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 'jigsBoarRatMaitreya
Vajra伐折羅FázhéluòBasara, BazaraPhạt Chiết LaVajlaRdo rjeDogOxMahāsthāmaprāpta
Mekhila迷企羅MíqǐluòMekiraMê Súy LaMekhilaRgyan 'dzinRoosterTigerAmitābha
Antila安底羅ĀndǐluòAnchira, AnteiraAn Để LaAntilaGza' 'dzinMonkeyRabbitAvalokiteśvara
Anila頞儞羅ÈnǐluòAniraÁt Nể LaAnilaRlung 'dzinSheepDragonMārīcī
Saṇṭhila珊底羅ShāndìluòSanchira, SanteiraSan Để LaSanthilaGnas bcasHorseSnakeĀkāśagarbha
Indala因達羅YīndàluòIndaraNhân Đạt LaIndalaDbang 'dzinSnakeHorseKṣitigarbha
Pāyila波夷羅BōyìluòHairaBà Di LaPayilaGtun 'dzinDragonSheepMañjuśrī
Mahāla摩虎羅MòhǔluòMakoraMa Hổ LaMahalaSgra 'dzinRabbitMonkeyYamantaka[5]
Cidāla真達羅ZhēndàluòShindaraChân Đạt LaSidalaBsam 'dzinTigerRoosterSamantabhadra
Caundhula招杜羅ZhāodùluòShōtoraChiêu Đổ LaSaundhula'dzinOxDogVajrapāṇi
Vikala毘羯羅PíjiéluòBikara
Bigyara		Tỳ Yết LaBikalaRdzogs byedMouseBoarŚākyamuni

Descriptions of each Heavenly General

Zhendaluo (招杜羅)
Zhendaluo (真達羅) around 3m tall statue in Lingyin Temple, Hangzhou China
 Short description about Zhendaluo

Zhaoduluo (招杜羅)
Zhaoduoluo (招杜羅) around 3m tall statue in Lingyin Temple, Hangzhou China
 Short description about Zhaoduluo
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.[6]

  • Statues of the Twelve Heavenly Generals stand in Ngong Ping, Hong Kong.
  • The Heavenly Generals all appear as boss characters in 1994 video game Shin Megami Tensei II. They are depicted as servants of Āṭavaka, and share the unique classification "Shinshou".
  • 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.
  • Jujutsu Kaisen introduced Mahāla as a summon for one of the Ten Shadows technique, dubbing it the "Eight-Handled Sword Divergent Sīla Divine General Makora," which was mistranslated as "Mahoraga," despite the furigana for the both of them being distinct. A golden cursed tool with the power of lightning, and shaped similarly to adornments of the electric-themed Vajra named “Kamutoke” also makes an appearance.

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. 改訂新版,世界大百科事典内言及, 精選版 日本国語大辞典,デジタル大辞泉,改訂新版 世界大百科事典,日本大百科全書(ニッポニカ),百科事典マイペディア,ブリタニカ国際大百科事典 小項目事典,山川 日本史小辞典. "十二神将(じゅうにじんしょう)とは？ 意味や使い方". コトバンク (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-04-10.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. "薬師十二神将". Flying Deity Tobifudo. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
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