Buddhist deities

Buddhism includes a wide array of divine beings that are venerated in various ritual and popular contexts. Initially they included
mainly Indian deities such as devas and yakshas, but later came to include other Asian spirits and local gods. They range from
enlightened Buddhas to regional spirits adopted by Buddhists or practiced on the margins of the religion.

Buddhists later also came to incorporate aspects from countries such as China and Japan into their pantheons.[1] As such, it
includes many aspects taken from other mythologies of those cultures. Saraswati is a Hindu Deva from Gandhara and the kami[1]
are considered to be local, Japanese bodhisattvas by many Japanese Buddhists.

Contents
Buddhas
Bodhisattvas
Wisdom Kings
Fierce deities
Yidam
Gods
Devas
Nāgas
Yaksha
Gandharvas
Asuras
Garudas
Kinnaras
Mahoragas
Apsaras
Kumbhandas
See also
References
Further reading

Buddhas
A Buddha is a being who is fully awakened, and has fully comprehended the Four Noble Truths. In the Theravada tradition, while
there is a list of acknowledged past Buddhas, the historical Buddha Sakyamuni is the only Buddha of our current era and is
generally not seen as accessible or as existing in some higher plane of existence. Mahayana Buddhists however venerate several
Buddhas, including Maitreya and Amitābha, who are seen as beings of great wisdom and power who preside over pure lands that
one can travel to after death.

In Tantric Buddhism (Vajrayana), there are five primary Buddhas: Vairocana, Aksobhya, Ratnasambhava, Amitābha, and
Amoghasiddhi. Each is associated with a different consort, direction, aggregate (or, aspect of the personality), emotion, element,
color, symbol, and mount.[2] Other Buddhas besides these five include Bhaisajyaguru (the Buddha of medicine) and Nageshvara
Raja (the king of the Nāgas).
There is also the idea of the Adi-Buddha, the "first Buddha" to attain
Buddhahood. Variously named as Vajradhara, Samantabhadra and Vairocana, the
first Buddha is also associated with the concept of Dharmakaya.

Buddhist Tantra also includes several female Buddhas, such as Tara, the most
popular female Buddha in Tibetan Buddhism, who comes in many forms and
colors. Other female Buddha figures include Vajrayogini, Nairatmya, and
Kurukullā.

Some historical figures are also seen as Buddhas, such as the Buddhist
philosopher Nagarjuna and the figure of Padmasambhava.

Bodhisattvas
A Bodhisattva is any being that has aroused bodhicitta (awakening mind) and is
thus working towards full Buddhahood. Bodhisattvas who are seen as powerful
Mandala of the five Buddha families
and highly advanced are also venerated in Mahayana and Vajrayana Buddhism.
The most popular Bodhisattva is Avalokiteshvara also known as Guanyin in East
Asia, known as the bodhisattva of compassion.[3]

One of the earliest female Bodhisattvas is Prajnaparamita, the personification of

the perfection (paramita) or wisdom (prajna). Other female Bodhisattvas include
Vasudhara and Cundi.

In Vajrayana, the major bodhisattvas are known as 'The eight Bodhisattvas':[4]

Ksitigarbha (sa’i snying po),

Vajrapani (phyag na rdo rje),
Akasagarbha (nam mkha’i snying po),
Avalokitesvara (spyan ras gzigs dbang phyug)
Maitreya (byams pa)
Nivaranaviskhambhin (sgrib sel)
White Tara and Green Tara
Samantabhadra (kun tu bzang po)
Manjushri (’jam dpal gzhon nu)
Others include Candraprabha, Suryaprabha, Vajrasattva. Followers of Tibetan Buddhism consider reborn tulkus such as the Dalai
Lamas to be emanations of bodhisattvas.

Wisdom Kings

Fierce deities
In the Buddhist Tantras, Buddhas and Bodhisattvas often manifest in unusual and fierce forms, which are used in tantra as yidams
or meditation deities.[5]

While some of these deities have a hideous and ferocious appearance,[6] they are not personifications of evil or demonic forces.[5]
The ferocious appearance of these deities is used to instill fear in evil spirits which threaten the Dharma.[6]

Yidam
The Yidam, or Ishta-devata, is a personal meditation deity. The Sanskrit word
iṣṭadevatā or iṣṭadevaḥ is defined by V. S. Apte as "a favorite god, one's
tutelary deity."[7] Though this term is used in many popular books on Buddhist
Tantra, the term işţadevatā has not been attested in any Buddhist tantric text in
Sanskrit. The unrelated Tibetan version of the term, possibly of entirely native
origin, is yi-dam[8] is said to be a contraction of Tib. yid-kyi-dam-tshig,[9]
meaning "samaya of mind"- in other words, the state of being indestructibly
bonded with the inherently pure and liberated nature of mind.

The Ishta-devata of Hinduism is an aspect of God for personal worship.[10] In

Buddhism, a Yidam is a manifestation of enlightenment[11] and may take the
form of Sambhogakāya Buddhas, tantric deities, bodhisattvas, Dharma
protectors or other historical figures.[11]

Gods

Avalokiteshvara with 1000 arms

Devas
Devas are divine beings, though they are not all necessarily wise or on the
Buddhist path and hence not final objects of refuge. They have very long lives
which have much less suffering than humans, but are not immortal or immune
from suffering. Some devas have no physical form and exist in the formless
realms. Some devas venerated by Buddhists include Brahma, Sarasvati, Laksmi,
Śakra, Hariti, Pattini, Saman and Ganesha.

Nāgas

Yaksha
The Yaksha are a broad class of nature-spirits, usually benevolent, who are
caretakers of the natural treasures hidden in the earth and tree roots.[12] Having
been worshiped in India since before the Vedic period, Hinduism adopted the
worship of Yakshas like Kuber. Later their worship was adopted by Buddhism.
In Jainism Yakshas were worshipped as Shasana Devatas from the beginning.
Chakrasamvara
In Buddhism, it is believed that they reside deep within the Earth under the
Himalayas[13] where they guard the wealth of the Earth.[13] The Yaksha are
ruled over by Kubera, the Lord of wealth.[13]

In Burma there exists the popular worship of nature spirits called Nats which are worshiped alongside of Buddhism.

Gandharvas

Asuras
Garudas

Kinnaras

Mahoragas

Apsaras

Kumbhandas

See also The four-faced Brahma (Phra Phrom)

Buddhism in Japan statue, Thailand.
Buddhist cosmology
Chinese Buddhism
Karma in Buddhism
Hindu deities
Japanese Buddhist pantheon
Tibetan Buddhism
Religion in Asia

References
1. Buddhism and Mythology (http://www.mythencyclopedia.com/Be-Ca/Buddhism-and-Mythology.html)
2. Nathaniel DeWitt Garson; Penetrating the Secret Essence Tantra: Context and Philosophy in the Mahayoga
System of rNying-ma Tantra, page 43
3. McBride II, Richard D; Popular Esoteric deities and the spread of their cults in Esoteric Buddhism and the Tantras
in East Asia
4. Nathaniel DeWitt Garson; Penetrating the Secret Essence Tantra: Context and Philosophy in the Mahayoga
System of rNying-ma Tantra, page 44
5. Wrathful Deities (http://www.religionfacts.com/buddhism/deities/wrathful_deities.htm) Archived (https://web.archiv
e.org/web/20101006031553/http://www.religionfacts.com/buddhism/deities/wrathful_deities.htm) October 6,
2010, at the Wayback Machine
6. Wrathful Guardians of Buddhism - Aesthetics and Mythology (http://www.exoticindiaart.com/wrathful.htm)
7. V. S. Apte, A Practical Sanskrit Dictionary, p. 250.
8. ""The function of the Yidam is one of the profound mysteries of the Vajrayana... Especially during the first years
of practice the Yidam is of immense importance. Yidam is the Tibetan rendering of the Sanskrit word Istadeva-the
indwelling deity; but, where the Hindus take the Istadeva for an actual deity who has been invited to dwell in the
devotee's heart, the Yidams of Tantric Buddhism are in fact the emanations of the adepts own mind. "The Tantric
Mysticism of Tibet: A Practical Guide to the Theory, Purpose, and Techniques of Tantric Meditation by John
Blofeld. Penguin:1992
9. Harding, Sarah. "The Dharma Dictionary." Buddhadharma Magazine, Spring 2005.Dharma Dictionary: Yidam (htt
p://www.thebuddhadharma.com/issues/2005/spring/dharma_dictionary.html)
10. Ishta Devata or Personal God (http://www.hindunet.org/god/ista_devata/index.htm)
11. Yidam (http://www.thebuddhadharma.com/issues/2005/spring/dharma_dictionary.html)
12. "yaksha" (http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-9077732/yaksha). Encyclopædia Britannica. Retrieved
2007-07-15.
13. Yakshas Hindu Gods of Wealth (http://www.thebuddhagarden.com/yakshas.htm) Archived (https://web.archive.or
g/web/20100223060607/http://www.thebuddhagarden.com/yakshas.htm) February 23, 2010, at the Wayback
Machine

Further reading
Campbell, Joseph (2003). Myths of light: Eastern Metaphors of the Eternal (https://books.google.com/books?id=
OWdqt29UDGYC). Novato, California: New World Library. ISBN 1-57731-403-4.

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