Part 1 - Bhaisajyaguru or Medicine Buddha Sutra. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Bhaisajyaguru (भैषज्यगुरु), formally Bhaisajyaguruvaiḍuryaprabharaja (भैषज्यगुरुवैडूर्यप्रभाराज, Medicine Master and King of Lapis Lazuli Light), is the buddha of healing and medicine in Mahayana Buddhism. Commonly referred to as the Medicine Buddha, he is described as a doctor who cures suffering using the medicine of his teachings. Bhaisajyaguru is described in the eponymous Bhaisajyaguruvaiduryaprabharaja Sutra (भैषज्यगुरुवैडूर्यप्रभाराज सूत्र), commonly called the Medicine Buddha Sutra, as a bodhisattva who made 12 great vows. On achieving Buddhahood, he became the Buddha of the eastern pure land of Vaiḍuryanirbhasa (वैडूर्यनिर्भास), or Pure Lapis Lazuli. There, he is attended to by two bodhisattvas symbolizing the light of the sun and the light of the moon respectively: Suryaprabha (Chinese: 日光遍照菩薩; pinyin: riguang bianzhao pusa) Candraprabha (Chinese: 月光遍照菩薩; pinyin: yueguang bianzhao pusa) YAKUSHI NYORAI, YAKUSHI TATHAGATA Buddha of Medicine and Healing Yakushi literally means Medicine Teacher Lord of the Eastern Paradise of Pure Lapis Lazuli (Jp. = Joruri 浄瑠璃, Skt. = Vaiduryanirbhasa). Yakushi’s full name is Yakushi-ruriko 薬師瑠璃光, meaning Medicine Master of Lapis Lazuli Radiance. Commonly shown holding medicine jar in left hand. YAKUSHI HIGHLIGHTS Made 12 Vows as a Bodhisattva - Two Attendants named Nikko and Gakko Commands 12 Warrior Generals (Twelve Yaksa) Manifests in Seven Forms (Shichibutsu Yakushi) Surrounded by Eight Bodhisattva in mandala One of 13 Deities (Jusanbutsu) of the Shingon sect who are invoked in memorial services for the departed. Origin: Central or Northern Asia The devotional Practice & Cultivation of Yakushi Nyorai (Medicine Buddha) was one of the first to develop in Japan after Buddhisms introduction to the Japanese archipelago in the mid-sixth century. Concrete evidence of his teachings, practice and cultivation on Japanese soil dates from the late seventh century during the reign of Emperor Tenmu. Originally venerated solely by ruling sovereigns and court elites for their own personal benefits (to cure life-threatening illnesses), Yakushis would later become the central of Medicine Buddha in eighth-century believe to ensure the welfare of the entire realm. By the early ninth century, the Yakushis was also called upon to placate vengeful calamity-causing spirits. During the Heian period (794–1185), Yakushi’s teachings spread to all regions of Japan, evidenced by an explosive increase in the production of Yakushis images in the ninth and tenth centuries. Hundreds of extant Heian-era Yakushi statues, an exceedingly high number compared to surviving sculptures of other Buddhist deities, attest to his prominence in those days. Most of these Yakushi icons were enshrined in large temples of imperial or aristocratic lineage, but some were installed in private sanctuaries and humble monastic settings far removed from the capital, suggesting that Yakushis practice and cultivation had already spread to the lower classes. Modern Japanese scholarship has contributed greatly to our understanding of early statues of Yakushi, the styles and techniques employed in creating them, and the linkage of these ancient icons with specific temples. Paradoxically, scholars inside and outside Japan have paid only scant attention to the devotional and ritualistic context of Yakushi parctice and cultivation, the central role of the icon itself in spreading Buddhist faith. The Iconic Practice and Cultivation of Yakushi in Heian Japan. A Sanskrit manuscript of the Bhaisajyaguruvaiduryaprabharaja Sutra was among the textual finds at Gilgit, Pakistan, attesting to the popularity of Bhaisajyaguru in the ancient northwest Indian kingdom of Gandhara. The manuscripts in this find are dated before the 7th century, and are written in the upright Gupta script. The Chinese Buddhist monk Xuanzang visited a Mahasamghika monastery at Bamiyan, Afghanistan, in the 7th century CE, and the site of this monastery has been rediscovered by archaeologists. Birchbark (type of Tree Bark) manuscript fragments from several Mahayana sutras have been discovered at the site, including the Bhaisajyaguruvaiduryaprabharaja Sutra. ***Take Note***: The photo as attached below is >>> ***Bhaisajyaguru Medicine Buddha or Yakushi Nyorai, Nihon-Ji Temple, Kyonan, Awa District, Chiba, Japan Dated to the Unified Silla Period (668-935)***
Posted on: Sat, 19 Jul 2014 04:32:08 +0000
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