Awisdom king (Sanskrit:विद्याराज;IAST:vidyārāja,Chinese:明王; pinyin:Míngwáng; Japanese pronunciation:Myōō) is a type ofwrathful deity inEast Asian Buddhism.
Whereas the Sanskrit name is translated literally as "wisdom / knowledge king(s)," the termvidyā inVajrayana Buddhism is also specifically used to denotemantras;[1] the term may thus also be rendered "mantra king(s)."[2][3]Vidyā is translated in Chinese with the character明 (lit. "bright, radiant", figuratively "knowledge(able), wisdom, wise"), leading to a wide array of alternative translations such as "bright king(s)" or "radiant king(s)". A similar category of fierce deities known asherukas are found inTibetan Buddhism.
The female counterparts of wisdom kings are known aswisdom queens (Sanskrit (IAST):vidyārājñī,Chinese andJapanese: 明妃; pinyin:Míngfēi; rōmaji:Myōhi).
Vidyārājas, as their name suggests, are originally conceived of as the guardians and personifications of esoteric wisdom (vidyā), namelymantras anddharanis. They were seen as embodying the mystic power contained in these sacred utterances.[2][4]
During the early stages of esoteric (Vajrayana) Buddhism, many of the deities that would become known asvidyārājas (a term that only came into use around the late 7th-early 8th century[5]) were mainly seen as attendants ofbodhisattvas who were invoked for specific ends such as the removal of misfortune and obstacles toenlightenment. They personified certain attributes of these bodhisattvas such as their wisdom or the power of their voices and were held to perform various tasks such as gathering together sentient beings to whom the bodhisattva preaches, subjugating unruly elements, or protecting adherents of Buddhism.[6] Eventually, these divinities became objects of veneration in their own right; no longer necessarily paired with a bodhisattva, they became considered as the manifestations of the bodhisattvas themselves and/or ofbuddhas, who are believed to assume terrifying forms as ameans to save sentient beings out ofcompassion for them.[7] A belief prevalent in the Japanese tradition known as thesanrinjin (三輪身, "bodies of the three wheels") theory for instance posits that five Wisdom Kings are the fierce incarnations (教令輪身,kyōryōrin-shin, lit. "embodiments of the wheel of injunction") of theFive Wisdom Buddhas, who appear both as gentle bodhisattvas who teach the Dharma through compassion and as terrifyingvidyārājas who teach through fear, shocking nonbelievers into faith.[8][9][10][11]
.jpg)
The evolution of thevidyārāja will be illustrated here by the deityYamāntaka, one of the earliest Buddhist wrathful deities. In the 6th century textMañjuśrī-mūla-kalpa, Yamāntaka is portrayed as the oath-bound servant of the bodhisattvaMañjuśrī who assembles all beings from across the world to hear the Buddha's preaching and vanquishes (and converts) those who are hostile to Buddhism; at the same time, Yamāntaka is also the personification of Mañjuśrī's dharani, the benefits of which are identical to his abilities.[12] He was also commonly depicted in statuary along with Mañjuśrī as a diminutiveyaksha-like attendant figure.[13]
Later, as Yamāntaka and similar subordinates of various bodhisattvas (e.g.Hayagrīva, who was associated withAvalokiteśvara) became fully independent deities, they began to be portrayed by themselves and increasingly acquired iconographic attributes specific to each. Yamāntaka, for instance, is commonly shown with six heads, arms, and legs and riding or standing on abuffalomount.[14] The status and function of these deities have shifted from being minor emissaries who gather together and intimidate recalcitrant beings to being intimately involved in the primary task of esoteric Buddhism: the transformation of passions and ignorance (avidyā) into compassion and wisdom.[15] As a result of this development, the relationship between Mañjuśrī and Yamāntaka was recontextualized such that Yamāntaka is now considered to be the incarnation of Mañjuśrī himself (so theMañjuśrī-nāma-samgīti).[14] Eventually, in thesanrinjin interpretation of Japanese esoteric Buddhism, both Yamāntaka and Mañjuśrī - under the nameVajratīkṣṇa (金剛利菩薩,Kongōri Bosatsu)[16][17] - became classified as avatars of the buddhaAmitābha.[18][19]
Other Wisdom Kings followed a more or less similar development. Hayagrīva, for example, was originally the horse-headed incarnation of theHindu godVishnu which was adopted into Buddhism as Avalokiteśvara's attendant (although unlike the HinduHayagrīva, the Buddhist figure was never portrayed with a horse's head, instead being depicted like Yamāntaka as a yaksha who may have a miniature horse head emerging from his hair).[20] Eventually, as Hayagrīva increasingly rose to prominence, the distinction between him and his superior became increasingly blurred so that he ultimately turned into one of Avalokiteśvara's many guises in both China and Japan.[21] One of the more famousvidyārājas,Acala (Acalanātha), was originally an acolyte or messenger of the buddhaVairocana before he was interpreted as Vairocana's fierce aspect orkyōryōrin-shin in the Japanese tradition.[22] (In Nepal and Tibet, meanwhile, he is instead identified as the incarnation of either Mañjuśrī or the buddhaAkṣobhya.[23][24][25][26])
The iconography of Buddhist wrathful deities are usually considered to be derived fromyaksha.
Wisdom Kings are usually represented as fierce-looking, often with blue or black skin and multiple heads, arms, and legs. They hold various weapons in their hands and are sometimes adorned withskulls,snakes or animal skins and wreathed in flames. This fiery aura is symbolically interpreted as the fire that purifies the practitioner and transforms one'spassions into awakening, the so-called "firesamadhi" (火生三昧kashō-zanmai).[27]
Certainvidyārājas bear attributes that reflectthe historical rivalry between Hinduism and Buddhism. For instance, the Wisdom KingTrailokyavijaya is shown defeating and trampling on thedevaMaheśvara (one of the Buddhist analogues to Shiva) and his consort Umā (Pārvatī).[28] A commentary on theMahavairocana Tantra by theTang monkYi Xing meanwhile attributes the taming of Maheśvara to anothervidyārāja, Acala.
InChinese and Japanese (Shingon andTendai) esoteric Buddhism, theFive Great Wisdom Kings (五大明王,Godai Myōō;Wǔdà Míngwáng), also known as theFive Guardian Kings, are a group ofvidyārājas who are considered to be both the fierce emanations of theFive Wisdom Buddhas and the guardians of Buddhist doctrine.[29][30] Organized according to the five directions (thefour cardinal points plus the center), the Five Kings are usually defined as follows:
| VajrayakṣaorUcchuṣma (north) | ||
| Yamāntaka (west) | Acala (center) | Trailokyavijaya (east) |
| Kuṇḍali (south) |
InChinese Buddhism, theEight Great Wisdom Kings (八大明王;Bādà Míngwáng) is another grouping of Wisdom Kings that is depicted in statues, mural art and paintings. The acknowledged canonical source of the grouping of eight isThe Sūtra of the BlazingUṣṇīṣa of the Wondrous VajraKuṇḍali andYamāntaka (大妙金剛大甘露軍拏利焰鬘熾盛佛頂經;Dàmiào Jīngāng Dà Gānlu Jūnnálì Yànmán Chìshèng Fódǐng Jīng).[32] Another canonical source for the grouping of eight is theMañjuśrī-mūla-kalpa (大方廣菩薩藏文殊舍利根本儀軌經;Dà Fāngguǎng Púsà Zàng Wénshūshèlì Gēnběn Yíguǐ Jīng; 'The Fundamental Ordinance of Mañjuśrī'), the Chinese translation of which, completed in about 980-1000 CE, is attributed to the monk Tianxizai, who is possibly the north IndianShantideva.[33] Each of the Wisdom Kings correspond to one of theEight Great Bodhisattvas[zh] in Chinese Buddhism as well as to a specific compass direction.
The Eight Wisdom Kings, with exceptions in certain lists, are usually defined as:[33]
| Kuṇḍali (north-west) | Padanakṣipa (north) | Acala (north-east) |
| Hayagrīva (west) | Yamāntaka (east) | |
| Mahācakra (south-west) | Aparājita (south) | Trailokyavijaya (south-east) |
The more common grouping found inChinese Buddhism is theTen Great Wisdom Kings (十大明王;Shídà Míngwáng). Several groupings of the Ten Kings exist based on different canonical scriptural sources, each of which differ slightly in the naming of certainvidyārājas and attributing certain Kings to different Buddhas and bodhisattvas. Some examples of acknowledged canonical sources for the grouping of the Ten Wisdom Kings areThe Sūtra of the Liturgy for Brilliant Contemplation of the Ten Wrathful Wisdom Kings of the Illusory Net of the Great Yoga Teachings (佛說幻化網大瑜伽教十忿怒明王大明觀想儀軌經;Fóshuō Huànhuàwǎng Dà Yújiājiào Shífènnù Míngwáng Dàmíng Guānxiǎng Yíguǐ Jīng) as well asThe Sūtra with the Great Instructions that are Universal, Secret, and Unexcelled about the Contemplations of Mañjuśrī (妙吉祥平等秘密最 上觀門大教王經;Miàojíxiáng Píngděng Mìmì Zuìshàng Guānmén Dàjiàowáng Jīng).[33][32]
In contemporary Chinese Buddhist practice, the Ten Wisdom Kings are regularly invoked in ceremonies and rituals, such as theShuilu Fahui ceremony, where they are provided offerings and entreated to expel evil from the ritual platform. In particular,ritual paintings of the Ten Wisdom Kings are arranged in a particularmaṇḍala (壇;tán) during theShuilu Fahui ceremony, with a particular direction associated with each Wisdom King.[34][35] The Wisdom KingUcchuṣma (穢跡金剛明王;Huìjì Jīngāng Míngwáng; 'Vajra Being of Impure Traces'), a manifestation ofŚakyamuni, is not counted among the Ten Wisdom Kings in the ceremony, but he is still invoked separately from the grouping in the same ritual and his image is typically enshrined ahead of the outer north direction of themaṇḍala of the Ten Wisdom Kings. The specific list of the Ten Wisdom Kings invoked during theShuilu Fahui ceremony, along with their associated directions in themaṇḍala, is canonized in the ceremony'sritual manual (水陸儀軌會本;Shuǐlù Yíguǐ Huìběn) based on scriptural sources.[36] They are as follows:[33][36]
| Mahācakra (outer north) | ||
| Mahābala (north-west) | Kuṇḍali (inner north) | Yamāntaka (north-east) |
| Hayagrīva (west) | Acala (east) | |
| Padanakṣipa (south-west) | Aparājita (inner south) | Vajrahāsa (south-east) |
| Trailokyavijaya (outer south) |
Other deities to whom the titlevidyārāja is applied include:
Examples of depictions of the Eight Wisdom Kings can be found at:
Examples of depictions of the Ten Wisdom Kings can be found at:
.jpg)
.jpg)
![Liao dynasty (916-1125) statutes of four of the Eight Wisdom Kings and an attendant warrior at Datong Guanyin-tang[zh], Datong, Shanxi, China. From left to right: Padanakṣipa, Acala, Yamāntaka, Aparājita](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3a%25E5%25A4%25A7%25E5%2590%258C%25E8%25A7%2582%25E9%259F%25B3%25E5%25A0%2582%25E6%25AE%25BF%25E5%25B7%25A6%25E4%25BE%25A7%25E8%25BE%25BD%25E4%25BB%25A3%25E4%25BA%2594%25E5%25B0%258A%25E9%2580%25A0%25E5%2583%258F.jpg)
![Liao dynasty (916-1125) statutes of four of the Eight Wisdom Kings and an attendant warrior at Datong Guanyin-tang[zh], Datong, Shanxi, China. From left to right: Hayagrīva, Vajrahāsa, Mahācakra, Mahāmāyūrī](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3a%25E5%25A4%25A7%25E5%2590%258C%25E8%25A7%2582%25E9%259F%25B3%25E5%25A0%2582%25E6%25AE%25BF%25E5%258F%25B3%25E4%25BE%25A7%25E4%25BA%2594%25E5%25B0%258A%25E8%25BE%25BD%25E4%25BB%25A3%25E9%2580%25A0%25E5%2583%258F.jpg)
![Yuan dynasty (1271-1368) figure of a Wisdom King, one out of a pair flanking a central figure of Guanyin, at Fusheng Temple[zh] in Yuncheng, Shanxi, China](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3a%25E5%25B7%25A6%25E4%25BE%25A7%25E6%2598%258E%25E7%258E%258B.jpg)
![Yuan dynasty (1271-1368) figure of a Wisdom King, one out of a pair flanking a central figure of Guanyin, at Fusheng Temple[zh] in Yuncheng, Shanxi, China](/mt/?noimg=&dark=on&url=https%3a%2f%2fen.wikipedia.org%2fwiki%2fFile%3a%25E5%258F%25B3%25E4%25BE%25A7%25E6%2598%258E%25E7%258E%258B%25E5%2585%25A8%25E8%25BA%25AB%25E7%2585%25A7.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
.jpg)
-%25E4%25B8%2589%25E7%2594%25B0%25E6%25B4%259E%25E5%25BC%2598%25E6%25B3%2595-%25E4%25B8%25A1%25E9%25A0%25AD%25E6%2584%259B%25E6%259F%2593%25E6%2598%258E%25E7%258E%258B%25E5%259D%2590%25E5%2583%258FMitahorakobo028.jpg)
.svg)
