Pilanpo
Pilanpo (Chinese: 毗蓝婆) is a bodhisattva and the mother of a sun god in Chinese folk religion.[1][2]
| Pilanpo | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 Ancient wall painting of Pilanpo at Xianwu Temple | |||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 毗藍婆 | ||||||
| Simplified Chinese | 毗蓝婆 | ||||||
| Literal meaning | Pralambra | ||||||
| |||||||
Legends
According to legend, Pilanpo is a shapeshifter whose true form is a hen. Since hens and peacocks are seen as related through the phoenix (fenghuang), she is considered to be a relative of the bodhisattva and former peacock Mahamayuri, the godmother of the Buddha. Pilanpo's son is a rooster and sun deity (昴日星官, Sun Rooster of Hairy Head).[2]
Pilanpo is said to live in seclusion in the Thousand Flowers Cave (千花洞) of the Purple Clouds Mountain (紫雲山). She is sometimes equated with Ākāśagarbha, a bodhisattva of the great element (mahābhūta) of space (ākāśa).
Journey to the West
In Journey to the West, Tang Sanzang is captured by the powerful Hundred Eyed Demon King. Neither Sun Wukong nor the Buddha are able to defeat the demon king until, on the instructions of Lishan Laomu, Sun Wukong requests help from Pilanpo. She eventually subdues and captures the demon king with an embroidery needle - not one made of iron or steel, but extracted by her son from his own eyes. Pilanpo sends the demon king to guard Thousand Flowers Cave.[3]
References
- "风雨潇潇，鸡鸣胶胶". The Beijing News (in Chinese). 28 January 2017.
- "西游记里的毗蓝婆竟然来历这么深". Sohu (in Chinese). 3 March 2017.
- "300年不管闲事，毗蓝婆菩萨难怪收走蜈蚣精，您看破碎星是谁？_手机搜狐网". Sohu. 15 June 2019.
Sources
- Nikaidō, Yoshihiro (2015). Asian Folk Religion and Cultural Interaction. Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht. ISBN 9783847004851.
- 西游记: 李卓吾批评本 (in Chinese). 岳麓书社. 2006. ISBN 9787806657287.
- 评, （明）吴承恩／ 著 李卓吾 (2017). 西 游 记 （下） (in Chinese). 海乾坤文化公司.
- "毗蓝婆菩萨和黎山老母有什么恩怨-看见历史". www.kanjianlishi.com. 20 June 2017.
- "毗蓝婆菩萨有多厉害？一绣花针破蜈蚣精金光，连黎山老母都忌惮她". Beijing Time. 7 July 2018.
- "毗蓝婆菩萨". ZCOOL.