Skanda (Wei Tuo) Bodhisattva

Skanda Bodhisattva (Ch. 韋馱菩薩; Wei Tuo Pu Sa), Wei Tuo, and sometimes called Veda, or Idaten (韋駄天) in Japan, is regarded in Chinese Buddhism as a devoted guardian and an honored Bodhisattva of Buddhist monasteries who guards the Dharma and the objects of the Dharma. He is the General-in-Chief of the thirty-two heavenly generals who come under the Four Heavenly Kings (四大天王). Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (480 × 640 pixel, file size: 112 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 450 × 600 pixel Image in higher resolution (480 × 640 pixel, file size: 112 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the... This article explores how Buddhism, a Indian origin, has affected and been affected by Chinese culture, politics, literature and philosophy. ... A statue of a Bodhisattva, Akasagarbha. ... Buddhist monastery near Tibet A monastery is the habitation of monks. ... Dharma (Sanskrit: धर्म) or Dhamma (Pāli: धमा) (Natural Law) refers to the underlying order in Nature and human behaviour considered to be in accord with that order. ... General-in-Chief (Russian: , probably originating from général en chéf), was a full General rank in the Russian Imperial army, the second top in Russian military ranks (the 2nd grade of Table of Ranks). ... It has been suggested that Four Guardian Gods be merged into this article or section. ...

In most temples, his image traditionally faces the statue of the Buddha in the main shrine. In others, he is on the far right of the main shrine, whereas on the left is his counterpart, Guan Yu. In Chinese sutras, his image is found at the end of the sutra, a reminder of his vow to protect and preserve the teachings of the Buddha. Media:Example. ... This is a Chinese name; the family name is Guan (關) Guan Yu (關羽) (160–219) was a Chinese military general under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms period in ancient China. ... Sutras may refer too: Sutra, a concept regarding Hinduism Sutras (album), an album by 1960s rock musician Donovan ...

According to the teaching, Skanda was the son of a virtuous king who had complete faith in Buddha's teachings. When Buddha entered nirvana, the Buddha instructed Skanda to guard the Dharma. It was his job to protect members of the Sangha when they are disturbed by Mara, the tempter. This article is about the Buddhist concept. ... Sangha is a word in Pali or Sanskrit that can be translated roughly as association or assembly. It is commonly used in several senses to refer to Buddhist or Jain groups. ... An aniconic representation of Maras assault on the Buddha, 2nd century CE, Amaravati (India). ...

A few days after the Buddha's passing and cremation, evil demons robbed his relics. Skanda's vow of protecting the faith and Dharma was proven when he managed to defeat the evil demons and managed to return the relics.

Skanda in Chinese legend

Some people have interpreted that the Chinese interpretation of the bodhisattva Skanda is taken from the Chinese classic Fengshen Yanyi, or Canonisation of the Gods. The following story is how the Chinese interpretation of Skanda came to be. Fengshen Yanyi (Traditional Chinese: 封神演義; Simplified Chinese: 封神演义) (translated as The Investiture of the Gods or The Creation of the Gods), also known as Fengshen Bang (Traditional Chinese: 封神榜; Simplified Chinese: 封神榜), is one of the major works of classical Chinese literature created in Ming dynasty. ...

When the bodhisattva Avalokitesvara was reincarnated as the princess Miao Shan, Skanda (known as Wei Tuo in this story) was one of her cruel father's generals. He loved Miao Shan but realized he could not possibly be a proper partner to her, since she was a pure person. Avalokitesvara with a 1,000 arms, part of the Dazu Stone Carvings at Mount Baoding, Dazu County, Chongqing, China. ...

However, Wei Tuo was inspired by Miao Shan's kindness so he decided to stay faithful and devoted to Miao Shan, even if she wasn't his wife. The two escaped Miao Shan's father, and the general-suitor helped build Miao Shan a temple and a kingdom of her own. Soon however, the cruel king found them and killed them both.

The general, because of his devotion to Guan Yin, transformed into a bodhisattva himself, who vowed to always serve and protect Guan Yin. His appearance as a Chinese general is the direct forbear to his connection with Miao Shan.

Appearance

Skanda is described as a young man fully clad in the armor and headgear of a Chinese general, and is usually leaning on a vajra staff. Skanda can also be seen as Vajrapani, who bears some relation to him. Also, Skanda, though only a deva, is very often addressed as a Bodhisattva. This is attributed to the fact that Skanda will attain Bodhi in the very distant future. Vajrasattva holds the vajra in his right hand and a bell in his left hand. ... Mahachakra Vajrapani . Vajrapāṇi (from Sanskrit vajra, thunderbolt or diamond and pāṇi, lit. ... This article is about Buddhist deities. ... Bodhi, the Pāli and Sanskrit word for awakening or enlightenment, is an abstract noun formed from the verbal root budh (awake, become aware, notice, know or understand), corresponding to the verbs bujjhati (Pāli) and bodhati or budhyate (Sanskrit). ...

Skanda in popular culture

• In the SNES Cho Aniki fighting game, Skanda appears as Idaten, a muscle-bound fighter.

• In Culture Brain's Hiryu no Ken II, one the item is named 'Idaten shoe' (イダテンのくつ).

• In JNetHack, 'speed boots' is translated to 'Idaten boots' (韋駄天の靴).

• TV series Idaten Jump contains many items carrying the Idaten name.

• In Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, Alexis Rhodes owned a card named 'Cyber Angel Idaten', which can only be summoned by means of the rules of ritual in the card game.

The Super Nintendo Entertainment System, also known as Super Nintendo, Super NES or SNES, is a 16-bit video game console released by Nintendo in North America, Brazil, Europe, and Australia. ... The boxart for the most recent title in the Cho Aniki series. ... Culture Brain (カルチャーブレーン) is a small Japanese videogame developer and publisher that was founded in October 5, 1980. ... NetHack is a single-player roguelike computer game originally released in 1987. ... Idaten Jump is a 48-episode anime about a boy who loves dirt biking, created by Toshihiro Fujiwara. ... Yu-Gi-Oh! GX, known in Japan as Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX ), is an anime spin-off of the original Yu-Gi-Oh! franchise. ... Alexis Rhodes, known in Japan as Asuka Tenjouin ), is a fictional character in the anime series Yu-Gi-Oh! GX (Yu-Gi-Oh! Duel Monsters GX in Japan) and the manga series of the same name. ...

See also

• Dharmapala