Twelve Heavenly Generals

Yaksha of Bhaisajyaguru

The Twelve Heavenly Generals statues in the above image were made in Japan during the Kamakura period in the 13 century and were enshrined in Joruri-ji Temple in Kyoto. Currently, five statues have been deposited in Tokyo National Museum.

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:

* simplified Chinese: 十二神将; traditional Chinese: 十二神將; pinyin: Shí'èr Shén Jiāng
* Japanese: Jūni Shinshō (十二神将) or Jūni Shinnō (十二神王) or Jūni Yakusha Taishō (十二薬叉大将)[2]

## Names of generals[edit]

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]

Sanskrit | Hanzi | Pinyin | Rōmaji | Vietnamese | Tagalog | Tibetan (Wly.) | Zodiac | Zodiac (Japan) [4] | Honji

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Kiṃbhīra | 宮毘羅 | Guānpíluò
Jīnpíluò | Kubira
Kompira (Shinto) | Cung Tỳ La | Kimbhila | Ji 'jigs | Boar | Boar | Maitreya
Vajra | 伐折羅 | Fázhéluò | Basara, Bazara | Phạt Chiết La | Vajla | Rdo rje | Dog | Dog | Mahāsthāmaprāpta
Mekhila | 迷企羅 | Míqǐluò | Mekira | Mê Súy La | Mekhila | Rgyan 'dzin | Rooster | Rooster | Amitābha
Antila | 安底羅 | Āndǐluò | Anchira, Anteira | An Để La | Antila | Gza' 'dzin | Monkey | Monkey | Avalokiteśvara
Anila | 頞儞羅 | Ènǐluò | Anira | Át Nể La | Anila | Rlung 'dzin | Sheep | Sheep | Mārīcī
Saṇṭhila | 珊底羅 | Shāndìluò | Sanchira, Santeira | San Để La | Santhila | Gnas bcas | Horse | Horse | Ākāśagarbha
Indala | 因達羅 | Yīndàluò | Indara | Nhân Đạt La | Indala | Dbang 'dzin | Snake | Snake | Kṣitigarbha
Pāyila | 波夷羅 | Bōyìluò | Haira | Bà Di La | Payila | Gtun 'dzin | Dragon | Dragon | Mañjuśrī
Mahāla | 摩虎羅 | Mòhǔluò | Makora | Ma Hổ La | Mahala | Sgra 'dzin | Rabbit | Rabbit | Bhaiṣajyaguru
Cidāla | 真達羅 | Zhēndàluò | Shindara | Chân Đạt La | Sidala | Bsam 'dzin | Tiger | Tiger | Samantabhadra
Caundhula | 招杜羅 | Zhāodùluò | Shōtora | Chiêu Đổ La | Saundhula | 'dzin | Ox | Ox | Vajrapāṇi
Vikala | 毘羯羅 | Píjiéluò | Bikara
Bigyara | Tỳ Yết La | Bikala | Rdzogs byed | Mouse | Mouse | Śākyamuni

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]

## Popular culture[edit]

* 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[edit]

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.

## External links[edit]

* Album of 12 Heavenly Generals at Ngong Ping

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