The Eight Great Yakṣa Generals (), or simply the Eight Yakṣa Generals, are guardian deities in
Buddhism
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
. They are retainers of
Vaiśravaṇa
(Sanskrit: वैश्रवण) or (Pali; , zh, s=多闻天王, t=多聞天王, p=Duōwén Tiānwáng, ) is one of the Four Heavenly Kings, and is considered an important figure in Buddhism. He is the god of warfare and usually portrayed as ...
, guardian of the north and king of the
yakṣa
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 Budd ...
s.
In East Asia, they are also variously known as the Eight Great Yakṣas (八大藥叉), the Eight Great Heavenly Kings (八大天王), and the Eight Brothers of Vaiśravaṇa (毘沙門八兄弟).
Relationship to Vaiśravaṇa
The term ''yakṣarākṣasa'' has been used as a general term to denote the many classes of spirits in Indian mythology, combining the words
yakṣa
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 Budd ...
and
rākṣasa.
According to Buddhist mythology, Vaiśravaṇa is the chief of these beings, and long ago dwelt together with them in the realm of darkness. When Vaiśravaṇa converted to
Buddhism
Buddhism, also known as Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...
, the many demonic spirits under his jurisdiction likewise assumed the role of devotees to the Buddha. Originally malevolent beings, their conversion led to their deification as benevolent guardian deities.
Among the many yakṣas under Vaiśravaṇa's rule, the Eight Great Yakṣa Generals are ranked at the top of the hierarchy. Always at Vaiśravaṇa's command, these deities command 36,000 yakṣas that serve their king and are said to protect those who venerate them. A similar list may be found among the
Twenty-Eight Great Yakṣa Generals.
Yakṣa Generals
Their names are given in the ''Commentary on the
Mahāvairocana Abhisaṃbodhi Tantra'' (大毘盧遮那成佛經疏) as follows:
See also
*
Twelve Heavenly Generals
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 ''Bhaiṣajyaguruvaidūryaprabh ...
References
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Yakshas
Dharmapalas
War gods
Buddhist gods