Buddhist deities

Buddhism includes a wide array of divine beings that are venerated in various ritual and popular contexts.
Initially they included mainly Indian figures such as vedic devas and yakshas, but later came to include
other Asian spirits and local gods. They range from enlightened Buddhas to regional spirits adopted by
Buddhists or practiced on the margins of the religion. Notably, Buddhism lacks a supreme creator deity
however.

Buddhists later also came to incorporate aspects from countries such as China and Japan into their
pantheons.[1] As such, it includes many aspects taken from other mythologies of those cultures. For
example, Saraswati is a Hindu Deva from Gandhara and the kami[1] are considered to be local, Japanese
bodhisattvas by many Japanese Buddhists.

Contents
Buddhas
Bodhisattvas
Wisdom Kings
Yidam
Fierce deities
Divine beings
Devas
Asuras
Māra
Cāturmahārājakāyika devas
Yaksha
See also
References
Further reading

Buddhas
A Buddha is a being who is fully awakened, and has fully comprehended the Four Noble Truths. In the
Theravada tradition, while there is a list of acknowledged past Buddhas, the historical Buddha Sakyamuni is
the only Buddha of our current era and is generally not seen as accessible or as existing in some higher plane
of existence. Mahayana Buddhists however venerate several Buddhas, including Maitreya and Amitābha,
who are seen as beings of great wisdom and power who preside over pure lands that one can travel to after
death.

In Tantric Buddhism (Vajrayana), there are five primary Buddhas: Vairocana, Aksobhya, Ratnasambhava,
Amitābha, and Amoghasiddhi. Each is associated with a different consort, direction, aggregate (or, aspect of
the personality), emotion, element, color, symbol, and mount.[2] Other Buddhas besides these five include
Bhaisajyaguru (the Buddha of medicine) and Nageshvara Raja (the king of the Nāgas).
There is also the idea of the Adi-Buddha, the "first Buddha" to attain
Buddhahood. Variously named as Vajradhara, Samantabhadra and
Vairocana, the first Buddha is also associated with the concept of
Dharmakaya.

Buddhist Tantra also includes several female Buddhas, such as Tara,

the most popular female Buddha in Tibetan Buddhism, who comes
in many forms and colors. Other female Buddha figures include
Vajrayogini, Nairatmya, and Kurukullā.

Some historical figures are also seen as Buddhas, such as the

Buddhist philosopher Nagarjuna and the figure of Padmasambhava.

Bodhisattvas
In Mahayana Buddhism, a bodhisattva is any being that has aroused
bodhicitta (mind of awakening) and is thus working towards full Mandala of the five Buddha families
Buddhahood. Bodhisattvas who are seen as powerful and highly
advanced are also venerated in Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism.
The most popular bodhisattva in Mahayana Buddhism is
Avalokiteshvara also known as Guanyin (Japanese: Kannon) in East
Asia, known as the bodhisattva of compassion.[3]

In Theravada Buddhism, bodhisatta is a term used mainly for

Sakyamuni Buddha before his awakening. It is also commonly
believed that the future Buddha, Maitreya (Pali: Metteya) currently
resides in Tavatimsa Heaven, and this figure is one of the few
bodhisattvas who have a prominent place in Theravada.[4][5]

One of the earliest female bodhisattvas is Prajnaparamita, the

personification of the perfection (paramita) or wisdom (prajna).
Other female Bodhisattvas include Vasudhara and Cundi.
White Tara and Green Tara
In Tibetan Buddhism, the major bodhisattvas are known as 'The
eight bodhisattvas': Ksitigarbha, Vajrapani, Akasagarbha,
Avalokitesvara, Maitreya, Nivaranaviskhambhin, Samantabhadra and Manjushri.[6]

In Japanese Buddhism, major bodhisattvas include: Miroku, Kannon, Kongō-Haramitsu, Fugen, Monju, and
Jizō.

Others bodhisattvas include Candraprabha, Suryaprabha, Mahasthamaprapta, and Vajrasattva.

Followers of Tibetan Buddhism consider reborn tulkus such as the Dalai Lamas and the Karmapas to be
emanations of bodhisattvas.

Wisdom Kings
The Wisdom Kings (Vidyārāja) are beings that are venerated in East Asian Buddhism and in Vajrayana
Buddhism. They are often depicted with an aggressive or fierce appearance which symbolizes their power to
get rid of negative forces. They are therefore an expression of the Buddha's compassion.
In East Asian Buddhism, The Five Wisdom Kings are often seen as
emanations of the Buddhas. These five are:

Kongō-Yasha (Vajrayakṣa)
Fudō-Myō (Acala)
Gosanze (Trailokyavijaya)
Gundari (Kuṇḍali)
Daiitoku (Yamantaka)

Yidam
The Yidam, or Ishta-devata, is a personal meditation deity. The
Sanskrit word iṣṭadevatā or iṣṭadevaḥ is defined by V. S. Apte as "a
favorite god, one's tutelary deity."[7] Though this term is used in
many popular books on Buddhist Tantra, the term işţadevatā has not
been attested in any Buddhist tantric text in Sanskrit. The unrelated Close-up of a statue depicting
Maitreya at the Thikse Monastery in
Tibetan version of the term, possibly of entirely native origin, is yi-
Ladakh, India. Depictions of Maitreya
dam[8] is said to be a contraction of Tib. yid-kyi-dam-tshig,[9]
vary among Buddhist sects.
meaning "samaya of mind"- in other words, the state of being
indestructibly bonded with the inherently pure and liberated nature
of mind.

The Ishta-devata of Hinduism is an aspect of God for personal

worship.[10] In Buddhism, a Yidam is a manifestation of
enlightenment[11] and may take the form of Sambhogakāya
Buddhas, tantric deities such as Dakinis, bodhisattvas, Dharma
protectors (Dharmapalas) or other historical figures such as past
gurus or religious leaders.[11]

Fierce deities The Sendai Daikannon is the largest

statue of a woman in the world.
In the Buddhist Tantras, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas often
manifest in unusual and fierce forms, which are used in tantra as
yidams or meditation deities.[12]

While some of these deities have a hideous and fierce

appearance,[13] they are not personifications of evil or demonic
forces.[12] The ferocious appearance of these deities is used to instill
fear in evil spirits which threaten the Dharma.[13]

Divine beings

Devas

Devas are divine beings, though they are not all necessarily wise or The Buddha with protector Vajrapāni
on the Buddhist path and hence not final objects of refuge. They in Greek style resembling Heracles
have very long lives which have much less suffering than humans, or Zeus, second-century.
but are not immortal or immune from suffering. Some devas have no
physical form and exist in the formless realms. None of the devas
are creator gods, since Buddhism generally does not have a creator
deity. They are also neither omniscient nor are they omnipotent, and
so their knowledge and power is limited.

Some devas venerated by Buddhists include Brahma, Sarasvati,

Laksmi, Śakra, Hariti, Pattini, Saman and Ganesha.

Asuras

The Asuras, sometimes translated as Titans or Demigods, are often

depicted as enemies of the Devas and fighting them in wars. They
are said to have been defeated by the Devas, led by Sakra, king of
the gods.[14] They are often seen as being led by strong passions,
The Five Wisdom Kings is the most
such as hatred and greed. important grouping of Wisdom Kings
(Vidyaraja) in Chinese Esoteric
Buddhism.
Māra

Māra (literally meaning "death") refers to either a specific being, or

to a class of beings, who are depicted as being antagonistic to the
Buddha, Dharma and Sangha. As lord of the desire realm, Māra is
depicted as working to keep beings under his control.

Cāturmahārājakāyika devas

These are the lowest level of divinity. The name refers to the Four
Heavenly Kings (Cāturmahārāja) who rule over this world along
with the assemblage or multitude (kāyika) of beings that dwell there.

The Four Heavenly Kings are the leaders of various beings who
reside here:

Dhṛtarāṣṭra - Guardian of the East. Leader of the

gandharvas and piśācas.
Virūḍhaka - Guardian of the South. Leader of the
Chakrasamvara
kumbhāṇḍas and pretas.
Virūpākṣa - Guardian of the West. Leader of the nāgas
and pūtanas.
Vaiśravaṇa - Guardian of the North. Leader of the yakṣas and rākṣasas.

There are numerous other worldly spirits and legendary creatures found in Buddhist texts and Buddhist
mythology. Many of these are shared with Hindu Mythology. These include:

Garuḍas
Apsaras
Kinnaras
Mahoragas
Kumbhanda
Parjanya
 Maṇimekhalā

Yaksha

The Yaksha are a broad class of nature-spirits, usually benevolent,

who are caretakers of the natural treasures hidden in the earth and
tree roots.[15] Having been worshipped in India since before the
Vedic period, Hinduism adopted the worship of Yakshas like Kuber.
Later their worship was adopted by Buddhism. In Jainism Yakshas
were worshipped as Shasana Devatas from the beginning.

In Buddhism, it is believed that they reside deep within the Earth

under the Himalayas[16] where they guard the wealth of the
Earth.[16] The Yaksha are ruled over by Kubera, the Lord of
wealth.[16] The four-faced Brahma (Phra Phrom)
statue, Thailand.
In Burma there exists the popular worship of nature spirits called
Nats which are worshiped alongside of Buddhism.

See also
Buddhism in Japan
Buddhist cosmology
Chinese Buddhism
Karma in Buddhism
Hindu deities
Japanese Buddhist pantheon
Tibetan Buddhism
Religion in Asia

References Vaiśravaṇa (Tamonten-Bishamonten)

at Tōdai-ji, Japan.
1. Buddhism and Mythology (http://www./Be-Ca/Buddhism-an
d-Mythology.html)
2. Nathaniel DeWitt Garson; Penetrating the Secret Essence
Tantra: Context and Philosophy in the Mahayoga System
of rNying-ma Tantra, page 43
3. McBride II, Richard D; Popular Esoteric deities and the
spread of their cults in Esoteric Buddhism and the Tantras
in East Asia
4. Taigen Dan Leighton (2012), "Faces of Compassion:
Classic Bodhisattva Archetypes and Their Modern
Expression — An Introduction to Mahayana Buddhism", p.
246, Simon and Schuster.
5. Jory, Patrick (2016). "Thailand's Theory of Monarchy: The
Vessantara Jataka and the Idea of the Perfect Man", p. 72.
SUNY Press.
 6. Nathaniel DeWitt Garson; Penetrating the Secret Essence
Tantra: Context and Philosophy in the Mahayoga System
of rNying-ma Tantra, page 44
7. V. S. Apte, A Practical Sanskrit Dictionary, p. 250.
8. ""The function of the Yidam is one of the profound
mysteries of the Vajrayana... Especially during the first
years of practice the Yidam is of immense importance.
Yidam is the Tibetan rendering of the Sanskrit word
Istadeva-the indwelling deity; but, where the Hindus take
the Istadeva for an actual deity who has been invited to
dwell in the devotee's heart, the Yidams of Tantric
Buddhism are in fact the emanations of the adepts own
mind. "The Tantric Mysticism of Tibet: A Practical Guide to
the Theory, Purpose, and Techniques of Tantric Meditation
by John Blofeld. Penguin:1992
9. Harding, Sarah. "The Dharma Dictionary." Buddhadharma
Magazine, Spring 2005.Dharma Dictionary: Yidam (http://w
ww.thebuddhadharma.com/issues/2005/spring/dharma_di
ctionary.html)
10. Ishta Devata or Personal God (http://www.hindunet.org/go
d/ista_devata/index.htm)
11. Yidam (http://www.thebuddhadharma.com/issues/2005/spr
ing/dharma_dictionary.html)
12. Wrathful Deities (http://www.religionfacts.com/buddhism/de
ities/wrathful_deities.htm) Archived (https://web.archive.or
g/web/20101006031553/http://www.religionfacts.com/budd
hism/deities/wrathful_deities.htm) October 6, 2010, at the The Didarganj Yakshi, Mauryan
Wayback Machine Period
13. Wrathful Guardians of Buddhism - Aesthetics and
Mythology (http://www.exoticindiaart.com/wrathful.htm)
14. Chalmers, Robert (1895). "No. 31. Kulāvaka-Jātaka". The
Jataka Volume I. Retrieved 2019-11-06.
15. "yaksha" (http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9077732/ya
ksha). Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved 2007-07-15.
16. Yakshas Hindu Gods of Wealth (http://www.thebuddhagard
en.com/yakshas.htm) Archived (https://web.archive.org/we
b/20100223060607/http://www.thebuddhagarden.com/yak
shas.htm) February 23, 2010, at the Wayback Machine

Further reading
Campbell, Joseph (2003). Myths of light: Eastern
Metaphors of the Eternal (https://books.google.com/book
s?id=OWdqt29UDGYC). Novato, California: New World
Library. ISBN 1-57731-403-4.

Yaksha, Kinkaew Temple,

Samutprakarn, Thailand

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