Wisdom King
Encyclopedia
In Vajrayana
Buddhism, a Wisdom King (Sanskrit
विद्याराज vidyarāja, Chinese
Míngwáng 明王, Japanese
明王 myō-ō) is the third type of deity after Buddhas
and bodhisattva
s. The Sanskrit name literally "king of knowledge", thus the Chinese character "明", meaning knowledgeable (and/or bright) is used, leading to wide array of alternative English names including Radiant King, among others like Guardian King, etc. Wisdom Kings belong to the Buddhist Pantheon. In Tibetan Buddhism
, they are known as Heruka
.
The female counterparts of Wisdom Kings are known as Wisdom Queens (Ch: Míngfēi 明妃; Jp: 明妃 myōhi), although the distinction is often ignored.
According to the esoteric doctrine of the Three Wheels
, whereas Buddhas represent pure concepts and bodhisattvas teach through compassion, Wisdom Kings are the embodiment of the wheel of injunction and teach through fear, shocking nonbelievers into faith.
, often with blue skin, many arms, sometimes with many faces, and even many legs. They hold weapons in their hands and are sometimes adorned with skulls, snakes or animal skins and wreathed in flames.
A notable exception is Mahamayuri
(Ch: Kǒngquè míngfēi 孔雀明妃 or Kǒngquè fómǔ 孔雀佛母; Jp: Kujaku myo-ō 孔雀明王), the "Peacock Wisdom Queen", who is usually presented with a peaceful expression. She is easily identifiable as she usually rides a peacock.
Buddhism, the Five Great Wisdom Kings (五大明王; Godai Myo-o, Wǔ Dà Míngwáng), also known as the Five Guardian Kings are a group of Wisdom Kings who represent the luminescent wisdom of the Buddha
and protect the Five Wisdom Buddhas.
The Five Kings are usually defined as:
The Five Wisdom Kings inhabit the Womb Realm
. They are organized according to the directions of the compass:
Vajrayana
Vajrayāna Buddhism is also known as Tantric Buddhism, Tantrayāna, Mantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Esoteric Buddhism and the Diamond Vehicle...
Buddhism, a Wisdom King (Sanskrit
Sanskrit
Sanskrit , is a historical Indo-Aryan language and the primary liturgical language of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism.Buddhism: besides Pali, see Buddhist Hybrid Sanskrit Today, it is listed as one of the 22 scheduled languages of India and is an official language of the state of Uttarakhand...
विद्याराज vidyarāja, Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
Míngwáng 明王, Japanese
Japanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
明王 myō-ō) is the third type of deity after Buddhas
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...
and bodhisattva
Bodhisattva
In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is either an enlightened existence or an enlightenment-being or, given the variant Sanskrit spelling satva rather than sattva, "heroic-minded one for enlightenment ." The Pali term has sometimes been translated as "wisdom-being," although in modern publications, and...
s. The Sanskrit name literally "king of knowledge", thus the Chinese character "明", meaning knowledgeable (and/or bright) is used, leading to wide array of alternative English names including Radiant King, among others like Guardian King, etc. Wisdom Kings belong to the Buddhist Pantheon. In Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism
Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including northern Nepal, Bhutan, and India . It is the state religion of Bhutan...
, they are known as Heruka
Heruka
Heruka is also a name for the Tantric deity Chakrasamvara, for which see.Heruka , is the name of a category of wrathful deities, enlightened beings in Vajrayana Buddhism that adopt a fierce countenance to benefit sentient beings. In China and Japan, it was named as Wisdom King. Herukas represent...
.
The female counterparts of Wisdom Kings are known as Wisdom Queens (Ch: Míngfēi 明妃; Jp: 明妃 myōhi), although the distinction is often ignored.
Doctrine
On a general level, the Wisdom Kings are viewed as the guardians of Buddhism, and fierce manifestations of Buddhas. In particular, the Five Wisdom Kings are the protectors of the Five Wisdom Buddhas.According to the esoteric doctrine of the Three Wheels
Dharmacakra
The Dharmachakra , lit. "Wheel of Dharma" or "Wheel of Life" is a symbol that has represented dharma, the Buddha's teaching of the path to enlightenment, since the early period of Indian Buddhism. A similar symbol is also in use in Jainism...
, whereas Buddhas represent pure concepts and bodhisattvas teach through compassion, Wisdom Kings are the embodiment of the wheel of injunction and teach through fear, shocking nonbelievers into faith.
Iconography
As mentioned above, Wisdom Kings are usually represented as wrathful deitiesWrathful deities
In Buddhism, wrathful deities are enlightened beings who take on wrathful forms in order to lead sentient beings to enlightenment. They are a notable feature of the iconography of Mahayana Buddhism and of Tibetan Buddhism, and other Vajrayana traditions in particular. A wrathful deity is often an...
, often with blue skin, many arms, sometimes with many faces, and even many legs. They hold weapons in their hands and are sometimes adorned with skulls, snakes or animal skins and wreathed in flames.
A notable exception is Mahamayuri
Mahamayuri
Mahamayuri , is one of the Wisdom Kings in the Buddhist Pantheon. Mahamayuri is a peaceful personification, in contrast to the wrathful attitudes of male personifications of the Wisdom Kings...
(Ch: Kǒngquè míngfēi 孔雀明妃 or Kǒngquè fómǔ 孔雀佛母; Jp: Kujaku myo-ō 孔雀明王), the "Peacock Wisdom Queen", who is usually presented with a peaceful expression. She is easily identifiable as she usually rides a peacock.
The Five Wisdom Kings
In the Shingon tradition of VajrayanaVajrayana
Vajrayāna Buddhism is also known as Tantric Buddhism, Tantrayāna, Mantrayāna, Secret Mantra, Esoteric Buddhism and the Diamond Vehicle...
Buddhism, the Five Great Wisdom Kings (五大明王; Godai Myo-o, Wǔ Dà Míngwáng), also known as the Five Guardian Kings are a group of Wisdom Kings who represent the luminescent wisdom of the Buddha
Gautama Buddha
Siddhārtha Gautama was a spiritual teacher from the Indian subcontinent, on whose teachings Buddhism was founded. In most Buddhist traditions, he is regarded as the Supreme Buddha Siddhārtha Gautama (Sanskrit: सिद्धार्थ गौतम; Pali: Siddhattha Gotama) was a spiritual teacher from the Indian...
and protect the Five Wisdom Buddhas.
The Five Kings are usually defined as:
-
- AcalaAcalaIn Vajrayana Buddhism, Ācala is the best known of the Five Wisdom Kings of the Womb Realm. He is also known as Ācalanātha, Āryācalanātha, Ācala-vidyā-rāja and . The Sanskrit term ācala means "immovable"; Ācala is also the name of the eighth of the ten completion stages of the Bodhisattva path...
(不動明王, Fudo Myo-o, Bùdòng Míngwáng) - Trilokavijaya (降三世明王, Gozanze Myo-o, Jiàngsānshì Míngwáng)
- KundaliGundariKuṇḍali Vidyarāja or Amṛtakuṇḍalin, ch: 軍荼利明王, Jūntúlì míngwáng; ja: 軍荼利明王, Gundari Myōō) is one of the five major Wisdom Kings in Buddhism. He is the dispenser of Amrita, the celestial nectar of immortality.Kuṇḍali is a manifestation of Ratnasambhava....
(軍荼利明王, Gundali Myo-o, Jūntúlì Míngwáng) - Yamantaka (大威德明王, Daiitoku Myo-o, Dàwēidé Míngwáng)
- Vajrayaksa (金剛夜叉明王, Kongo-Yasha, Jīngāng Yèchā Míngwáng)
- Acala
The Five Wisdom Kings inhabit the Womb Realm
Womb Realm
In Vajrayana Buddhism, the Womb Realm is the metaphysical space inhabited by the Five Wisdom Kings. The Womb Realm is based on the Mahāvairocana Sutra...
. They are organized according to the directions of the compass:
| Vajrayaksa (north) |
||
| Yamantaka (west) |
Acala Acala In Vajrayana Buddhism, Ācala is the best known of the Five Wisdom Kings of the Womb Realm. He is also known as Ācalanātha, Āryācalanātha, Ācala-vidyā-rāja and . The Sanskrit term ācala means "immovable"; Ācala is also the name of the eighth of the ten completion stages of the Bodhisattva path... (principal deity/ meditator) |
Trilokavijaya (east) |
| Kundali Kundali Kundali is an Indian-produced television soap opera that originally aired on Metro Gold under DD Metro in 2002. After the channel closed, the series was taken over by STAR Plus, and aired from the beginning... (south) |
Others
- RagarajaAizen Myo-oRāgarāja is a Mahayana Buddhist deity from the Esoteric and Vajrayana traditions. He is especially venerated in the Japanese Buddhist schools of Shingon and Tendai, and the general Chinese Esoteric schools of Tángmì and Mìzōng.-Nomenclature:Rāgarāja is known to transform worldly lust into...
(Aizen) - MahamayuriMahamayuriMahamayuri , is one of the Wisdom Kings in the Buddhist Pantheon. Mahamayuri is a peaceful personification, in contrast to the wrathful attitudes of male personifications of the Wisdom Kings...
(Kujaku) - HayagrivaHayagrivaHayagriva is a horse-headed deity that appears in both Hinduism and Buddhism.-Hinduism:...
(the horse-headed wrathful manifestation of AvalokitesvaraAvalokitesvaraAvalokiteśvara is a bodhisattva who embodies the compassion of all Buddhas. He is one of the more widely revered bodhisattvas in mainstream Mahayana Buddhism....
) - Ucchusma (Ususama)
See also
- DharmapālaDharmapalaIn Vajrayana Buddhism, a dharmapāla is a type of wrathful deity. The name means "Dharma-defender" in Sanskrit, and the dharmapālas are also known as the Defenders of the Law , or the Protectors of the Law, in English....
and LokapālaFour Heavenly KingsIn the Buddhist faith, the Four Heavenly Kings are four gods, each of whom watches over one cardinal direction of the world.The Kings are collectively named as follows:...
, the Protectors in Tibetan Buddhism