Twelve Heavenly Generals

In some Buddhist denominations, 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 Bhaiṣajyaguruvaidūryaprabharāja Sūtra.[1] They are collectively named as follows:

The Twelve Hevenly 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.

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]

SanskritKanjiromanized JapanesePinyinVietnameseTibetan (Wly.)ZodiacHonji
Kiṃbhīra宮毘羅
/ 金毘羅		Kubira
Kompira (Shinto)		Guānpíluò
Jīnpíluò		Hợi ThầnJi 'jigsBoarMaitreya
Vajra伐折羅Basara, BazaraFázhéluòTuất ThầnRdo rjeDogMahāsthāmaprāpta
Mekhila迷企羅Mekira, MeikiraMíqǐluòDậu ThầnRgyan 'dzinRoosterAmitābha
Antila安底羅Anchira, AnteiraĀndǐluòThân ThầnGza' 'dzinMonkeyAvalokiteśvara
Anila頞儞羅AniraÈnǐluòMùi ThầnRlung 'dzinSheepMārīcī
Saṇṭhila珊底羅Sanchira, SanteiraShāndìluòNgọ ThầnGnas bcasHorseĀkāśagarbha
Indala因達羅IndaraYīndàluòTỵ ThầnDbang 'dzinSnakeKṣitigarbha
Pāyila波夷羅HairaBōyìluòThìn ThầnGtun 'dzinDragonMañjuśrī
Mahāla摩虎羅Makora
Makura		MòhǔluòMão ThầnSgra 'dzinRabbitBhaiṣajyaguru
Cidāla (Kiṃnara)真達羅Shintara
Shindūra		ZhēndàluòDần ThầnBsam 'dzinTigerSamantabhadra
Caundhula招杜羅Shōtora
Shatora		ZhāodùluòSửu Thần'dzinOxVajrapāṇi
Vikala毘羯羅Bikara
Bigyara		PíjiéluòTý ThầnRdzogs byedMouseŚākyamuni
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.[4]

  • Statues of the Twelve Heavenly Generals stand in Ngong Ping, Hong Kong.

See also
  • The Glossary of Japanese Buddhism for an explanation of terms concerning Japanese Buddhism, Japanese Buddhist art, and Japanese Buddhist temple architecture.

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. "薬師十二神将". Flying Deity Tobifudo. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
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