are two wrathful and muscular guardians of the

Buddha Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism. According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in L ...

standing today at the entrance of many Buddhist temples in East Asian Buddhism in the form of frightening wrestler-like statues. They are

dharmapala A ''dharmapāla'' (, , ja, 達磨波羅, 護法善神, 護法神, 諸天善神, 諸天鬼神, 諸天善神諸大眷屬) is a type of wrathful god in Buddhism. The name means "'' dharma'' protector" in Sanskrit, and the ''dharmapālas'' are a ...

manifestations of the

bodhisattva In Buddhism, a bodhisattva ( ; sa, 𑀩𑁄𑀥𑀺𑀲𑀢𑁆𑀢𑁆𑀯 (Brahmī), translit=bodhisattva, label=Sanskrit) or bodhisatva is a person who is on the path towards bodhi ('awakening') or Buddhahood. In the Early Buddhist schools ...

Vajrapāṇi (Sanskrit; Pali: Vajirapāṇi, meaning, "Vajra in ishand") is one of the earliest-appearing bodhisattvas in Mahayana Buddhism. He is the protector and guide of Gautama Buddha and rose to symbolize the Buddha's power. Vajrapāni is also c ...

, the oldest and most powerful of the

Mahayana ''Mahāyāna'' (; "Great Vehicle") is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, texts, philosophies, and practices. Mahāyāna Buddhism developed in India (c. 1st century BCE onwards) and is considered one of the three main existing br ...

Buddhist pantheon. According to scriptures like the

Pāli Canon The Pāli Canon is the standard collection of scriptures in the Theravada Buddhist tradition, as preserved in the Pāli language. It is the most complete extant early Buddhist canon. It derives mainly from the Tamrashatiya school. During ...

as well as the ''Ambaṭṭha Sutta'', they travelled with Gautama Buddha to protect him. Within the generally pacifist tradition of Buddhism, stories of

dharmapalas A ''dharmapāla'' (, , ja, 達磨波羅, 護法善神, 護法神, 諸天善神, 諸天鬼神, 諸天善神諸大眷屬) is a type of wrathful god in Buddhism. The name means "''dharma'' protector" in Sanskrit, and the ''dharmapālas'' are als ...

justified the use of physical force to protect cherished values and beliefs against evil. They are also seen as a manifestation of

Mahasthamaprapta Mahāsthāmaprāpta is a bodhisattva mahāsattva who represents the power of wisdom. His name literally means "arrival of the great strength". Mahāsthāmaprāpta is one of the Eight Great Bodhisattvas in Mahayana Buddhism, along with Mañjuś ...

, the

of power that flanks Amitābha in

Pure Land Buddhism Pure Land Buddhism (; ja, 浄土仏教, translit=Jōdo bukkyō; , also referred to as Amidism in English,) is a broad branch of Mahayana Buddhism focused on achieving rebirth in a Buddha's Buddha-field or Pure Land. It is one of the most wid ...

and as

Vajrasattva Vajrasattva ( sa, वज्रसत्त्व, Tibetan: རྡོ་རྗེ་སེམས་དཔའ། ''Dorje Sempa'', short form is རྡོར་སེམས། ''Dorsem'', Монгол: Доржсэмбэ) is a bodhisattva in the Maha ...

Tibetan Buddhism Tibetan Buddhism (also referred to as Indo-Tibetan Buddhism, Lamaism, Lamaistic Buddhism, Himalayan Buddhism, and Northern Buddhism) is the form of Buddhism practiced in Tibet and Bhutan, where it is the dominant religion. It is also in majo ...

Manifestations

Symbolic meaning

They are usually portrayed as a pair of figures that stand guarding temple entrance gates usually called '' Shānmén'' (山門) in China, in Japan and ''Geumgangmun'' () in Korea. The right statue is traditionally called Guhyapāda and has his mouth open, representing the vocalization of the first

grapheme In linguistics, a grapheme is the smallest functional unit of a writing system. The word ''grapheme'' is derived and the suffix ''-eme'' by analogy with ''phoneme'' and other names of emic units. The study of graphemes is called '' graphemi ...

of Sanskrit

Devanāgarī Devanagari ( ; , , Sanskrit pronunciation: ), also called Nagari (),Kathleen Kuiper (2010), The Culture of India, New York: The Rosen Publishing Group, , page 83 is a left-to-right abugida (a type of segmental writing system), based on the ...

(अ) which is pronounced "a".Transliterations fro
Digital Dictionary of Buddhism
/ref> The left statue is traditionally called Nārāyaṇa and has his mouth closed, representing the vocalization of the last grapheme of Devanāgarī (ह ) which is pronounced "" (हूँ). These two characters together ( a-hūṃ/a-un) symbolize the birth and death of all things. (Men are supposedly born speaking the "a" sound with mouths open and die speaking an "" and mouths closed.) Similar to

Jaya-Vijaya In Hinduism, Jaya and Vijaya are the two '' dvarapalakas'' (gatekeepers) of the abode of Vishnu, known as Vaikuntha (meaning ''place of eternal bliss''). Due to a curse by the four Kumaras, they were forced to undergo multiple births as mortals ...

, they signify "everything" or "all creation". The contraction of both is Aum (ॐ), which is Sanskrit for The Absolute.

Guhyapāda

Guhyapāda (

Traditional Chinese A tradition is a belief or behavior (folk custom) passed down within a group or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examples include holidays ...

: 密迹金剛;

simplified Chinese Simplification, Simplify, or Simplified may refer to: Mathematics Simplification is the process of replacing a mathematical expression by an equivalent one, that is simpler (usually shorter), for example * Simplification of algebraic expressions, ...

: 密迹金刚;

pinyin Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally writte ...

: ''Mìjī jīngāng'';

Japanese Japanese may refer to: * Something from or related to Japan, an island country in East Asia * Japanese language, spoken mainly in Japan * Japanese people, the ethnic group that identifies with Japan through ancestry or culture ** Japanese diaspor ...

: ''Misshaku Kongō''; ''

Korean Korean may refer to: People and culture * Koreans, ethnic group originating in the Korean Peninsula * Korean cuisine * Korean culture * Korean language **Korean alphabet, known as Hangul or Chosŏn'gŭl **Korean dialects and the Jeju language ** ...

: Miljeok geumgang'';

Vietnamese Vietnamese may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Vietnam, a country in Southeast Asia ** A citizen of Vietnam. See Demographics of Vietnam. * Vietnamese people, or Kinh people, a Southeast Asian ethnic group native to Vietnam ** Overse ...

: ''Mật tích kim cương'' ) is a symbol of overt violence: he wields a ''

vajra The Vajra () is a legendary and ritual weapon, symbolising the properties of a diamond (indestructibility) and a thunderbolt (irresistible force). The vajra is a type of club with a ribbed spherical head. The ribs may meet in a ball-shap ...

'' mallet "" (a diamond club, thunderbolt stick, or sun symbol) and bares his teeth. His mouth is depicted as being in the shape necessary to form the "ha" or "ah" sound. In China, he is also known as General Ha (哈将 Hā Jiāng) in reference to this iconographic detail. Similarly, he is also known as Agyō (阿形, "a"-form, general term open-mouthed statues in aum pair) in Japan due to this detail as well. In Chinese Buddhism, Guhyapāda is regarded as one of the

Twenty-Four Protective Deities The Twenty-Four Protective Deities or the Twenty-Four Devas ( Chinese: 二十四諸天; pinyin: ''Èrshísì Zhūtiān''), sometimes reduced to the Twenty Protective Deities or the Twenty Devas ( Chinese: 二十諸天; pinyin: ''Èrshí Zhūtiān' ...

, who are a grouping of

often enshrined in the Mahavira Hall of temples and monasteries. In addition, Guhyapada is also sometimes paired or identified with the Wisdom King Ucchuṣma, who is commonly known in Chinese as ''Huìjì Jīngāng'' (穢跡金剛). Dadaocheng Cisheng Temple2018哼將軍

Nārāyaṇa

Nārāyaṇa (

: 那羅延金剛;

: 那罗延金刚;

: ''Nàluōyán Jīngāng'';

: ''Naraen Kongō;''

: ''Narayeon geumgang'';

: ''Na la diên kim cương'') is depicted either bare-handed or wielding a sword. He symbolizes latent strength, holding his mouth tightly shut. His mouth is rendered to form the sound "", or "heng" or "un". In China, he is also known as General Heng (哼将 Hēng Jiāng) in reference to this iconographic detail. Similarly, he is also known as Ungyō (吽形, "um"-form, general term closed-mouthed statues in aum pair) in Japan due to this detail as well.

Vajrapāni

Both ''Guhyapāda'' and ''Nārāyaṇa'' are seen as manifestations of Vajrapāni (

: 執金剛神;

: 执金刚神;

: ''Zhíjīngāng shén'';

: ''Shūkongōshin;''

: ''Jip geumgang sin'';

: ''Chấp kim cang thần),'' with the name literally meaning "''

''-wielding god".

Nio Zen Buddhism

Nio Zen Buddhism was a practice advocated by the Zen monk Suzuki Shōsan (1579–1655), who advocated Nio Zen Buddhism over Nyorai Zen Buddhism. He recommended that practitioners should meditate on Nio and even adopt their fierce expressions and martial stances in order to cultivate power, strength and courage when dealing with adversity. Suzuki described Nio as follows: "The Niō (Vajrapani) is a menacing God. He wields the kongōsho (vajra) and he can crush your enemies. Depend on him, pray to him that he will protect you as he protects the Buddha. He vibrates with energy and spiritual power which you can absorb from him in times of need."

Influence on Taoism

Chinese folk religion Chinese folk religion, also known as Chinese popular religion comprehends a range of traditional religious practices of Han Chinese, including the Chinese diaspora. Vivienne Wee described it as "an empty bowl, which can variously be filled ...

and

Taoism Taoism (, ) or Daoism () refers to either a school of philosophical thought (道家; ''daojia'') or to a religion (道教; ''daojiao''), both of which share ideas and concepts of Chinese origin and emphasize living in harmony with the '' Ta ...

, they are known as ''

Heng Ha Er Jiang Heng and Ha () are two generals of the Shang dynasty in Chinese mythology, featured within the 16th-century Chinese fantasy novel '' Investiture of the Gods''. These two fictional characters were created by the author of ''Investiture of the Gods ...

'' (). Within the Taoist novel ''

Fengshen Yanyi ''The Investiture of the Gods'', also known by its Chinese names () and is a 16th-century Chinese novel and one of the major vernacular Chinese works in the gods and demons (''shenmo'') genre written during the Ming dynasty (1368–1644). Cons ...

'', Zheng Lun and Chen Qi were finally appointed as the two deities.

Hellenistic influence

Kongōrikishi are a case of the transmission of the image of the Greek hero

Heracles Heracles ( ; grc-gre, Ἡρακλῆς, , glory/fame of Hera), born Alcaeus (, ''Alkaios'') or Alcides (, ''Alkeidēs''), was a divine hero in Greek mythology, the son of Zeus and Alcmene, and the foster son of Amphitryon.By his adoptiv ...

East Asia East Asia is the eastern region of Asia, which is defined in both Geography, geographical and culture, ethno-cultural terms. The modern State (polity), states of East Asia include China, Japan, Mongolia, North Korea, South Korea, and Taiwan. ...

along the Silk Road. Heracles was used in Greco-Buddhist art to represent

Vajrapani (Sanskrit; Pali: Vajirapāṇi, meaning, " Vajra in ishand") is one of the earliest-appearing bodhisattvas in Mahayana Buddhism. He is the protector and guide of Gautama Buddha and rose to symbolize the Buddha's power. Vajrapāni is also ...

, the protector of the Buddha, and his representation was then used in China and Japan to depict the protector gods of Buddhist temples. This transmission is part of the wider

Greco-Buddhist Greco-Buddhism, or Graeco-Buddhism, is the cultural syncretism between Hellenistic culture and Buddhism, which developed between the fourth century BC and the fifth century AD in Gandhara, in present-day north-western Pakistan and parts of nort ...

syncretic phenomenon, where

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religions, Indian religion or Indian philosophy#Buddhist philosophy, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha. ...

interacted with the

Hellenistic culture In Classical antiquity, the Hellenistic period covers the time in Mediterranean history after Classical Greece, between the death of Alexander the Great in 323 BC and the emergence of the Roman Empire, as signified by the Battle of Actium in ...

of Central Asia from the 4th century BC to the 4th century AD.''"The origin of the image of Vajrapani should be explained. This deity is the protector and guide of the Buddha Sakyamuni. His image was modeled after that of Hercules. (...) The Gandharan Vajrapani was transformed in Central Asia and China and afterwards transmitted to Japan, where it exerted stylistic influences on the wrestler-like statues of the Guardian Deities io"'' (Katsumi Tanabe, "Alexander the Great, East-West cultural contacts from Greece to Japan", p23)

Gallery

File:Bust of a Buddhist guardian figure, from China, Yuan Dynasty, 14th century CE. The British Museum.jpg, Bust of a Buddhist guardian figure, from China, Yuan Dynasty, 14th century CE.

The British Museum The British Museum is a public museum dedicated to human history, art and culture located in the Bloomsbury area of London. Its permanent collection of eight million works is among the largest and most comprehensive in existence. It docume ...

File:Statue of the Two Vajra Warriors (金刚力士 Jinggang Lishi) or Nio (仁王 Renwang) - Guhyapada (密跡金剛 Miji Jinggang) and Narayana (Naluoyan Tian) in Tze Shan Monastery (慈山寺 Císhànsì) in Hong Kong.jpg, Statue of Mìjī jīngāng (''Guhyapada'') on the right and Nàluōyán Jīngāng (''Narayana'') on the left of the

shanmen The Shanmen (), also known as the Gate of Three Liberations, is the most important gate of a Chinese Chan Buddhist temple. Etymology The origins of the name "sanmen" are debated. One theory is that "''Shanmen''" takes its literal meaning of "Mo ...

in Tsz Shan Monastery in

Hong Kong Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...

File:Temple Guardian (Miljeok Geumgangyeoksa) at Hwa-Eom Temple-.jpg, Narayeon Geumgang at Hwa-Eom Temple in

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...

File:Two Niō who stand in the left (Ungyō) and right (Agyō) of the sanmon gate at Zentsū-ji in Zentsū-ji City Kagawa pref.jpg, Two Niō who stand in the left (Ungyō) and the right (Agyō) of

sanmon A , also called , is the most important gate of a Japanese Zen Buddhist temple, and is part of the Zen '' shichidō garan'', the group of buildings that forms the heart of a Zen Buddhist temple.JAANUS It can be often found in temples of other de ...

(gate) at Zentsū-ji in Japan File:Niō or Temple Guardian. Banna-ji. Ashikaga, Togichi.jpg, Niō or Temple Guardian.

Banna-ji is a Buddhist temple of the Shingon sect in the city of Ashikaga, Tochigi Prefecture, in northern Kantō region of Japan. The '' honzon'' of the temple is a statue of Dainichi Nyōrai, leading to the temple's nickname of Dainichisama,. The tem ...

File:Niō - Temple Guardian. Banna-ji. Ashikaga, Togichi.jpg, Niō - Temple Guardian.

. File:Kongōrikishi by anonymous sculptor (Kōfuku-ji, 3) (National Treasure).jpg, Agyō and Ungyō in Kofuku-ji were made by the

Kei school The was a Japanese school (style) of Buddhist sculpture which emerged in the early Kamakura period (c. 1200). Based in Nara, it was the dominant school in Buddhist sculpture in Japan into the 14th century, and remained influential until the 1 ...

in the 13th century, the

Kamakura period The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle bet ...

in Japan. National Treasure of Japan. File:Vajirapani Shukongōshin Tōdai-ji before 1939.jpg, Shukongōshin in

Tōdai-ji is a Buddhist temple complex that was once one of the powerful Seven Great Temples, located in the city of Nara, Japan. Though it was originally founded in the year 738 CE, Tōdai-ji was not opened until the year 752 CE. The temple has undergo ...

at Nara, Japan. Made in the 8th century. National Treasure of Japan.

Notes

References

* ''Religions of the Silk Road'' by

Richard Foltz Richard Foltz is a Canadian scholar of American origin. He is a specialist in the history of Iranian civilization—what is sometimes referred to as "Greater Iran". He has also been active in the areas of environmental ethics and animal rights. ...

, 2nd edition (Palgrave, 2010) * ''The Diffusion of Classical Art in Antiquity'' by John Boardman (Princeton University Press, 1994) * ''Old World Encounters. Cross-cultural contacts and exchanges in pre-modern times'' by Jerry H.Bentley (Oxford University Press, 1993) * ''Alexander the Great: East-West Cultural contacts from Greece to Japan'' (NHK and Tokyo National Museum, 2003)

External links

Nio Protectors, the benevolent kings
{{Buddhist temples in Japan Bodhisattvas Buddhist gods Chinese gods Japanese gods Buddhism in Japan Buddhism in Korea Heracles Japanese architectural features Buddhist architecture Twenty-Four Protective Deities