Twelve Heavenly Generals
In East Asian Buddhism, the Twelve Heavenly Generals or Twelve Divine Generals are the protective deities, or yaksha, of Bhaisajyaguru, the buddha of healing. They are introduced in the Medicine Buddha Sutra or Bhaiṣajyaguruvaidūryaprabharāja Sūtra.[1] They are collectively named as follows:
- simplified Chinese: 十二神将; traditional Chinese: 十二神將; pinyin: Shí'èr Shén Jiāng
- Japanese: Jūni Shinshō (十二神将) or Jūni Shinnō (十二神王) or Jūni Yakusha Taishō (十二薬叉大将)[2]
Names of generals
[edit]The precise names of the generals seem to vary depending on tradition. Those listed below are from an available Sanskrit transcription of the Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabhārāja Sūtra:[3]
| Sanskrit | Hanzi | Pinyin | Rōmaji | Vietnamese | Tagalog | Tibetan (Wly.) | Zodiac | Zodiac (Japan) [4] | Honji |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kiṃbhīra | 宮毘羅 | Guānpíluò Jīnpíluò |
Kubira Kompira (Shinto) |
Cung Tỳ La | Kimbhila | Ji 'jigs | Boar | Rat | Maitreya |
| Vajra | 伐折羅 | Fázhéluò | Basara, Bazara | Phạt Chiết La | Vajla | Rdo rje | Dog | Ox | Mahāsthāmaprāpta |
| Mekhila | 迷企羅 | Míqǐluò | Mekira | Mê Súy La | Mekhila | Rgyan 'dzin | Rooster | Tiger | Amitābha |
| Antila | 安底羅 | Āndǐluò | Anchira, Anteira | An Để La | Antila | Gza' 'dzin | Monkey | Rabbit | Avalokiteśvara |
| Anila | 頞儞羅 | Ènǐluò | Anira | Át Nể La | Anila | Rlung 'dzin | Sheep | Dragon | Mārīcī |
| Saṇṭhila | 珊底羅 | Shāndìluò | Sanchira, Santeira | San Để La | Santhila | Gnas bcas | Horse | Snake | Ākāśagarbha |
| Indala | 因達羅 | Yīndàluò | Indara | Nhân Đạt La | Indala | Dbang 'dzin | Snake | Horse | Kṣitigarbha |
| Pāyila | 波夷羅 | Bōyìluò | Haira | Bà Di La | Payila | Gtun 'dzin | Dragon | Sheep | Mañjuśrī |
| Mahāla | 摩虎羅 | Mòhǔluò | Makora | Ma Hổ La | Mahala | Sgra 'dzin | Rabbit | Monkey | Yamantaka[5] |
| Cidāla | 真達羅 | Zhēndàluò | Shindara | Chân Đạt La | Sidala | Bsam 'dzin | Tiger | Rooster | Samantabhadra |
| Caundhula | 招杜羅 | Zhāodùluò | Shōtora | Chiêu Đổ La | Saundhula | 'dzin | Ox | Dog | Vajrapāṇi |
| Vikala | 毘羯羅 | Píjiéluò | Bikara Bigyara |
Tỳ Yết La | Bikala | Rdzogs byed | Mouse | Boar | Śākyamuni |
Descriptions of each Heavenly General
[edit]Zhendaluo (真達羅)
[edit] |
Short description about Zhendaluo |
Zhaoduluo (招杜羅)
[edit] |
Short description about Zhaoduluo |
While the Honji and zodiac correspondences listed above are the standard in Japanese sources, there is variation among texts and regional traditions.[6]
Popular culture
[edit]- Statues of the Twelve Heavenly Generals stand in Ngong Ping, Hong Kong.
- The Heavenly Generals all appear as boss characters in 1994 video game Shin Megami Tensei II. They are depicted as servants of Āṭavaka, and share the unique classification "Shinshou".
- The Heavenly Generals and their names were used as character material for the powerful digital monster characters who serve the "Four Holy Beasts" (Digimon Sovereigns in the English Dub) in the Digital World, from the 2001 series Digimon Tamers, albeit with the names mismatched, due to being based on the Japanese zodiac classification.
- Granblue Fantasy started to release series of playable units in 2015 which called "The 12 Divine Generals". Each of these units are named after the corresponding zodiac they represent. The Japanese version use adapted Hepburn romanization, while the English version adapted from Sanskrit.
- Jujutsu Kaisen introduced Mahāla as a summon for one of the Ten Shadows technique, dubbing it the "Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sīla Divine General Makora," which was mistranslated as "Mahoraga," despite the furigana for the both of them being distinct. A golden cursed tool with the power of lightning, and shaped similarly to adornments of the electric-themed Vajra named “Kamutoke” also makes an appearance.
References
[edit]- ^ Mary Neighbour Parent (2001). "JAANUS - Japanese Architecture and Art Net Users System". Japanese Architectural and Art Historical Terminology (online ed.). Retrieved 2009-04-20.
- ^ Mark Schumacher. "12 Divine Generals of Yakushi Buddha". A to Z Photo Dictionary: Japanese Buddhist Statuary. Retrieved 2009-06-24.
- ^ "Bhaiṣajyaguruvaidūryaprabharājasūtram". Digital Sanskrit Buddhist Canon. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
- ^ "Twelve Heavenly Generals of Yakushi Buddha (source: Ancient Buddhism in Japan, Vol. II (Leiden: 1935, pp. 551-553))". BUDDHISM & SHINTŌ IN JAPAN. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
- ^ 改訂新版,世界大百科事典内言及, 精選版 日本国語大辞典,デジタル大辞泉,改訂新版 世界大百科事典,日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ),百科事典マイペディア,ブリタニカ国際大百科事典 小項目事典,山川 日本史小辞典. "十二神将(じゅうにじんしょう)とは？ 意味や使い方". コトバンク (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-04-10.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ "薬師十二神将". Flying Deity Tobifudo. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
