Trailokyavijaya

Trailokyavijaya (Chinese: 降三世明王; pinyin: Xiángsānshì míngwáng, Japanese: Gōzanze Myō-ō; Korean: Hangsamse Myeongwang) is a Buddhist wrathful deity and is considered to be a form of the bodhisattva, Vajrapani. He plays an important role in the seventh-century text, the Tattvasaṃgraha Tantra where Vajrapani takes the role of Trailokavijaya, to conquer and subjugate the Hindu deity, Shiva.^[1]

Sculpture of Trailokavijaya from Bodh Gaya, Bihar dated to the 8th to 12th century CE. He is depicted trampling on Shiva and Parvati

History

One theory put forward with regards to the origin of Trailokavijaya is that he is the Buddhist approrpriation of the Hindu deity, Tripurantaka who is a form of Shiva. The story of Trailokavijaya subjugating Shiva may go some way to support this connection.^[1]

The worship of Trailokavijaya in China began following the transmission of various texts into the region including the Tattvasaṃgraha Tantra and the Vairocanābhisaṃbodhi Sūtra which were translated into Chinese by the monk, Amoghavajra at some point in the latter part of the eighth century. These texts were later transmitted to the Japan.^[1]

Iconographic representation

The Lord Trailokyavijaya was born from the blue syllable, Hûm. He is blue, with four faces, and eight arms. His primary face expresses a love fury, the right, anger, disgust in the left, and behind, that of heroism. His main hands bear the bell and lightning, his chest says Vajra-hum-Kara; his three right hands hold (in descending order) a sword, the elephant hook, and an arrow; the three left hands hold a bow, lace, and a chakram. He carries, among other adornments, a garland made of a cord of Buddhas, is being developed as identical to him, that has (according fingers) magic gesture after touching fists back to back, attach two small chain-like fingers. The formula is "Om", etc.^[2]^[3]

Mantra

The magic mantra of the King of knowledge having conquered the three worlds is:

Namaḥ samanta vajrāṇām. Ha ha ha vismaye, sarva tathāgata viṣaya sambhava Trailokya vijaya hūm jaḥ svāhā!

References

^ ^a ^b ^c Lopez, Donald (2014). "Trailokyavijaya". The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism.
^ Alfred Foucher : Study on Buddhist iconography of India from unpublished texts, Paris, E. Leroux, 1905.
^ Buswell Jr., Robert E.; Lopez, Jr., Donald S. (2013). The Princeton dictionary of Buddhism. Princeton: Princeton University Press. p. 920. ISBN 9781400848058. Retrieved 5 December 2014.

External links

Media related to Trailokyavijaya at Wikimedia Commons

[Lopez2014-1] Lopez, Donald (2014). "Trailokyavijaya". The Princeton Dictionary of Buddhism.

[2] Alfred Foucher : Study on Buddhist iconography of India from unpublished texts, Paris, E. Leroux, 1905.

[3] Buswell Jr., Robert E.; Lopez, Jr., Donald S. (2013). The Princeton dictionary of Buddhism. Princeton: Princeton University Press. p. 920. ISBN 9781400848058. Retrieved 5 December 2014.

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