Marishi-Ten
Encyclopedia
In Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism, Marici is known as the goddess
of the heavens
, goddess of light, and a solar deity
. Also known elsewhere as , Marisha-Ten (another Japanese name), and Mólìzhītiān Púsà . She is believed to be one of the Twenty (or Twenty Four) Heaven Celestials (二十/二十四诸天). In Taoism, Marici is known under the epithet of the Dipper Mother (traditional Chinese: 斗母元君; pinyin: Dǒumǔ Yuánjūn).
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.
Symbols
, Iran
ian, and non-Aryan
antecedents spanning 1500 years. She is however identified as a Buddhist "goddess
" of light, Marici.
deity where she is known as Dipper Mother or Maritchi Deva . Most often she depicted with three eyes in each of her four faces; with four arms on each side of her body. Two of her hands are held together, and the other six hold a sun, moon, bell, golden seal, bow, and halberd. She is either standing/sitting on top of a lotus or pig
, or on a Lotus on top of seven pigs. She is celebrated on the 9th day of the 9th lunar month.
In Chinese Buddhism, especially in the south where Tantric Buddhism hardly penetrated, she is often confused with Cundī
. Among Chinese Buddhists she is worshiped as goddess of light and as the guardian of all nations, whom she protects from the fury of war.
In Taoism she remains a popular deity and is often referred to as Queen of Heaven and is widely worshiped as the Goddess of Beidou
(the Chinese equivalent of Ursa Major
except that it also includes 2 "attendant" stars). 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 still worshiped today in Taoist temples like the White Cloud Temple
and the Tou Mu Kung Temple
which has both Taoist and Buddhist influences.
in the 8th century CE as a protector and patron.
While devotions to Marici predate Zen
, they appear to be geared towards a similar meditative mode in order to enable the warrior to achieve a more heightened spiritual level. He lost interest in the issues of victory or defeat (or life and death), thus transcending to a 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.
The worship of Marici was to provide a way to achieve selflessness and compassion through Buddhist training by incorporating a passion for the mastery of the self.
Samurai
would invoke the mantra of Marici at sunrise to achieve victory on the battlefield, or would invoke Marici by other means to attain magical powers that would assist them in battle. Since Marici means "light" or mirage
, she was regarded as the deification of mirages and was thus invisible or difficult to see and was thereby accordingly invoked to escape the notice of one's enemies.
as a goddess of wealth and prosperity by the merchant class, alongside Daikoku-ten (大黒天) and Benzaiten
(弁財天) as part of a trio of "three deities" (santen 三天).
associated with Bhaiṣajyaguru
, the Buddha
of Medicine.
Images of her are common in India
, but there are few examples in China
and Japan
.
Goddess
A goddess is a female deity. In some cultures goddesses are associated with Earth, motherhood, love, and the household. In other cultures, goddesses also rule over war, death, and destruction as well as healing....
of the heavens
Sky
The sky is the part of the atmosphere or outer space visible from the surface of any astronomical object. It is difficult to define precisely for several reasons. During daylight, the sky of Earth has the appearance of a pale blue surface because the air scatters the sunlight. The sky is sometimes...
, goddess of light, and a solar deity
Solar deity
A solar deity is a sky deity who represents the Sun, or an aspect of it, usually by its perceived power and strength. Solar deities and sun worship can be found throughout most of recorded history in various forms...
. Also known elsewhere as , Marisha-Ten (another Japanese name), and Mólìzhītiān Púsà . She is believed to be one of the Twenty (or Twenty Four) Heaven Celestials (二十/二十四诸天). In Taoism, Marici is known under the epithet of the Dipper Mother (traditional Chinese: 斗母元君; pinyin: Dǒumǔ Yuánjūn).
Iconic depictions
Marici has historically taken the following depictions- As a beautiful woman sitting/standing on an open lotus, the lotus itself sometimes perched on the back of seven sows.
- As a ferocious demon perched on the back of a boarBoarWild boar, also wild pig, is a species of the pig genus Sus, part of the biological family Suidae. The species includes many subspecies. It is the wild ancestor of the domestic pig, an animal with which it freely hybridises...
- Riding a fiery chariotChariotThe chariot is a type of horse carriage used in both peace and war as the chief vehicle of many ancient peoples. Ox carts, proto-chariots, were built by the Proto-Indo-Europeans and also built in Mesopotamia as early as 3000 BC. The original horse chariot was a fast, light, open, two wheeled...
pulled by seven savage boarBoarWild boar, also wild pig, is a species of the pig genus Sus, part of the biological family Suidae. The species includes many subspecies. It is the wild ancestor of the domestic pig, an animal with which it freely hybridises...
s or sows - As a multi-armed woman with a different weapon in each hand standing 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.
Symbols
- sow
- lotus
Origins
The origins of Marici are obscure, however she appears to be an amalgamation of HinduHindu
Hindu refers to an identity associated with the philosophical, religious and cultural systems that are indigenous to the Indian subcontinent. As used in the Constitution of India, the word "Hindu" is also attributed to all persons professing any Indian religion...
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
ian, and non-Aryan
Aryan
Aryan is an English language loanword derived from Sanskrit ārya and denoting variously*In scholarly usage:**Indo-Iranian languages *in dated usage:**the Indo-European languages more generally and their speakers...
antecedents spanning 1500 years. She is however identified as a Buddhist "goddess
Goddess
A goddess is a female deity. In some cultures goddesses are associated with Earth, motherhood, love, and the household. In other cultures, goddesses also rule over war, death, and destruction as well as healing....
" of light, Marici.
In China
Marici in China is worshiped as both a Buddhist and TaoistTaoism
Taoism refers to a philosophical or religious tradition in which the basic concept is to establish harmony with the Tao , which is the mechanism of everything that exists...
deity where she is known as Dipper Mother or Maritchi Deva . Most often she depicted with three eyes in each of her four faces; with four arms on each side of her body. Two of her hands are held together, and the other six hold a sun, moon, bell, golden seal, bow, and halberd. She is either standing/sitting on top of a lotus or pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
, or on a Lotus on top of seven pigs. She is celebrated on the 9th day of the 9th lunar month.
In Chinese Buddhism, especially in the south where Tantric Buddhism hardly penetrated, she is often confused with Cundī
Cundi (Buddhism)
Cundī is a buddha or bodhisattva venerated in the Mahāyāna Buddhist schools, with emphasis of her practice in the Esoteric Buddhist schools. She is known as a bhagavati, or "mother of buddhas", and is often equated with the bodhisattva Avalokiteśvara...
. Among Chinese Buddhists she is worshiped as goddess of light and as the guardian of all nations, whom she protects from the fury of war.
In Taoism she remains a popular deity and is often referred to as Queen of Heaven and is widely worshiped as the Goddess of Beidou
Big Dipper
The Plough, also known as the Big Dipper or the Saptarishi , is an asterism of seven stars that has been recognized as a distinct grouping in many cultures from time immemorial...
(the Chinese equivalent of Ursa Major
Ursa Major
Ursa Major , also known as the Great Bear, is a constellation visible throughout the year in most of the northern hemisphere. It can best be seen in April...
except that it also includes 2 "attendant" stars). She is also revered as the mother of the Nine Emperor Gods
Nine Emperor Gods Festival
The Nine Emperor Gods Festival is a nine-day Taoist celebration beginning on the eve of 9th lunar month of the Chinese calendar, which is observed primarily in Southeast Asian countries like Myanmar, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand and also the Riau Islands....
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 still worshiped today in Taoist temples like the White Cloud Temple
White Cloud Temple
The White Cloud Temple or the Monastery of the White Clouds is a Daoist temple located in Beijing, China. It is one of "The Three Great Ancestral Courts" of the Complete Perfection School of Taoism, and is titled "The First Temple under Heaven"....
and the Tou Mu Kung Temple
Tou Mu Kung Temple
The Tou Mu Kung Temple is a Taoist temple situated on Upper Serangoon Road, Singapore. Worshipping the Empress Registrar of Birth or Dou Mu and Nine Emperor deities, the temple has both Taoist and Buddhist influences.-History:...
which has both Taoist and Buddhist influences.
Bujin Marishi-ten
Marici was adopted by the Bujin or SamuraiSamurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
in the 8th century CE as a protector and patron.
While devotions to Marici predate Zen
Zen
Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism founded by the Buddhist monk Bodhidharma. The word Zen is from the Japanese pronunciation of the Chinese word Chán , which in turn is derived from the Sanskrit word dhyāna, which can be approximately translated as "meditation" or "meditative state."Zen...
, they appear to be geared towards a similar meditative mode in order to enable the warrior to achieve a more heightened spiritual level. He lost interest in the issues of victory or defeat (or life and death), thus transcending to a 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.
The worship of Marici was to provide a way to achieve selflessness and compassion through Buddhist training by incorporating a passion for the mastery of the self.
Samurai
Samurai
is the term for the military nobility of pre-industrial Japan. According to translator William Scott Wilson: "In Chinese, the character 侍 was originally a verb meaning to wait upon or accompany a person in the upper ranks of society, and this is also true of the original term in Japanese, saburau...
would invoke the mantra of Marici at sunrise to achieve victory on the battlefield, or would invoke Marici by other means to attain magical powers that would assist them in battle. Since Marici means "light" or mirage
Mirage
A mirage is a naturally occurring optical phenomenon in which light rays are bent to produce a displaced image of distant objects or the sky. The word comes to English via the French mirage, from the Latin mirare, meaning "to look at, to wonder at"...
, she was regarded as the deification of mirages and was thus invisible or difficult to see and was thereby accordingly invoked to escape the notice of one's enemies.
Edo period
She was also later worshipped in the Edo periodEdo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....
as a goddess of wealth and prosperity by the merchant class, alongside Daikoku-ten (大黒天) and Benzaiten
Benzaiten
Benzaiten is the Japanese name for 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, which has a section devoted to her...
(弁財天) as part of a trio of "three deities" (santen 三天).
As a Yaksha General
Marici has also sometimes included as one of the Twelve Heavenly GeneralsTwelve Heavenly Generals
In some Buddhist denominations, the Twelve Heavenly Generals or Twelve Divine Generals are the protective deities, or yaksha, of Bhaisajyaguru, the buddha of healing...
associated with Bhaiṣajyaguru
Bhaisajyaguru
Bhaiṣajyaguru , formally Bhaiṣajyaguruvaidūryaprabharāja , 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 suffering using the medicine of his teachings.-Origin:...
, the Buddha
Buddhahood
In Buddhism, buddhahood is the state of perfect enlightenment attained by a buddha .In Buddhism, the term buddha usually refers to one who has become enlightened...
of Medicine.
Images of her are common in India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
, but there are few examples in China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
See also
- List of Solar Deities
- Lunar deityLunar deityIn mythology, a lunar deity is a god or goddess associated with or symbolizing the moon. These deities can have a variety of functions and traditions depending upon the culture, but they are often related to or an enemy of the solar deity. Even though they may be related, they are distinct from the...