Ming wang
ming wang (明王, Skt. vidyārāja). A class of fierce deities in East Asian Esoteric Buddhism who are the messengers and manifestation of Vairocanaʼs wrath against evil spirits.[1] Ming wang is translated as "wisdom kings," "guardian kings," "luminous kings," etc.
Various groups of ming wang deities are presented in traditional sources, such as:[1]
- five wisdom kings (wǔ dà míngwáng 五大明王)
- eight wisdom kings (bā dà míngwáng 八大明王)
- ten wisdom kings (shídà míngwáng 十大明王)
Groups of vidyārāja (wisdom kings)
Five wisdom kings
The five wisdom kings (wǔ dà míngwáng 五大明王), also known as the five guardian kings, are fierce emanations of the five tathāgatas and guardians of Buddhist doctrine.[2][3] Organized according to the five directions (the four cardinal directions plus the center), the Five Kings are usually defined as follows:[2]
- Acala / Acalanātha (Chinese: 不動明王; pinyin: Bùdòng Míngwáng; Japanese pronunciation: Fudō Myōō) - Manifestation of Mahāvairocana, associated with the center
- Trailokyavijaya (Chinese: 降三世明王; pinyin: Xiángsānshì Míngwáng; Japanese pronunciation: Gōzanze Myōō) - Manifestation of Akṣobhya, associated with the east
- Kuṇḍali / Amṛtakuṇḍalin (Chinese: 軍荼利明王; pinyin: Jūntúlì Míngwáng; Japanese pronunciation: Gundari Myōō) - Manifestation of Ratnasambhava, associated with the south
- Yamāntaka (Chinese: 大威徳明王; pinyin: Dàwēidé Míngwáng; Japanese pronunciation: Daiitoku Myōō) - Manifestation of Amitābha, associated with the west
- Vajrayakṣa (Chinese: 金剛夜叉明王; pinyin: Jīngāng Yèchā Míngwáng; Japanese pronunciation: Kongōyasha Myōō) - Manifestation of Amoghasiddhi, associated with the north in the Shingon school
- Alternate: Ucchuṣma (Chinese: 烏枢沙摩明王; pinyin: Wūshūshāmó Míngwáng; Japanese pronunciation: Ususama Myōō) - Associated with the north in the Tendai school[4]
The positions of each deity within the mandala are shown below:
| Vajrayakṣa or Ucchuṣma
(north) |
||
| Yamāntaka
(west) |
Acala
(center) |
Trailokyavijaya
(east) |
| Kuṇḍali
(south) |
Eight wisdom kings
In Chinese Buddhism, the eight wisdom kings (bā dà míngwáng 八大明王) are a group of deities presented in sources such as:
- The Sūtra of the Blazing Uṣṇīṣa of the Wondrous Vajra Kuṇḍali and Yamāntaka (Chinese: 大妙金剛大甘露軍拏利焰鬘熾盛佛頂經; pinyin: Dàmiào Jīngāng Dà Gānlu Jūnnálì Yànmán Chìshèng Fódǐng Jīng).[5]
- the Mañjuśrī-mūla-kalpa (Chinese: 大方廣菩薩藏文殊舍利根本儀軌經; pinyin: Dà Fāngguǎng Púsà Zàng Wénshūshèlì Gēnběn Yíguǐ Jīng; literally: "The Fundamental Ordinance of Mañjuśrī")
This group consists of:[6]
- Acala (Chinese: 不動明王; pinyin: Bùdòng Míngwáng) - Manifestation of Sarvanivāraṇaviṣkambhin, associated with the north-east
- Kuṇḍali (Chinese: 軍荼利明王; pinyin: Jūntúlì Míngwáng) - Manifestation of Ākāśagarbha, associated with the north-west
- Trailokyavijaya (Chinese: 降三世明王; pinyin: Xiángsānshì Míngwáng) - Manifestation of Vajrapāṇi, associated with the south-east
- Yamāntaka (Chinese: 大威徳明王; pinyin: Dàwēidé Míngwáng) - Manifestation of Mañjuśrī, associated with the east
- Mahācakra (Chinese: 大輪明王; pinyin: Dàlún Míngwáng) - Manifestation of Maitreya, associated with the south-west
- Padanakṣipa (Chinese: 步擲明王; pinyin: Bùzhì Míngwáng) - Manifestation of Samantabhadra, associated with the north
- Aparājita (Chinese: 無能勝明王; pinyin: Wúnéngshèng Míngwáng) - Manifestation of Kṣitigarbha, associated with the south
- Hayagrīva (Chinese: 馬頭明王; pinyin: Mǎtóu Míngwáng) - Manifestation of Avalokiteśvara (Guanyin), associated with the west
The positions of each deity within the mandala are shown below:
| Kuṇḍali
(north-west) |
Padanakṣipa
(north) |
Acala
(north-east) |
| Hayagrīva
(west) |
Yamāntaka
(east) | |
| Mahācakra
(south-west) |
Aparājita
(south) |
Trailokyavijaya
(south-east) |
For alternate groupings, see:
八大明王, Digital Dictionary of Buddhism (to sign in, see DDB sign-in)
Ten wisdom kings
Several groupings of ten wisdom kings (shídà míngwáng 十大明王) are found in Chinese Buddhism, based on different scriptural sources. These groups differ slightly in the members of the group. Sources for these groups include:[5]
- The Sūtra of the Liturgy for Brilliant Contemplation of the Ten Wrathful Wisdom Kings of the Illusory Net of the Great Yoga Teachings (Chinese: 佛說幻化網大瑜伽教十忿怒明王大明觀想儀軌經; pinyin: Fóshuō Huànhuàwǎng Dà Yújiājiào Shífènnù Míngwáng Dàmíng Guānxiǎng Yíguǐ Jīng)
- The Sūtra with the Great Instructions that are Universal, Secret, and Unexcelled about the Contemplations of Mañjuśrī (Chinese: 妙吉祥平等秘密最 上觀門大教王經; pinyin: Miàojíxiáng Píngděng Mìmì Zuìshàng Guānmén Dàjiàowáng Jīng).[6]
Within the Shuilu Fahui ceremony
In contemporary Chinese Buddhist practice, the ten wisdom kings are regularly invoked in ceremonies and rituals, such as the Shuilu Fahui ceremony, where they are provided offerings and entreated to expel evil from the ritual platform. In particular, ritual paintings of the Ten Wisdom Kings are arranged in a particular maṇḍala during the Shuilu Fahui ceremony, with a particular direction associated with each Wisdom King.[7][8] The Wisdom King Ucchuṣma (Chinese: 穢跡金剛明王; pinyin: Huìjì Jīngāng Míngwáng; literally: "Vajra Being of Impure Traces"), a manifestation of Śakyamuni, is not counted among the Ten Wisdom Kings in the ceremony, but he is still invoked separately from the grouping in the same ritual and his image is typically enshrined ahead of the outer north direction of the maṇḍala of the Ten Wisdom Kings. The specific list of the Ten Wisdom Kings invoked during the Shuilu Fahui ceremony, along with their associated directions in the maṇḍala, is canonized in the ceremony's ritual manual (Chinese: 水陸儀軌會本; pinyin: Shuǐlù Yíguǐ Huìběn) based on scriptural sources.[9] They are as follows:[6][9]
- Acala (Chinese: 不動明王; pinyin: Bùdòng Míngwáng) - Manifestation of Sarvanivāraṇaviṣkambhin, associated with the east
- Trailokyavijaya (Chinese: 降三世明王; pinyin: Xiángsānshì Míngwáng) - Manifestation of Vajrapāṇi, associated with the outer south
- Kuṇḍali (Chinese: 軍荼利明王; pinyin: Jūntúlì Míngwáng) - Manifestation of Amitābha, associated with the inner north
- Yamāntaka (Chinese: 大威徳明王; pinyin: Dàwēidé Míngwáng) - Manifestation of the Mañjuśrī, associated with the north-east
- Mahācakra (Chinese: 大輪明王; pinyin: Dàlún Míngwáng) - Manifestation of Maitreya, associated with the outer north
- Padanakṣipa (Chinese: 步擲明王; pinyin: Bùzhì Míngwáng) - Manifestation of Samantabhadra, associated with the south-west
- Aparājita (Chinese: 無能勝明王; pinyin: Wúnéngshèng Míngwáng) - Manifestation of Kṣitigarbha, associated with the inner south
- Hayagrīva (Chinese: 馬頭明王; pinyin: Mǎtóu Míngwáng) - Manifestation of Avalokiteśvara (Guanyin), associated with the west
- Vajrahāsa (Chinese: 大笑明王; pinyin: Dàxiào Míngwáng) - Manifestation of Ākāśagarbha, associated with the south-east
- Mahābala (Chinese: 大力明王; pinyin: Dàlì Míngwáng) - Manifestation of Śakyamuni, associated with the north-west
| Mahācakra
(outer north) |
||
| Mahābala
(north-west) |
Kuṇḍali
(inner north) |
Yamāntaka
(north-east) |
| Hayagrīva
(west) |
Acala
(east) | |
| Padanakṣipa
(south-west) |
Aparājita
(inner south) |
Vajrahāsa
(south-east) |
| Trailokyavijaya
(outer south) |
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 明王, Digital Dictionary of Buddhism (to sign in, see DDB sign-in)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 五大明王, Digital Dictionary of Buddhism (to sign in, see DDB sign-in)
- ↑ Vilbar, Sinéad (October 2013). "Kings of Brightness in Japanese Esoteric Buddhist Art". The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Retrieved 2021-10-01.
- ↑ 五大尊. Flying Deity Tobifudō (Ryukō-zan Shōbō-in Official Website). Retrieved 2021-10-01.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Huang, Yongjian (2000). 蘇曼殊繪畫硏究
(Thesis). The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology Library. doi:10.14711/thesis-b685589.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 Howard (2002), pp. 92–107.
- ↑ Bloom, Phillip Emmanual (2013). Descent of the Deities: The Water-Land Retreat and the Transformation of the Visual Culture of Song-Dynasty (960–1279) Buddhism (Thesis). OCLC 864907811.
- ↑ Hong, Tsai-Hsia (2005). The Water-Land Dharma Function Platform Ritual and the Great Compassion Repentance Ritual. OCLC 64281400.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 上海佛学书局, 水陸儀軌會本 卷1-卷4 (PDF), retrieved 2025-05-06
Sources
- Howard, Angela F. (1999-03-01). "The Eight Brilliant Kings of Wisdom of Southwest China". Res: Anthropology and Aesthetics. 35: 92–107. doi:10.1086/RESv35n1ms20167019. ISSN 0277-1322. Archived from the original on 2021-08-24. Retrieved 2021-08-24.
External link
Wisdom King, Wikipedia
