| Nio | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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| Renwang | |||||||||
| Chinese | 仁王 | ||||||||
| Literal meaning | King(s) ofBenevolence Benevolent King(s) | ||||||||
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| Tianwang | |||||||||
| Chinese | 天王 | ||||||||
| Literal meaning | Deva King(s) Heavenly King(s) | ||||||||
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| Korean name | |||||||||
| Hangul | 인왕 | ||||||||
| Hanja | 仁王 | ||||||||
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| Japanese name | |||||||||
| Kanji | 仁王 | ||||||||
| Hiragana | におう | ||||||||
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Niō (inJapanese contexts) orInwang (inKorean contexts) orRenwang (inChinese contexts) orNhân vương (inVietnamese contexts), also known as theDeva[1] orBenevolent Kings,[2] are two wrathful and muscular guardians of theBuddha standing today at the entrance of many Buddhist temples inEast Asian Buddhism in the form of frightening wrestler-like statues. They aredharmapala manifestations of thebodhisattvaVajrapāṇi, the oldest and most powerful[citation needed] of theMahayana Buddhistpantheon. According to scriptures like thePāli Canon as well as theAmbaṭṭha Sutta, they travelled withGautama Buddha to protect him. Within thegenerally pacifist tradition of Buddhism, stories of dharmapalas justified the use of physical force to protect cherished values and beliefs against evil. They are also seen as a manifestation ofMahasthamaprapta, thebodhisattva of power that flanksAmitābha inPure Land Buddhism and asVajrasattva inTibetan Buddhism.[3]
They are usually portrayed as a pair of figures that stand guarding the main temple entrance gates, usually calledshanmen (山門) in China,niōmon (仁王門) in Japan, andgeumgangmun (金剛門) in Korea. In Sanskrit, the right statue is known as Guhyapāda. He traditionally has his mouth open, representing the vocalization of the firstgrapheme of SanskritDevanāgarī (अ, "a").[4] The left statue is Nārāyaṇa. He traditionally has his mouth closed, representing the vocalization of the last grapheme of Devanāgarī (ह, "[ɦ]"), read "ɦūṃ" (हूँ). These two characters together (a-hūṃ/a-un) symbolize the birth and death of all things. (Men are supposedly born speaking the "a" sound with mouths open and die speaking an "ɦūṃ" and mouths closed.) Similar toJaya-Vijaya, they signify "everything" or "all creation". The contraction of both is the mantraom (ॐ).
Guhyapāda (Traditional Chinese: 密迹金剛;simplified Chinese: 密迹金刚;pinyin:Mìjī jīngāng;Japanese:Misshaku Kongō;Korean: Miljeok geumgang;Vietnamese:Mật tích kim cương ) is a symbol of overt violence: he wields avajra mallet "vajra-pāṇi" (a diamond club, thunderbolt stick, or sun symbol)[5] and bares his teeth. His mouth is depicted as being in the shape necessary to form the "ha" or "ah" sound. In China, he is also known asGeneral Ha (哈将 Hā Jiāng) in reference to this iconographic detail. Similarly, he is also known as Agyō (阿形, "a"-form, general term open-mouthed statues in aum pair) in Japan due to this detail as well. InChinese Buddhism, Guhyapāda is regarded as one of theTwenty-Four Protective Deities, who are a grouping of dharmapalas often enshrined in the Daxiong of temples and monasteries. In addition, Guhyapāda is also sometimes paired or identified with the Wisdom KingUcchuṣma, who is commonly known in Chinese asHuiji Jingang (穢跡金剛).[6]
Nārāyaṇa (Traditional Chinese: 那羅延金剛;simplified Chinese: 那罗延金刚;pinyin:Nàluōyán Jīngāng;Japanese:Naraen Kongō;Korean:Narayeon geumgang;Vietnamese:Na la diên kim cương) is depicted either bare-handed or wielding a sword. He symbolizes latent strength, holding his mouth tightly shut. His mouth is rendered to form the sound "hūṃ", or "heng" or "un". In China, he is also known asGeneral Heng (哼将 Hēng Jiāng) in reference to this iconographic detail. Similarly, he is also known as Ungyō (吽形, "um"-form, general term closed-mouthed statues in aum pair) in Japan due to this detail as well.
BothGuhyapāda andNārāyaṇa are seen as manifestations ofVajrapāni (Traditional Chinese: 執金剛神;simplified Chinese: 执金刚神;pinyin:Zhíjīngāng shén;Japanese:Shūkongōshin;Korean:Jip geumgang sin;Vietnamese:Chấp kim cang thần),[4] with the name literally meaning "vajra-wielding god".
Nio Zen Buddhism was a practice advocated by the Zen monkSuzuki Shōsan (1579–1655), who advocated Nio Zen Buddhism over Nyorai Zen Buddhism. He recommended that practitioners should meditate on Nio and even adopt their fierce expressions and martial stances in order to cultivate power, strength and courage when dealing with adversity.[7] Suzuki described Nio as follows: "The Niō (Vajrapani) is a menacing God. He wields the kongōsho (vajra) and he can crush your enemies. Depend on him, pray to him that he will protect you as he protects the Buddha. He vibrates with energy and spiritual power which you can absorb from him in times of need."[citation needed]
InChinese folk religion andTaoism, they are known as the two generalsHeng and Ha (哼哈二將,Hēng Hā èr jiàng). In the Taoist novelFengshen Yanyi,Zheng Lun andChen Qi were finally appointed as the twodeities.[8]
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