Twenty-Four Protective Deities
The Twenty-Four Protective Deities or the Twenty-Four Devas, sometimes reduced to the Twenty Protective Deities or the Twenty Devas, are a group of dharmapalas in Chinese Buddhism who are venerated as defenders of the Buddhist dharma. The group mostly consists of devas, naga kings, vajra-holders and other beings mentioned in Buddhist sūtras, as well as a few adapted from the Taoist pantheon and converted into Buddhist dharmapalas.
Overview
In historical Indian Buddhism, there were originally sixteen devas who were considered as dharmapalas. These devas, such as Shiva, Indra and Brahma, are mentioned in various Mahayana Buddhist sūtras, such as the Lotus Sūtra and the Kāraṇḍavyūha Sūtra. More deities, such Surya, Chandra, Yama and Sāgara, were later added to form a group of twenty. At a later date, the Kinnara King was also added. After the transmission of Buddhism into China, the number and identity of the deities remained around until the Song, Liao and Jin dynasties, when several temples started to enshrine twenty-four deities. Statues of this three gods originally from the Taoist pantheon, namely the Emperor Zi Wei, Emperor Dongyue and the Thunder God, were adapted into Buddhist dharmapalas and added to the grouping as well, forming the modern list of twenty-four deities. In Japan, only one example of this grouping exists, which is enshrined in the Ōbaku Zen temple of Hōrin-ji in Shizuoka.Veneration of the twenty-four deities has continued into modern Chinese Buddhist traditions. In Chinese Buddhist temples and monasteries, statues of the deities are typically enshrined in the Daxiong Baodian on both sides of the hall flanking the central statues. A puja called the or just, meaning "Offering to Buddhas and Celestial Guardians", where the twenty-four deities are venerated, is customarily performed in Chinese Buddhist temples on the 9th day of the 1st month of the Chinese calendar, commemorating the traditional feast day of the Jade Emperor of Taoism. This ceremony was started during the Sui dynasty by Zhiyi of the Tiantai tradition according to the rites prescribed in the Golden Light Sutra and has been carried down through tradition to the present day. During the ritual, a temporary altar to the twenty-four devas are typically erected. In some temples, the three deities originally from the Taoist pantheon as well as the Kinnara King are excluded from the list and the remaining devas are venerated as the Twenty Protective Deities. In addition, regional varieties of this grouping exist in different parts of China. For instant, Shanhua Temple and Tiefo Temple in Shanxi includes deities such as Agni, Varuna, Isana, Rakshasa and Shensha Dajiang in place of some of the other deities in the list.
List of the Twenty-Four Deities
The list of deities consist of Maheśvara, Brahma, Indra, Lakshmi, Saraswati, the Four Heavenly Kings, Surya, Chandra, Guhyapāda, Pañcika, Skanda, Prthivi, Spirit of the Bodhi Tree, Hārītī, Mārīcī, Sāgara, Yama, the Kinnara King, Emperor Zi Wei, Emperor Dongyue and the Thunder God. Other regional variations include other deities like Agni, Vayu, Varuna, Isana, Luochatian and Shensha Dajiang.Standard list
Dazizaitian (Maheśvara)
In Chinese, he is known as, meaning "Great self-existent deva", as well as, which is a Chinese transcription of "Maheśvara" in Sanskrit. In Buddhist cosmology, he is considered the ruler of the three realms. He is described under two forms, one as the prince of demons, the other as a divine Bodhisattva. As a Piśāca, head of the demons, he is represented in Buddhist iconography with three eyes and eight arms, and riding on a white bull; a bull or a linga being his symbol. As a Śuddhāvāsa, or Pure dwelling, he is described as a bodhisattva of the tenth or highest degree, on the point of entering Buddhahood.Fantian (Brahma)
In Chinese, he is known as or, meaning "Brahma-deva", and, meaning "Four-faced god" as depicted in the Thai tradition. While he is considered to be the creator god in Hinduism, he is not regarded as such in Buddhism, which rejects the notion of any creator deities. In Buddhist iconographic form, he is often portrayed as a man dressed in traditional Chinese Emperor robes and crown. In another iconographic form, he is portrayed as riding on a swan and as having four faces and four arms. One arm holds a lotus flower, one arm holds nianzhu, one arm holds a water vase and one arm forms a mudra.Dishitian (Śakra)
In Chinese, he is known as. In Buddhist cosmology, he is considered the ruler of Trāyastriṃśa and sometimes conflated with the Jade Emperor in Chinese folk religion. In Buddhist iconographic form, he is portrayed in traditional Chinese Emperor robes and crown. Behind his figure stands three female attendants, one holding an umbrella, one holding Mount Meru and one sitting within a Nelumbo nucifera.File:Jixiang Tiannu, Huayan Monastery.jpg|thumb|Statue of Jixiang Tiannü in Huayan Temple in Datong, Shanxi Province, China|270x270pxJixiang Tiannü (Lakshmi)
In Chinese, she is known as, meaning "Auspicious Goddess", as well as, meaning "Meritous Deva". In Buddhist cosmology, she is considered the goddess of wealth. In Buddhist iconographic form, based on her description in the Golden Light Sutra, she usually holds the cintāmaṇi jewel in her left hand and forms a mudra with her right hand. She is the foremost of the twenty-four deities and is often invoked first. Her mantra, the Shrīdevī Dhāraṇī is classified as one of the Ten Small Mantras, which are a collection of dharanis that are commonly recited in Chinese Buddhist temples in during morning liturgical services.Biancaitian (Saraswati)
In Chinese, she is known as, meaning "Eloquent Devī", and, meaning "Devī of Wonderful Sounds". In Buddhist cosmology, she is considered the goddess of knowledge and music as well as the sister of Yama. In Buddhist iconographic form, based on her description in the Golden Light Sutra, she is portrayed as having eight arms, one holding a bow, one holding arrows, one holding a knife, one holding a lance, one holding an axe, one holding a pestle, one holding an iron wheel, and one holding ropes. In another popular Buddhist iconographic form, she is portrayed as sitting down and playing a pipa, a Chinese lute-like instrument.Duowen Tianwang (Vaiśravaṇa)
In Chinese, he is known as, meaning "Heavenly King who listens to many teachings" in reference to the belief that he guards the place where the Buddha teaches and hence listens to many of the Buddhist teachings, as well as Pishamentian, which is a Chinese transcription of his name in Sanskrit. He is regarded as one of the Four Heavenly Kings who guards the north. In Buddhist iconographic form, he holds a pagoda in his right hand and a trident in his left hand.Zengzhang Tianwang (Virūḍhaka)
In Chinese, he is known as, meaning "Heavenly King of growth" in reference to his ability to teach sentient beings to grow in compassion, as well as, which is a Chinese transcription of his name in Sanskrit. He is regarded as one of the Four Heavenly Kings who guards the south. In Buddhist iconographic form, he is usually colored green or blue and brandishes a sword.Chiguo Tianwang (Dhṛtarāṣṭra)
In Chinese, he is known as, meaning "Heavenly King who holds a country" in reference to the belief that he can help support a country against enemies, as well as, which is a Chinese transcription of his name in Sanskrit. He is regarded as one of the Four Heavenly Kings who guards the east. In Buddhist iconographic form, he holds a pipa.Guangmu Tianwang (Virūpākṣa)
In Chinese, he is known as, meaning "Heavenly King with broad eyes" in reference to the belief that he is very far-sighted, as well as ), which is a Chinese transcription of his name in Sanskrit. He is regarded as one of the Four Heavenly Kings who guards the west. In Buddhist iconographic form, he holds a red naga or a red lasso in his hands.File:Fourheavenlykings4096x1360.jpg|center|thumb|700x700px|Statues of the Four Heavenly Kings. From left to right: Duowen Tianwang, ZengZhang Tianwang, Chiguo Tianwang, and Guangmu Tianwang in Beihai Park in Beijing, China.Ritian (Surya)
In Chinese, he is known as or. In Buddhist cosmology, he is considered the sun god. In Buddhist iconographic form, he holds a lotus flower in his hands. He sits in a chariot drawn by eight horses with two female attendants at his side. In another popular iconographic form, he is dressed in the robes and cap of a Chinese minister and holds the sun in his hands.Yuetian (Chandra)
In Chinese, he is known as ) or ). In Buddhist cosmology, he is considered the moon god. In Buddhist iconographic form, he bears the full moon on his crown. On the moon, there is a jade rabbit. In another popular iconographic form, he is dressed in the robes and cap of a Chinese minister and holds the moon in his hands.File:2016-12-15 Maijishan Grotten 麥積山石窟 anagoria 23.JPG|left|thumb|380x380px|Statue of Miji Jingang, one out of several thousand statues, located at the Maijishan Grottoes, Gansu, China.. Carved during the Song dynasty.Miji Jingang (Guhyapāda)
In Chinese, he is known as or both meaning "The Vajra-being of Secret Traces". He is a vajra-holding protector deity from Buddhist scripture. In Buddhist iconographic form, he wields a vajra mallet "vajra-pāṇi" and bares his teeth. His mouth is depicted as being open to form the "ha" or "ah" sound, which is the beginning character of the vocalization of the first grapheme of Sanskrit Devanāgarī representing the word Om. In Chinese folk religion and Taoism, he is also known as General Ha in reference to this iconographic detail. In Chinese Buddhist temples, his statue is usually built opposite that of another Vajra-holding god and the pair usually stand guarding temple entrance gates called. In Chinese Buddhist belief, the two vajra-wielders Guhyapāda and Nārāyaṇa are manifestations of the bodhisattva Vajrapani.In addition, Guhyapada is also sometimes paired or identified with the Wisdom King Ucchuṣma, who is commonly known as. In a thirteenth-century Chinese long gāthā elaborating on the two major scriptures relating to Ucchusama, the, and the, Ucchuṣma's Chinese name Huiji Jingang was changed to Miji Jingang due to negative connotations associated with the former name. In the from the Southern Song period, one of the Sanskrit transliterations given for Guhyapāda is Ucchuṣma. In a repentance ritual for the Śūraṅgama Sūtra, both Guhyapāda and Ucchusama were invoked as a pair. The two wrathful deities were also sometimes found standing opposite each other at the entrances of some monasteries.