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四天王

Pronunciations

Basic Meaning: four heavenly kings

Senses:

  • The four guardian gods (Skt. catur-mahā-rājakāyikāḥ) who protect the four quarters of the universe. Indraʼs external 'generals ' who dwell each on a side of Mount Sumeru, and who ward off from the world the attacks of malicious spirits, or asuras, hence their name 護世四天王.Their abodes are their four heavens 四天王天 catur-maharāja-kāyikas; and they are:
    1. in the east Dhṛtarāṣṭra 持國天; Deva who keeps (his) kingdom; color white;
    2. in the south, Virūḍhaka 增長天; Deva of increase and growth, color blue;
    3. in the west 廣目天 Virūpākṣa—the broad-eyed (also ugly-eyed) deva (perhaps a form of Śiva); red;
    4. in the north Vaiśravaṇa 多聞天, the deva who hears much and is well-versed; yellow; name Vaiśravaṇa, or Dhanada; he is a form of Kuvera, the god of wealth.
    The Cheontae sagyo ui says that they are "located in the belly of Mt. Sumeru"  「居須彌山腹」. Also called 四王天, 四天王天, 四大天王, and 護世王; abbreviated as 四王. The four are said to have appeared to 不空 Amogha in a temple in Xianfu, sometime between 742–746, and in consequence he introduced their worship to China as guardians of the monasteries, where their images are seen in the hall at the entrance, which is sometimes called the 天王堂 hall of the deva-kings. See 四天王經 (Skt. cātur-mahārāja-kāyikā devāḥ, catvāro mahārājāḥ, catvāro loka-pālā mahārājānaḥ, loka-pāla; Pāli cātum-mahā-rājika). 〔倶舍論 T 1559.29.198a29〕 [Charles Muller; source(s): Nakamura, Yokoi, Soothill, Hirakawa, JEBD,Iwanami]
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  • Cf. Karashima (Lokakṣema Glossary): view / hide
      
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    [Dictionary References]

    Bukkyō jiten (Ui) 416

    Bulgyo sajeon 386a

    Zengaku daijiten (Komazawa U.) 456d

    Iwanami bukkyō jiten 368

    A Glossary of Zen Terms (Inagaki) 289

    Japanese-English Buddhist Dictionary (Daitō shuppansha) 291a/322

    Japanese-English Zen Buddhist Dictionary (Yokoi) 671

    Bukkyōgo daijiten (Nakamura) 527d

    Ding Fubao

    Buddhist Chinese-Sanskrit Dictionary (Hirakawa) 0279

    Bukkyō daijiten (Mochizuki) (v.1-6)1958a,1725a, (v.9-10)496c,906c

    Bukkyō daijiten (Oda) 748-1

    (Soothill's) Dictionary of Chinese Buddhist Terms 173

    Lokakṣemaʼs Aṣṭasāhasrikā Prajñāpāramitā (Karashima) 465

    Copyright provisions

    The rights to textual segments (nodes) of the DDB are owned by the author indicated in the brackets next to each segment. For rights regarding the compilation as a whole, please contact Charles Muller. Please do not reproduce without permission. And please do not copy into Wikipedia without proper citation!

    Entry created: 1993-09-01

    Updated: 2011-09-02