Bhaiṣajyaguru (, zh, t= , , , , ), or ''Bhaishajyaguru'', formally Bhaiṣajya-guru-vaiḍūrya-prabha-rāja ("Medicine Master and King of
Lapis Lazuli
Lapis lazuli (; ), or lapis for short, is a deep-blue metamorphic rock used as a semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense color. Originating from the Persian word for the gem, ''lāžward'', lapis lazuli is ...
Light"; zh, t=藥師琉璃光(王)如來, , , ), is 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 legends, he was ...
of healing and medicine in
Mahāyāna Buddhism
Mahāyāna ( ; , , ; ) is a term for a broad group of Buddhist traditions, texts, philosophies, and practices developed in ancient India ( onwards). It is considered one of the three main existing branches of Buddhism, the others being Thera ...
. Commonly referred to as the "Medicine Buddha", he is described as a doctor who cures suffering (Pali/Sanskrit:
dukkha/
duḥkha
''Duḥkha'' (; , ) "suffering", "pain", "unease", or "unsatisfactoriness", is an important concept in Buddhism, Jainism and Hinduism. Its meaning depends on the context, and may refer more specifically to the "unsatisfactoriness" or "uneas ...
) using the medicine of his teachings.
The image of Bhaiṣajyaguru is usually expressed with a canonical Buddha-like form holding a
gallipot and, in some versions, possessing blue or deep green skin. Though also considered to be a guardian of the East, in most cases,
Akshobhya
Akshobhya (, ''Akṣobhya'', "Immovable One"; ) is one of the Five Wisdom Buddhas, a product of the Adibuddha, who represents consciousness as an aspect of reality. By convention he is located in the east of the Diamond Realm and is the lor ...
is given that role. As an exceptional case, the
honzon
, sometimes referred to as a Gohonzon ( or ), is the enshrined main image or principal deity in Japanese Buddhism. The buddha, bodhisattva, or mandala image is located in either a temple or a household butsudan.
The image can be either a statue ...
of
Mount Kōya
is a large temple settlement in Wakayama Prefecture, Japan to the south of Osaka. In the strictest sense, ''Mount Kōya'' is the mountain name ( sangō) of Kongōbu-ji Temple, the ecclesiastical headquarters of the Kōyasan sect of Shingon Bu ...
's
Kongōbu Temple was changed from Akshobhya to Bhaiṣajyaguru.
Origin
Bhaiṣajyaguru is described in the eponymous ''Bhaiṣajya-guru-vaiḍūrya-prabha-rāja Sūtra'', commonly called the ''Medicine Buddha Sutra'', as a
bodhisattva
In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is a person who has attained, or is striving towards, '' bodhi'' ('awakening', 'enlightenment') or Buddhahood. Often, the term specifically refers to a person who forgoes or delays personal nirvana or ''bodhi'' in ...
who made twelve (12) great vows. His name is generally translated as "Medicine Guru, King of Lapis Lazuli Light". "Vaiḍūrya" is a
precious stone
Precious may refer to:
Music
* Precious (group), a British female pop group
Albums
* ''Precious'' (Chanté Moore album), 1992
* ''Precious'' (Conrad Sewell album), 2023
* ''Precious'' (Cubic U album), 1998
* ''Precious'' (Ours album), 20 ...
which most translators have rendered as
lapis lazuli
Lapis lazuli (; ), or lapis for short, is a deep-blue metamorphic rock used as a semi-precious stone that has been prized since antiquity for its intense color. Originating from the Persian word for the gem, ''lāžward'', lapis lazuli is ...
. Librarian
Marianne Winder has proposed that "vaiḍūrya" originally meant
beryl
Beryl ( ) is a mineral composed of beryllium aluminium Silicate minerals#Cyclosilicates, silicate with the chemical formula Be3Al2(SiO3)6. Well-known varieties of beryl include emerald and Aquamarine (gem), aquamarine. Naturally occurring Hex ...
; however, pure beryl is colorless, while its blue variant,
aquamarine, is described as a 'precious blue-green color-of-sea-water stone'
rather than the usual dark blue attributed to Bhaiṣajyaguru. While there is a dark blue variety of aquamarine called maxixe (pronounced mah-she-she), it is a
New World
The term "New World" is used to describe the majority of lands of Earth's Western Hemisphere, particularly the Americas, and sometimes Oceania."America." ''The Oxford Companion to the English Language'' (). McArthur, Tom, ed., 1992. New York: ...
gemstone — found primarily at the Maxixe Mine in the Piauí Valley near
Itinga,
Minas Gerais
Minas Gerais () is one of the 27 federative units of Brazil, being the fourth largest state by area and the second largest in number of inhabitants with a population of 20,539,989 according to the 2022 Brazilian census, 2022 census. Located in ...
, Brazil — and was not known before 1917.
On achieving
Buddhahood
In Buddhism, Buddha (, which in classic Indo-Aryan languages, Indic languages means "awakened one") is a title for those who are Enlightenment in Buddhism, spiritually awake or enlightened, and have thus attained the Buddhist paths to liberat ...
, Bhaiṣajyaguru became the Buddha of the eastern
pure land
Pure Land is a Mahayana, Mahayana Buddhist concept referring to a transcendent realm emanated by a buddhahood, buddha or bodhisattva which has been purified by their activity and Other power, sustaining power. Pure lands are said to be places ...
of Vaiḍūryanirbhāsa "Pure Lapis Lazuli". There, he is attended to by two
bodhisattva
In Buddhism, a bodhisattva is a person who has attained, or is striving towards, '' bodhi'' ('awakening', 'enlightenment') or Buddhahood. Often, the term specifically refers to a person who forgoes or delays personal nirvana or ''bodhi'' in ...
s symbolizing the light of the sun and the light of the moon respectively:
*
Sūryaprabha ()
*
Candraprabha ()
The Tang Chinese Buddhist monk
Xuanzang
Xuanzang (; ; 6 April 6025 February 664), born Chen Hui or Chen Yi (), also known by his Sanskrit Dharma name Mokṣadeva, was a 7th-century Chinese Bhikkhu, Buddhist monk, scholar, traveller, and translator. He is known for the epoch-making ...
visited a
Mahāsāṃghika
The Mahāsāṃghika (Brahmi script, Brahmi: 𑀫𑀳𑀸𑀲𑀸𑀁𑀖𑀺𑀓, "of the Great Sangha (Buddhism), Sangha", ) was a major division (nikāya) of the early Buddhist schools in India. They were one of the two original communities th ...
monastery at
Bamiyan,
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. It is bordered by Pakistan to the Durand Line, east and south, Iran to the Afghanistan–Iran borde ...
, in the 7th century CE, and the site of this monastery has been rediscovered by archaeologists.
Birchbark manuscript fragments from several Mahāyāna sūtras have been discovered at the site, including the ''Bhaiṣajya-guru-vaidūrya-prabha-rāja Sūtra'' (MS 2385).
A Sanskrit manuscript of the ''Bhaiṣajya-guru-vaiḍūrya-prabha-rāja Sūtra'' was among the texts attesting to the popularity of Bhaiṣajyaguru in the ancient northwest Indian kingdom of
Gandhāra.
[Bakshi, S.R. ''Kashmir: History and People.'' 1998. p. 194] The manuscripts in this find are dated before the 7th century, and are written in the upright
Gupta script
The Gupta script (sometimes referred to as Gupta Brahmi script or Late Brahmi script)Sharma, Ram. '' 'Brahmi Script' ''. Delhi: BR Publishing Corp, 2002 was used for writing Sanskrit and is associated with the Gupta Empire of the Indian subcon ...
.
His twelve vows
The twelve vows of Medicine Buddha upon attaining
Enlightenment, according to the Medicine Buddha Sutra are:
# I vow that my body shall shine as beams of brilliant light on this infinite and boundless world, showering on all beings, getting rid of their ignorance and worries with my teachings. May all beings be like me, with a perfect status and character, upright mind and soul, and finally attaining enlightenment like the Buddha.
# I vow that my body be like crystal, pure and flawless, radiating rays of splendid light to every corner, brightening up and enlightening all beings with wisdom. With the blessings of compassion, may all beings strengthen their spiritual power and physical energy, so that they could fulfill their dreams on the right track.
# I vow that I shall grant by means of boundless wisdom, all beings with the inexhaustible things that they require, and relieving them from all pains and guilt resulting from materialistic desires. Although clothing, food, accommodation and transport are essentials, it should be utilized wisely as well. Besides self-consumption, the remaining should be generously shared with the community so that all could live harmoniously together.
# I vow to lead those who have gone astray back to the path of righteousness. Let them be corrected and returned to the Buddha way for enlightenment.
# I vow that I shall enable all sentient beings to observe precepts for spiritual purity and moral conduct. Should there be any relapse or violation, they shall be guided by repentance. Provided they sincerely regret their wrong-doings, and vow for a change with constant prayers and strong faith in the Buddha, they could receive the rays of forgiveness, recover their lost moral and purity.
# I vow that all beings who are physically disabled or sick in all aspects be blessed with good health, both physically and mentally. All who pay homage to Buddha faithfully will be blessed.
# I vow to relieve all pain and poverty of the very sick and poor. The sick be cured, the helpless be helped, the poor be assisted.
# I vow to help women who are undergoing sufferings and tortures and seeking for transformation into men. By hearing my name, paying homage and praying, their wishes would be granted and ultimately attain Buddhahood.
# I vow to free all beings from evil thought and its control. I shall lead them onto the path of light through inculcating them with righteousness and honour so that they will walk the Buddha way.
# I vow to save prisoners who have genuinely repented and victims of natural disasters. My supreme powers will bless those who are sincere and be freed from sufferings.
# I vow to save those who suffer from starvation and those who committed a crime to obtain food. If they hear my name and faithfully cherish it, I shall lead them to the advantages of
Dharma
Dharma (; , ) is a key concept in various Indian religions. The term ''dharma'' does not have a single, clear Untranslatability, translation and conveys a multifaceted idea. Etymologically, it comes from the Sanskrit ''dhr-'', meaning ''to hold ...
and favour them with the best food that they may eventually lead a tranquil and happy life.
# I vow to save those who suffer from poverty, tormented by mosquitoes and wasps day and night. If they come across my name, cherish it with sincerity and practice dharma to strengthen their merits, they will be able to achieve their wishes.
File:Triad of Yakushi Nyorai.JPG, Yakushi-ji, 8th century, Japan
File:Eastern Golden Hall Kofukuji Yakushi.JPG, Kōfuku-ji, 15th century, Japan
File:Tượng Phật Dược Sư trong một ngôi chùa miền Bắc Việt Nam.jpg, Bhaiṣajyaguru statue in a temple in Northern Vietnam, 19th century
Iconography
Bhaiṣajyaguru is typically depicted seated, wearing the three robes of a Buddhist monk, holding a lapis-colored jar of medicine nectar in his left hand and the right hand resting on his right knee, holding the stem of the Aruna fruit or
Myrobalan between thumb and forefinger. In the sutra, he is also described by his aura of lapis lazuli-colored light. In Chinese depictions, he is sometimes holding a
pagoda
A pagoda is a tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Thailand, Cambodia, Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist, but some ...
, symbolising the ten thousand Buddhas of the three periods of time. He is also depicted standing on a
Northern Wei
Wei (), known in historiography as the Northern Wei ( zh, c=北魏, p=Běi Wèi), Tuoba Wei ( zh, c=拓跋魏, p=Tuòbá Wèi), Yuan Wei ( zh, c=元魏, p=Yuán Wèi) and Later Wei ( zh, t=後魏, p=Hòu Wèi), was an Dynasties of China, impe ...
stele from approximately 500 CE now housed in the Metropolitan Museum of Art, accompanied by his two attendants, Suryaprabha and Chandraprabha. Within the halo are depicted the ''Seven Bhaiṣajyaguru Buddhas'' and seven
apsara
Apsaras (, , Khmer language, Khmer: អប្សរា are a class of celestial beings in Hinduism, Hindu and Culture of Buddhism, Buddhist culture. They were originally a type of female spirit of the clouds and waters, but, later play ...
s.
Local forms and practices
China
in
Shanxi
Shanxi; Chinese postal romanization, formerly romanised as Shansi is a Provinces of China, province in North China. Its capital and largest city of the province is Taiyuan, while its next most populated prefecture-level cities are Changzhi a ...
,
China
China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
The practice of
Veneration#Buddhism, veneration of Yaoshi Fo (藥師佛), or Yaoshi Rulai (藥師如來), is popular in China as he is depicted as one of the most prominent Buddhas, among others such as
Śākyamuni and
Amitābha
Amitābha (, "Measureless" or "Limitless" Light), also known as Amituofo in Chinese language, Chinese, Amida in Japanese language, Japanese and Öpakmé in Tibetan script, Tibetan, is one of the main Buddhahood, Buddhas of Mahayana, Mahayana Buddh ...
. He can also be viewed as the healing attribute of Śākyamuni, as he is often called the "Medicine King" in sūtras. There are two popular Chinese translations of this sūtras: one by Xuanzang and the other by
Yijing
The ''I Ching'' or ''Yijing'' ( ), usually translated ''Book of Changes'' or ''Classic of Changes'', is an ancient Chinese divination text that is among the oldest of the Chinese classics. The ''I Ching'' was originally a divination manual in ...
both translated in the
Tang dynasty
The Tang dynasty (, ; zh, c=唐朝), or the Tang Empire, was an Dynasties of China, imperial dynasty of China that ruled from 618 to 907, with an Wu Zhou, interregnum between 690 and 705. It was preceded by the Sui dynasty and followed ...
. The
Taisho Tripitaka and
Qianlong
The Qianlong Emperor (25 September 17117 February 1799), also known by his temple name Emperor Gaozong of Qing, personal name Hongli, was the fifth emperor of the Qing dynasty and the fourth Qing emperor to rule over China proper. He reigned ...
Tripitaka () each contain four translations of the sutra:
# By
Srimitra in the fourth century CE (Taisho: vol. 21, no. 1331; Qianlong: no. 163).
# By Dharmagupta in 615 CE (Taisho: vol. 14, no. 449; Qianlong: no. 166)
# By
Xuanzang
Xuanzang (; ; 6 April 6025 February 664), born Chen Hui or Chen Yi (), also known by his Sanskrit Dharma name Mokṣadeva, was a 7th-century Chinese Bhikkhu, Buddhist monk, scholar, traveller, and translator. He is known for the epoch-making ...
in 650 CE (Taisho: vol. 14, no. 450; Qianlong: no. 167)
# By
Yijing
The ''I Ching'' or ''Yijing'' ( ), usually translated ''Book of Changes'' or ''Classic of Changes'', is an ancient Chinese divination text that is among the oldest of the Chinese classics. The ''I Ching'' was originally a divination manual in ...
in 707 CE (Taisho: vol. 14, no. 451; Qianlong: no. 168)
These four versions have different titles:
#Srimitra: ''The Sutra on Abhiṣeka that Removes Sins and Liberates from Saṃsāra Taught by the Buddha
# Dharmagupta: ''Sutra of the Vows of the Medicine Buddha''
# Xuanzang: ''Sutra of the Vows of the Medicine Buddha of Lapis Lazuli Crystal Radiance''
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
: ''Bhaiṣajya-guru-vaiḍūrya-prabha-rāja Sūtra''
# Yijing: ''Sutra of the Vows of the Medicine Buddha of Lapis Lazuli Crystal Radiance and Seven Past Buddhas''
(no. 168, two scrolls)
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
: ''Saptatathāgatapūrvapraṇidhānaviśeṣavistara''

The version translated by Yijing includes not only the vows of Yaoshi but also the vows of six other Buddhas.
In contemperory Chinese Buddhist practice, the ''Bhaiṣajya-guru-vaiḍūrya-prabha-rāja Sūtra'' (the text which forms the basis of Xuanzang's translation), in which Yaoshi and his twelve vows are described in great detail, is a sūtra that is commonly recited in Chinese temples. The mantra of Yaoshi, the ''Bhaiṣajyaguru Vaiḍūrya Prabhasa Tathāgatā Abhisecani Dhāraṇī'' (藥師灌頂真言 ''Yàoshī Guàndǐng Zhēnyán''), is counted as one of the
Ten Small Mantras commonly recited in daily morning and evening liturgical services at Chinese Buddhist monasteries. The canonical source for this mantra is the ''Saptatathāgatapūrvapraṇidhānaviśeṣavistara'' (the text which forms the basis of Yijing's translation). In the sūtra, which describes the great vows of Yaoshi as well as those of six other Buddhas, Yaoshi is described as having entered into a state of
samadhi
Statue of a meditating Rishikesh.html" ;"title="Shiva, Rishikesh">Shiva, Rishikesh
''Samādhi'' (Pali and ), in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, is a state of meditative consciousness. In many Indian religious traditions, the cultivati ...
called "Eliminating All the Suffering and Afflictions of Sentient Beings" (滅除一切眾生苦惱). From this samadhi state, he radiated light from his
uṣṇīṣa and spoke the mantra:
Sanskrit
Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...
*
Romanization
In linguistics, romanization is the conversion of text from a different writing system to the Latin script, Roman (Latin) script, or a system for doing so. Methods of romanization include transliteration, for representing written text, and tra ...
: ''Namo bhagavate bhaiṣajyaguru-vaiḍūryaprabharājāya tathāgatāya arhate samyaksaṃbuddhāya tadyathā: oṃ bhaiṣajye bhaiṣajye bhaiṣajya-samudgate svāhā.''
Chinese
*
Hanzi
Chinese characters are logographs used to write the Chinese languages and others from regions historically influenced by Chinese culture. Of the four independently invented writing systems accepted by scholars, they represent the only one ...
: 南無薄伽伐帝。鞞殺社。窶嚕薜琉璃。 鉢喇婆。喝囉闍也。怛他揭多也。阿囉喝帝。三藐三勃陀耶。怛姪他。唵。鞞殺逝。鞞殺逝。鞞薩社。三沒揭帝。莎訶。
*
Pinyin
Hanyu Pinyin, or simply pinyin, officially the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet, is the most common romanization system for Standard Chinese. ''Hanyu'' () literally means 'Han Chinese, Han language'—that is, the Chinese language—while ''pinyin' ...
: ''Námó bóqiéfádì, píshāshè, jùlū bìliúlí, bōlǎpó, hèlàshéyě, dátuōjiēduōyē, ēlàhèdì, sānmiǎosānbótuóyē, dázhítuō, ān, píshāshì, píshāshì, píshāshè, sānmòjiēdì, suōhē.''
English
* Translation: Give Praise to Honorable Medicine-teacher lapis-light-king, the Exalted One, The perfected disciple, Perfectly Self-Awakened One! Like this: "Auspicious one! on medicine, on medicine, the medicine appears, so be it!"
The last line of the mantra is also sometimes used as a shortened version of Yaoshi's mantra. Some benefits the sūtra ascribes to chanting the mantra include the elimination of pain and illness, the attainment of one's desires as well as longevity. In addition, much like the
nianfo
250px, Chinese Nianfo carving
The Nianfo ( zh, t= 念佛, p=niànfó, alternatively in Japanese ; ; or ) is a Buddhist practice central to East Asian Buddhism. The Chinese term ''nianfo'' is a translation of Sanskrit '' '' ("recollection of th ...
path of Amitabha, the name of Yaoshi is also recited for the benefit of being reborn in the Eastern Pure Lands, though this is deemphasized in favor of Yaoshi's role for the living.
Japan

Starting in the 7th century in
Japan
Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
, Yakushi was prayed to in the place of
Ashuku (Akshobhya). Some of Yakushi's role has been taken over by
Jizō (Ksitigarbha), but Yakushi is still invoked in the traditional memorial services for the dead.
Older temples, those mostly found in the
Tendai
, also known as the Tendai Dharma Flower School (天台法華宗, ''Tendai hokke shū,'' sometimes just ''Hokkeshū''), is a Mahāyāna Buddhist tradition with significant esoteric elements that was officially established in Japan in 806 by t ...
and
Shingon
is one of the major schools of Buddhism in Japan and one of the few surviving Vajrayana lineages in East Asian Buddhism. It is a form of Japanese Esoteric Buddhism and is sometimes called "Tōmitsu" (東密 lit. "Esoteric uddhismof Tō- ...
sects, especially those around
Kyoto
Kyoto ( or ; Japanese language, Japanese: , ''Kyōto'' ), officially , is the capital city of Kyoto Prefecture in the Kansai region of Japan's largest and most populous island of Honshu. , the city had a population of 1.46 million, making it t ...
,
Nara
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is an independent agency of the United States government within the executive branch, charged with the preservation and documentation of government and historical records. It is also task ...
and the
Kinki
The or the lies in the southern-central region of Japan's main island Honshū. The region includes the prefectures of Nara, Wakayama, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyōgo and Shiga, often also Mie, sometimes Fukui, Tokushima and Tottori. The metropolit ...
region often have Yakushi as the center of devotion, unlike later Buddhist sects which focus on
Amitabha Buddha or
Kannon
Guanyin () is a common Chinese name of the bodhisattva associated with Karuṇā, compassion known as Avalokiteśvara (). Guanyin is short for Guanshiyin, which means " he One WhoPerceives the Sounds of the World". Originally regarded as m ...
Bodhisattva almost exclusively. Often, when Yakushi is the center of devotion in a Buddhist temple, he is flanked by the , who were twelve
yaksha
The Yakshas (, , ) in Mythology are a broad class of nature spirits, usually benevolent, but sometimes mischievous or capricious, connected with water, fertility, trees, the forest, treasure and wilderness. They appear in Hindu, Jain and Bud ...
generals who had been converted through hearing the ''Bhaiṣajya-guru-vaiḍūrya-prabha-rāja Sūtra'':
Tibet
The practice of Medicine Buddha (''Sangye Menla'' in ) is not only a very powerful method for healing and increasing healing powers both for oneself and others, but also for overcoming the inner sickness of attachment, hatred, and ignorance, thus to
meditate
Meditation is a practice in which an individual uses a technique to train attention and awareness and detach from reflexive, "discursive thinking", achieving a mentally clear and emotionally calm and stable state, while not judging the meditat ...
on the Medicine Buddha can help decrease physical and mental illness and suffering.
The Medicine Buddha mantra is held to be extremely powerful for healing of physical illnesses and purification of negative
karma
Karma (, from , ; ) is an ancient Indian concept that refers to an action, work, or deed, and its effect or consequences. In Indian religions, the term more specifically refers to a principle of cause and effect, often descriptively called ...
. In Tibetan, Mahābhaiṣajya is changed to ''maha bekʰandze radza'' (མ་ཧཱ་བྷཻ་ཥ་ཛྱེ་རཱ་ཛ་) in the mantra, while 'rāja' (radza) means "king" in Sanskrit. In modern Tibetan language, 'ṣa' (ཥ) is pronounced as 'kʰa' (ཁ), and 'ja' in Sanskrit, as in the cases of 'jye' & 'jya', is historically written with the Tibetan script 'dza' (ཛ). Along with other pronunciation changes, the short mantra is recited as:
One form of practice based on the Medicine Buddha is done when one is stricken by disease. The patient is to recite the long Medicine Buddha mantra 108 times over a glass of water. The water is now believed to be blessed by the power of the mantra and the blessing of the Medicine Buddha himself, and the patient is to drink the water. This practice is then repeated each day until the illness is cured.
See also
*
Index of Buddhism-related articles
*
Secular Buddhism
Secular Buddhism, also called agnostic Buddhism and naturalistic Buddhism, is a modern, western movement within Buddhism that leans toward an "exclusive humanism" that rejects "superhuman agencies and supernatural processes" and religious ...
*
Statue of Yakushi Nyorai (Jingo-ji)
References
Explanatory notes
Citations
Works cited
*
External links
Image of Medicine BuddhaThe Sutra on the Original Vows and Merits of the Medicine Master Lapis Lazuli Light Tathagata (藥師琉璃光如來本願功德經) English Translation by the Chung Tai Translation Committee
{{Authority control
Buddhas
Exorcism in Buddhism
Japanese Vajrayana Buddhism
Buddhism in China
Chinese gods