In their earliest Hindu and Brahman manifestations, the Ashura are always fighting the Ten (Deva) for supremancy (often battling the deities commanded by Taishakuten, the Lord Indra of Hindu mythology). They are powerful, yet fierce and quarrelsome, and like humans, they are partly good and partly evil. In Chinese texts and scriptures, Daibenkudokuten is given as another name for Benzaiten.Īccording to Sanjūsangendō (Kyoto): "The original Sanskrit name of this deity is ’Mahā-bala,’ which can be translated as ’mighty female general.’ The Japanese name Mawara-nyo is conceivably an abbreviation of ’Sassh-mawara,’ which is mentioned in the Senju Darani-kyō Sutra but further details are not known."Īshura are demigods, or semi-blessed beings. The latter is likewise a goddess of prosperity and good luck, and is closely associated with water and the dragon, hence the confusion. Daibenkudoku-ten is often confused with or conflated with Benzaiten. She appears often in paintings of Senju Kannon. In Buddhism, she too presides over prosperity.” Daibenkudoku-ten, along with the immortal Basūsen (see below), often flank Senju Kannon in the Taizōkai Mandara. In Buddhism, she is worshipped as the wife of Bishamonten and the daughter of the Dragon King and Kishimojin (Skt. It is believed that she grants prosperity and good luck. Says the Sanjūsangendō temple catalog: “Daibenkudoku-ten is a manifestation of Kichijōten. = Śrī-devī, Lakṣmī, Laksm), the Buddhist goddess of beauty, luck, prosperity, and merit. Photo: Scanned from Sanjūsangendō catalog.Ĭonsidered a manifestation of Benzaiten by some, but by others of Kichijōten 吉祥天 (Skt. Notable examples include Sanjūsangendō 三十三間堂 in Kyoto, Jōroku-ji Temple 丈六寺 in Shiga, and Kōfuku-ji Temple 興福寺 in Nara (only eight of the 28 are extant at Kōfuku-ji).īishamonten (also see the 7 Lucky Gods and Shitennō) In sculpture, extant examples of the 28 Nijūhachi Bushū are rare. The below list comes from Sanjūsangendō in Kyoto (aka Myō-hō-in, Renge Ō-in 妙法院蓮華王院). The group of 28 is not worshipped as an independent object of devotion, but it does appear often in paintings. The temple also features 1,000 standing statues of the Senju Kannon. Life-size statues of all 28 (dated to the mid-13th century) are housed at Sanjūsangendō 三十三間堂 in Kyoto, where they guard the principal statue of the seated Senju Kannon (11-feet tall). The Gods of Wind & Thunder (Fūjin 風神 and Raijin 雷神) were added to the group in later years. In Japan, the list of the 28 varies among temples and sects. They appear in the Tang period (7th to 9th centuries) in Chinese translations of texts devoted to Kannon. These 28 deities protect those who believe in Senju Kannon (Kannon of 1000 Hands/Arms). Members of Larger Grouping called the TENBU
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