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 Bhaiṣajyaguruvaidūryaprabharāja Sūtra.[1] They are collectively named as follows:

Names of generals

The precise names of the generals seem to vary depending on tradition. Those listed below are from an available Sanskrit transcription of the Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabhārāja Sūtra:[3]

SanskritHanziPinyinRōmajiVietnameseTagalogTibetan (Wly.)ZodiacZodiac (Japan) [4]Honji
Kiṃbhīra宮毘羅Guānpíluò
Jīnpíluò		Kubira
Kompira (Shinto)		Cung Tỳ LaKimbhilaJi 'jigsBoarBoarMaitreya
Vajra伐折羅FázhéluòBasara, BazaraPhạt Chiết LaVajlaRdo rjeDogDogMahāsthāmaprāpta
Mekhila迷企羅MíqǐluòMekiraMê Súy LaMekhilaRgyan 'dzinRoosterRoosterAmitābha
Antila安底羅ĀndǐluòAnchira, AnteiraAn Để LaAntilaGza' 'dzinMonkeyMonkeyAvalokiteśvara
Anila頞儞羅ÈnǐluòAniraÁt Nể LaAnilaRlung 'dzinSheepSheepMārīcī
Saṇṭhila珊底羅ShāndìluòSanchira, SanteiraSan Để LaSanthilaGnas bcasHorseHorseĀkāśagarbha
Indala因達羅YīndàluòIndaraNhân Đạt LaIndalaDbang 'dzinSnakeSnakeKṣitigarbha
Pāyila波夷羅BōyìluòHairaBà Di LaPayilaGtun 'dzinDragonDragonMañjuśrī
Mahāla摩虎羅MòhǔluòMakoraMa Hổ LaMahalaSgra 'dzinRabbitRabbitBhaiṣajyaguru
Cidāla真達羅ZhēndàluòShindaraChân Đạt LaSidalaBsam 'dzinTigerTigerSamantabhadra
Caundhula招杜羅ZhāodùluòShōtoraChiêu Đổ LaSaundhula'dzinOxOxVajrapāṇi
Vikala毘羯羅PíjiéluòBikara
Bigyara		Tỳ Yết LaBikalaRdzogs byedMouseMouseŚākyamuni
One of the Twelve Heavenly Generals at the Tokyo National Museum.
Another one of the Twelve Heavenly Generals.

While the Honji and zodiac correspondences listed above are the standard in Japanese sources, there is variation among texts and regional traditions.[5]

  • Statues of the Twelve Heavenly Generals stand in Ngong Ping, Hong Kong.
  • The Heavenly Generals and their names were used as character material for the powerful digital monster characters who serve the "Four Holy Beasts" (Digimon Sovereigns in the English Dub) in the Digital World, from the 2001 series Digimon Tamers, albeit with the names mismatched, due to being based on the Japanese zodiac classification.
  • Granblue Fantasy started to release series of playable units in 2015 which called "The 12 Divine Generals". Each of these units are named after the corresponding zodiac they represent. The Japanese version use adapted Hepburn romanization, while the English version adapted from Sanskrit.

References
  1. Mary Neighbour Parent (2001). "JAANUS - Japanese Architecture and Art Net Users System". Japanese Architectural and Art Historical Terminology (online ed.). Retrieved 2009-04-20.
  2. Mark Schumacher. "12 Divine Generals of Yakushi Buddha". A to Z Photo Dictionary: Japanese Buddhist Statuary. Retrieved 2009-06-24.
  3. "Bhaiṣajyaguruvaidūryaprabharājasūtram". Digital Sanskrit Buddhist Canon. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  4. "Twelve Heavenly Generals of Yakushi Buddha (source: Ancient Buddhism in Japan, Vol. II (Leiden: 1935, pp. 551-553))". BUDDHISM & SHINTŌ IN JAPAN. Retrieved 2022-09-16.
  5. "薬師十二神将". Flying Deity Tobifudo. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
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