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Twelve Heavenly Generals

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In East Asian Buddhism, the Twelve Heavenly Generals or Twelve Divine Generals are the protective deities, or yaksha, of Bhaisajyaguru, the buddha of healing. They are introduced in the Medicine Buddha Sutra or Bhaiṣajyaguruvaidūryaprabharāja Sūtra.[1] They are collectively named as follows:

Names of generals

The precise names of the generals seem to vary depending on tradition. Those listed below are from an available Sanskrit transcription of the Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabhārāja Sūtra:[3]

Sanskrit Hanzi Pinyin Rōmaji Vietnamese Tagalog Tibetan (Wly.) Zodiac Zodiac (Japan) [4] Honji
Kiṃbhīra 宮毘羅 Guānpíluò
Jīnpíluò		 Kubira
Kompira (Shinto)		 Cung Tỳ La Kimbhila Ji 'jigs Boar Boar Maitreya
Vajra 伐折羅 Fázhéluò Basara, Bazara Phạt Chiết La Vajla Rdo rje Dog Dog Mahāsthāmaprāpta
Mekhila 迷企羅 Míqǐluò Mekira Mê Súy La Mekhila Rgyan 'dzin Rooster Rooster Amitābha
Antila 安底羅 Āndǐluò Anchira, Anteira An Để La Antila Gza' 'dzin Monkey Monkey Avalokiteśvara
Anila 頞儞羅 Ènǐluò Anira Át Nể La Anila Rlung 'dzin Sheep Sheep Mārīcī
Saṇṭhila 珊底羅 Shāndìluò Sanchira, Santeira San Để La Santhila Gnas bcas Horse Horse Ākāśagarbha
Indala 因達羅 Yīndàluò Indara Nhân Đạt La Indala Dbang 'dzin Snake Snake Kṣitigarbha
Pāyila 波夷羅 Bōyìluò Haira Bà Di La Payila Gtun 'dzin Dragon Dragon Mañjuśrī
Mahāla 摩虎羅 Mòhǔluò Makora Ma Hổ La Mahala Sgra 'dzin Rabbit Rabbit Bhaiṣajyaguru
Cidāla 真達羅 Zhēndàluò Shindara Chân Đạt La Sidala Bsam 'dzin Tiger Tiger Samantabhadra
Caundhula 招杜羅 Zhāodùluò Shōtora Chiêu Đổ La Saundhula 'dzin Ox Ox Vajrapāṇi
Vikala 毘羯羅 Píjiéluò Bikara
Bigyara		 Tỳ Yết La Bikala Rdzogs byed Mouse Mouse Śākyamuni
One of the Twelve Heavenly Generals at the Tokyo National Museum.
Another one of the Twelve Heavenly Generals.

While the Honji and zodiac correspondences listed above are the standard in Japanese sources, there is variation among texts and regional traditions.[5]

  • Statues of the Twelve Heavenly Generals stand in Ngong Ping, Hong Kong.
  • The Heavenly Generals and their names were used as character material for the powerful digital monster characters who serve the "Four Holy Beasts" (Digimon Sovereigns in the English Dub) in the Digital World, from the 2001 series Digimon Tamers, albeit with the names mismatched, due to being based on the Japanese zodiac classification.
  • Granblue Fantasy started to release series of playable units in 2015 which called "The 12 Divine Generals". Each of these units are named after the corresponding zodiac they represent. The Japanese version use adapted Hepburn romanization, while the English version adapted from Sanskrit.

References

  1. ^ Mary Neighbour Parent (2001). "JAANUS - Japanese Architecture and Art Net Users System". Japanese Architectural and Art Historical Terminology (online ed.). Retrieved 2009-04-20.
  2. ^ Mark Schumacher. "12 Divine Generals of Yakushi Buddha". A to Z Photo Dictionary: Japanese Buddhist Statuary. Retrieved 2009-06-24.
  3. ^ "Bhaiṣajyaguruvaidūryaprabharājasūtram". Digital Sanskrit Buddhist Canon. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  4. ^ "Twelve Heavenly Generals of Yakushi Buddha (source: Ancient Buddhism in Japan, Vol. II (Leiden: 1935, pp. 551-553))". BUDDHISM & SHINTŌ IN JAPAN. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
  5. ^ "薬師十二神将". Flying Deity Tobifudo. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
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