As a consequence, she is also known as Uga Benzaiten or Uga Benten. Fukujin deities Buddhist Tenbu deities Hinduism in Japan Three Great Shrines of Benzaiten Shinto-Buddhism syncretism Japan and Indian Asia by Hajime Nakamura. Publication Date,1961 India and Japan, A Study in interaction during 5th cent - 14th century - By Upendra Thakur A Study of the Enoshima Engi Sacred Texts account of Benzaiten
