Acala
Template:Short description {{#invoke:other uses|otheruses}} Template:Cleanup lang Template:Infobox Buddha Template:Transliteration or Achala (Template:Langx, "The Immovable", {{#invoke:IPA|main}}), also known as Template:Transliteration ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, "Immovable Lord") or Template:Transliteration ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, "Noble Immovable Lord"), is a wrathful deity and dharmapala (protector of the Dharma) prominent in Vajrayana Buddhism and East Asian Buddhism.<ref name="murakami2">Template:Harvnb, Jp. rel. dict., pp. 242–246</ref>
Originally a minor deity described as a messenger or acolyte of the buddha Vairocana, Acala later rose to prominence as an object of veneration in his own right as a remover of obstacles and destroyer of evil, eventually becoming seen as the wrathful manifestation of either Vairocana, the buddha Akṣobhya, or the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī. In later texts, he is also called Template:Transliteration ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, "Violent Wrathful One", {{#invoke:IPA|main}}) or Template:Transliteration ({{#invoke:Lang|lang}}, "Violent One of Great Wrath", {{#invoke:IPA|main}}), the names by which he is more commonly known in countries like Nepal and Tibet.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref name="donaldson2">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="kreijger1232">Template:Cite book</ref>
In East Asian esoteric Buddhism, Acala is classed among the Wisdom Kings (Template:IAST) and is preeminent among the five Wisdom Kings of the Womb Realm. Accordingly, he occupies an important hierarchical position in the Mandala of the Two Realms. In China, he is known as Bùdòng Míngwáng (不動明王, "Immovable Wisdom King", the Chinese translation of Sanskrit Acala(nātha) Vidyārāja<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>), while in Japan, he is called Fudō Myōō, the on'yomi reading of his Chinese name.<ref name="britacala2">Fudō Myōō and Myō-ō, Encyclopædia Britannica</ref> Acala (as Fudō) is one of the especially important and well-known divinities in Japanese Buddhism, being especially venerated in the Shingon, Tendai, Zen, and Nichiren sects, as well as in Shugendō.
Acala has been worshiped throughout the Middle Ages and into modern times in Nepal, Tibet, China and Japan, where sculptural and pictorial representations of him are most often found.<ref name="murakami2" /><ref name="donaldson2" />
Origins and developmentEdit
Acala first appears in the Template:Transliteration (不空羂索神変真言經, pinyin: Bùkōng juànsuǒ shénbiàn zhēnyán jīng, translated by Bodhiruci circa 707-709 CE<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web
}}</ref>), where he is described as a servant or messenger of the buddha Vairocana:<ref name=":02">Template:Cite book</ref>
The first from the west in the northern quadrant is the acolyte Acala (不動使者). In his left hand he grasps a noose and in his right hand he holds a sword. He is seated in the half-lotus position.<ref name=":02" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
|CitationClass=web
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More well-known, however, is the following passage from the Mahāvairocana Tantra (also known as the Mahāvairocanābhisaṃbodhi Tantra or the Vairocana Sūtra) which refers to Acala as one of the deities of the Womb Realm Mandala:
The deity was apparently popular in India during the 8th-9th centuries as evident by the fact that six of the Sanskrit texts translated by the esoteric master Amoghavajra into Chinese are devoted entirely to him.<ref name="donaldson2" /> Indeed, Acala's rise to a more prominent position in the Esoteric pantheon in East Asian Buddhism may be credited in part to the writings of Amoghavajra and his teacher Vajrabodhi.<ref>Template:Cite thesis</ref>
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While some scholars have put forward the theory that Acala originated from the Hindu god Shiva, particularly his attributes of destruction and reincarnation,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>[a] Template:Cite book;
[b] Template:Cite book</ref> Bernard Faure suggested the wrathful esoteric deity Trailokyavijaya (whose name is an epithet of Shiva), the Vedic fire god Agni, and the guardian deity Vajrapani to be other, more likely prototypes for Acala. He notes: "one could theoretically locate Acala's origins in a generic Template:Transliteration, but only in the sense that all Tantric deities can in one way or another be traced back to Template:Transliteration."<ref name=":02" /> Faure compares Acala to Vajrapani in that both were originally minor deities who eventually came to occupy important places in the Buddhist pantheon.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Acala is said to be a powerful deity who protects the faithful by burning away all impediments (Template:IAST) and defilements ([[Kleshas (Buddhism)|Template:IAST]]), thus aiding them towards enlightenment.<ref name="shincho2">Template:Harvnb, under Fudo Myoo (in Japanese)</ref> In a commentary on the Mahāvairocana Tantra by Yi Xing, he is said to have manifested in the world following Vairocana's vow to save all beings, and that his primary function is to remove obstacles to enlightenment.<ref name=":02" /> Indeed, the tantra instructs the ritual practitioner to recite Acala's mantras or to visualize himself as Acala in order to remove obstacles.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
From a humble acolyte, Acala evolved into a powerful demon-subduing deity. In later texts such as the Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa Tantra, Acala - under the name Template:Transliteration ("Violent Wrathful One") or Template:Transliteration ("Violent One of Great Wrath") - is portrayed as the "frightener of gods, titans, and men, the destroyer of the strength of demons" who slays ghosts and evil spirits with his fierce anger.<ref name="donaldson2" /><ref name=":6">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In the Sādhanamālā, the gods Vishnu, Shiva, Brahma and Kandarpa - described as "wicked" beings who subject humanity to endless rebirth - are said to be terrified of Acala because he carries a rope to bind them.<ref name="donaldson2" />
In Tibetan Buddhism, Acala or Miyowa (མི་གཡོ་བ་, Wylie: mi g.yo ba) is considered as belonging to the Template:IAST ("vajra family", Tibetan: དོ་རྗེའི་རིགས་, dorjé rik; Wylie: rdo rje'i rigs), one of the Five Buddha Families presided over by the buddha Akṣobhya and may even be regarded, along with the other deities of the kula, as an aspect or emanation of the latter.<ref name="donaldson2" /><ref>Template:Cite book, p.100, "Aksobhya, the Buddha who presides over the family (kula) of deities with which Acala is associated"</ref><ref name=":12">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=":22">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He is thus sometimes depicted in South Asian art wearing a crown with an effigy of Akṣobhya.<ref name="donaldson2" /><ref name=":12" /><ref name=":22" /> In Nepal, Acala may also be identified as a manifestation of the bodhisattva Mañjuśrī.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=":32">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> He has a consort named Viśvavajrī in both the Nepalese and Tibetan traditions, with whom he is at times depicted in yab-yum union.<ref name=":32" /><ref name="kreijger1232" />
By contrast, the sanrinjin (三輪身, "bodies of the three wheels") theory, based on Amoghavajra's writings and prevalent in Japanese esoteric Buddhism (Mikkyō), interprets Acala as an incarnation of Vairocana.<ref>Template:Cite thesis</ref> In this system, the five chief vidyārājas or Wisdom Kings (明王, Myōō), of which Acala is one, are interpreted as the wrathful manifestations (教令輪身, kyōryōrin-shin, lit. ""embodiments of the wheel of injunction") of the Five Great Buddhas, who appear both as gentle bodhisattvas to teach the Dharma and also as fierce wrathful deities to subdue and convert hardened nonbelievers.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Under this conceptualization, vidyārājas are ranked superior to Template:Nihongo,<ref>ja:護法善神, added 2008.4.23 (Wed) 06:02 by Boca samba (Japanese interwiki link to Dharmapala) makes this distinction.</ref> a different class of guardian deities. However, this interpretation, while common in Japan, is not necessarily universal: in Nichiren-shū, for instance, Acala and Rāgarāja (Aizen Myōō), the two vidyārājas who commonly feature in the mandalas inscribed by Nichiren, are seen as protective deities (外護神, gegoshin) who respectively embody the two tenets of hongaku ("original enlightenment") doctrine: "life and death (saṃsāra) are precisely nirvana" (生死即涅槃, shōji soku nehan) and "worldly passions (kleśa) are precisely enlightenment (bodhi)" (煩悩即菩提, bonnō soku bodai).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
IconographyEdit
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The Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa TantraTemplate:'s description of Acala is a good summary of the deity's depiction in South Asian Buddhist art.
In Nepalese and Tibetan art, Acala is usually shown either kneeling on his left knee or standing astride, bearing a noose or lasso (pāśa) and an upraised sword. Some depictions portray him trampling on the elephant-headed Vighnarāja (lit. "Ruler of Hindrances", a Buddhist equivalent to the Hindu god Ganesha, albeit interpreted negatively as one who causes obstacles), signifying his role as the destroyer of impediments to enlightenment. He may also be shown wearing a tiger skin, with snakes coiled around his arms and body.<ref name="donaldson2" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
By contrast, portrayals of Acala (Fudō) in Japan generally tend to conform to the description given in the Amoghapāśakalparāja Sūtra and the Mahāvairocana Tantra: holding a lasso and a sword while sitting or standing on a rock (盤石座, banjakuza) or a pile of hewn stones (瑟瑟座, shitsushitsuza), with his braided hair hanging from the left of his head.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref name="snyder2">Template:Harvnb pg. 244</ref> He may also be depicted with a lotus flower - a symbol of enlightenment - on his head (頂蓮, chōren).<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Unlike the South Asian Acala, whose striding posture conveys movement and dynamism, the Japanese Fudō sits or stands erect, suggesting motionlessness and rigidity.<ref name=":02" /> The sword he wields may or may not be flaming and is sometimes described generically as a Template:Nihongo or Template:Nihongo, which is descriptive of the fact that the sword's pommel is in the shape of the talon-like vajra (金剛杵, kongō-sho). It may also be referred to as a Template:Nihongo.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> In some cases, he is seen holding the "Kurikara sword" (倶利伽羅剣, Kurikara-ken),<ref>Template:Cite book, article on "akafudo" by Tanaka, Ichimatsu (田中一松)</ref> a sword with the dragon (nāga) king Kurikara (倶利伽羅; Sanskrit: Kulikāla-rāja or Kṛkāla-rāja) coiled around it.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> The flaming nimbus or halo behind Acala is commonly known in Japanese as the "Garuda flame" (迦楼羅炎, karura-en) after the mythical fire-breathing bird from Indian mythology.<ref name="shincho2" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
There are two main variations in the iconography of Acala / Fudō in Japan. The first type (observable in the earliest extant Japanese images of the deity) shows him with wide open, glaring eyes, straight hair braided in rows and two fangs pointed in the same direction; a lotus flower rests above his head. The second type (which first appeared in the late 9th century and became increasingly common during the late Heian and Kamakura periods), by contrast, portrays Acala with curly hair, one eye wide open and/or looking upwards, with the other narrowed and/or looking downwards, an iconographic trait known as the tenchigan (天地眼), "heaven-and-earth eyes". Similarly, one of his fangs is now shown as pointing up, with the other pointing down. In place of the lotus flower, images of this type may sport seven topknots.<ref name="snyder2" /><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
Although the squinting left eye and inverted fangs of the second type ultimately derives from the description of Acala given in the Mahāvairocana Tantra and Yi Xing's commentary on the text ("with his lower [right] tooth he bites the upper-right side of his lip, and with his left [-upper tooth he bites] his lower lip which sticks out"), these attributes were mostly absent in Chinese and earlier Japanese icons.<ref>Template:Cite thesis</ref>
Acala's mismatched eyes and fangs were allegorically interpreted to signify both the duality and nonduality of his nature (and of all reality): the upward fang for instance was interpreted as symbolizing the process of elevation towards enlightenment, with the downward fang symbolizing the descent of enlightened beings into the world to teach sentient beings. The two fangs also symbolize the realms of buddhas and sentient beings, yin and yang, and male and female, with the nonduality of these two polar opposites being expressed by Acala's tightly closed lips.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Acala is commonly shown as having either black or blue skin (the Sādhanamālā describes his color as being "like that of the atasī (flax) flower," which may be either yellow<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> or blue<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>), though he may be at times portrayed in other colors. In Tibet, for instance, a variant of the kneeling Acala depiction shows him as being white in hue "like sunrise on a snow mountain reflecting many rays of light".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In Japan, some images may depict Acala sporting a red (赤不動, Aka-Fudō) or yellow (黄不動, Ki-Fudō) complexion. The most famous example of the Aka-Fudō portrayal is a painting kept at Myōō-in on Mount Kōya (Wakayama Prefecture) traditionally attributed to the Heian period Tendai monk Enchin. Legend claims that Enchin, inspired by a vision of Acala, painted the image using his own blood (thus explaining its red color), though recent analysis suggests that the image may have been actually created much later, during the Kamakura period.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> The most well-known image of the Ki-Fudō type, meanwhile, is enshrined in Mii-dera (Onjō-ji) at the foot of Mount Hiei in Shiga Prefecture and is said to have been based on another vision that Enchin saw while practicing austerities in 838. The original Mii-dera Ki-Fudō is traditionally only shown to esoteric masters (ācārya; 阿闍梨, ajari) during initiation rites and is otherwise not shown to the public, though copies of it have been made. One such copy, made in the 12th century, is kept at Manshu-in in Kyoto.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
The deity is usually depicted with one head and two arms, though a few portrayals show him with multiple heads, arms or legs.<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> In Japan, a depiction of Acala with four arms is employed in subjugation rituals and earth-placating rituals (安鎮法, anchin-hō); this four-armed form is identified in one text as "the lord of the various categories [of gods]."<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> An iconographic depiction known as the "Two-Headed Rāgarāja" (両頭愛染, Ryōzu Aizen or Ryōtō Aizen) shows Acala combined with the wisdom king Rāgarāja (Aizen).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref><ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>
AcolytesEdit
Acala is sometimes described as having a retinue of acolytes, the number of which vary between sources, usually two or eight but sometimes thirty-six or even forty-eight. These represent the elemental, untamed forces of nature that the ritual practitioner seeks to harness.<ref name="murakami2" /><ref name="faure152">Template:Cite book</ref>
The two boy servants or dōji (童子) most commonly depicted in Japanese iconographic portrayals are Template:Nihongo and Template:Nihongo, who also appear as the last two of the list of Acala's eight great dōji.<ref name="murakami2" /><ref name="shincho2" /><ref name="faure152" /> Kiṃkara is depicted as white in color, with his hands joined in respect, while Ceṭaka is red-skinned and holds a vajra in his left hand and a vajra staff in his right hand. The two are said to symbolize both Dharma-essence and ignorance, respectively, and is held to be in charge of good and evil.<ref name="faure152" />
Kiṃkara and Ceṭaka are also sometimes interpreted as transformations or emanations of Acala himself. In a sense, they reflect Acala's original characterization as an attendant of Vairocana; indeed, their servile nature is reflected in their names (Ceṭaka for instance means "slave") and their topknots, the mark of banished people and slaves. In other texts, they are also described as manifestations of Avalokiteśvara (Kannon) and Vajrapāṇi or as transformations of the dragon Kurikara, who is himself sometimes seen as one of Acala's various incarnations.<ref name="faure152" />
Two other notable dōji are Matijvala (恵光童子, Ekō-dōji) and Matisādhu (恵喜童子, Eki-dōji), the first two of Acala's eight great acolytes. Matijvala is depicted as white in color and holds a three-pronged vajra in his right hand and a lotus topped with a moon disk on his left, while Matisādhu is red and holds a trident in his right hand and a wish-fulfilling jewel (cintāmaṇi) on his left. The eight acolytes as a whole symbolize the eight directions, with Matijvala and Matisādhu representing east and south, respectively.<ref name="faure152" />
TextsEdit
As noted above, Acala appears in the Amoghapāśakalparāja Sūtra and the Vairocanābhisaṃbodhi Sūtra. As Caṇḍaroṣaṇa or Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa, he is the primary deity of the Caṇḍamahāroṣaṇa Tantra and is described in the Sādhanamālā.
The Japanese esoteric Buddhist tradition and Shugendō also make use of the following apocryphal sutras on Acala:
- Sūtra of the Great Wrathful King Āryācala's Secret Dhāraṇī (聖無動尊大威怒王秘密陀羅尼経, Shō-Mudō-son daiifunnuō himitsu darani kyō)
- A sūtra consisting of a discourse on Acala given by the bodhisattva Vajrasattva (identified here with Samantabhadra) to Mañjuśrī, set in "Vairocana's great assembly." The sutra describes Acala as being identical with the all-pervading dharmakāya, "[having] no fixed abode, but [dwelling] within the hearts of sentient beings" (無其所居、但住衆生心想之中).<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
- Āryācala Sūtra (仏説聖不動経, Bussetsu Shō-Fudō kyō)
- A summarized version of the above sutra.<ref name="Ono51">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="Kobayashi145">Template:Cite book</ref> Translated into English, it runs as follows:
- To this text is often appended two litanies of the names of Acala's young acolytes (童子, dōji), the 'thirty-six dōjiTemplate:' (三十六童子, sanjuroku dōji) and the 'eight great dōjiTemplate:' (八大童子, hachi daidōji).<ref name="Ono51"/><ref name="Kobayashi145"/>
- Sūtra on Reverencing the Secret Dhāraṇī of Āryācala (稽首聖無動尊秘密陀羅尼経, Keishu Shō-Mudō-son himitsu darani kyō)<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Bīja and mantraEdit
The bīja or seed syllables used to represent Acala in Japanese Buddhism are Template:IAST (हां / हाँ) and hāmmāṃ (हाम्मां / हाम्माँ), the latter being a combination of the two final bīja in his mantra: hāṃ māṃ (हां मां).<ref name=":42">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=":52">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref> Hāṃ is sometimes confounded with the similar-looking Template:IAST (हूं), prompting some writers to mistakenly identify Acala with other deities.<ref name="getty2">cf. Getty, Alice (1988). The Gods of Northern Buddhism: Their History and Iconography. Courier Dover Publications. p.170, which mistakenly conflates the two Niō with Acala (Fudō) and Rāgarāja (Aizen).</ref> The syllables are written using the Siddham script and is conventionally read as kān (カーン) and kānmān (カーンマーン).<ref name=":42" /><ref name="bonji-nyumon2">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Three mantras of Acala are considered to be the standard in Japan. The most widely known one, derived from the Mahāvairocana Tantra and popularly known as the "Mantra of Compassionate Help" (慈救呪, jikushu or jikuju), goes as follows:<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
| Sanskrit | Shingon pronunciation | Tendai pronunciation | English translation | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Namaḥ samanta vajrānāṃ caṇḍa-mahāroṣaṇa sphoṭaya hūṃ traṭ hāṃ māṃ<ref name=":52" /> | citation | CitationClass=web
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Homage to the all-encompassing Vajras! O violent one of great wrath (caṇḍa-mahāroṣaṇa), destroy! hūṃ traṭ hāṃ māṃ. |
The "Short Mantra" (小呪, shōshu) of Acala - also found in the Mahāvairocana Tantra<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> - is as follows:
| Sanskrit | Shingon pronunciation | Tendai pronunciation | English translation | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Namaḥ samanta vajrānāṃ hāṃ<ref name=":52" /> | citation | CitationClass=web
}}</ref><ref name="shinnaji2">{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |
CitationClass=web
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Namaku samanda basaranan kan<ref name="Haneda264">Template:Cite book</ref> | Homage to the all-encompassing Vajras! hāṃ. |
The longest of the three is the "Great Mantra" of Acala, also known as the "Fire Realm Mantra" (火界呪, kakaishu / kakaiju):<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
| Sanskrit | Shingon pronunciation | Tendai pronunciation | English translation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Namaḥ sarva-tathāgatebhyaḥ sarva-mukhebhyaḥ sarvathā traṭ caṇḍa-mahāroṣaṇa khaṃ khā he khā he (or khāhi khāhi<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>) sarva-vighnaṃ hūṃ traṭ hāṃ māṃ<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> | Nōmaku saraba tatagyateibyaku saraba bokkeibyaku sarabata tarata senda makaroshada ken gyaki gyaki saraba bikin(n)an un tarata kan man<ref name="jishouin2" /><ref name="goishizan2" /><ref name="shinnaji2" /> | Namaku saruba tatagyateibyaku saruba mokkeibyaku sarubata tarata senda makaroshana ken gyaki gyaki saruba bikinan un tarata kan man<ref name="Haneda264"/> | Homage to all Tathāgatas, the omnipresent doors, who are in all directions! traṭ. O violent one of great wrath! khaṃ. Root out, root out every obstacle! hūm traṭ hām mām.<ref>Translation based on Akiyama (2012). pp. 28-29.</ref> |
Another mantra associated with the deity is Oṃ caṇḍa-mahāroṣaṇa hūṃ phaṭ, found in the Siddhaikavīra Tantra. The text describes it as the "king of mantras" that dispels all evil and grants "whatever the follower of Mantrayāna desires".<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation |CitationClass=web }}</ref>
WorshipEdit
JapanEdit
Fudō Myōō (Acala), was never popular in Indian, Tibetan or even Chinese Buddhism, but in Japan it became the object of a flourishing cult with esoteric overtones.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
The cult of Acala was first brought to Japan by the esoteric master Kūkai, the founder of the Shingon school, and his successors, where it developed as part of the growing popularity of rituals for the protection of the state. While Acala was at first simply regarded as the primus inter pares among the five wisdom kings, he gradually became a focus of worship in his own right, subsuming characteristics of the other four vidyarājas (who came to be perceived as emanating from him), and became installed as the main deity (honzon) at many temples and outdoor shrines.<ref name="murakami2" /><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Acala, as a powerful vanquisher of evil, was regarded both as a protector of the imperial court and the nation as a whole (in which capacity he was invoked during state-sponsored rituals) and the personal guardian of ritual practitioners. Many eminent Buddhist priests like Kūkai, Kakuban, Ennin, Enchin, and Sōō worshiped Acala as their patron deity, and stories of how he miraculously rescued his devotees in times of danger were widely circulated.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
At temples dedicated to Acala, priests perform the Template:Nihongo, or ritual service to enlist the deity's power of purification to benefit the faithful. This rite routinely involves the use of the Template:Nihongo<ref name="murakami2" /> as a purification tool.
Lay persons or monks in yamabushi gear who go into rigorous training outdoors in the mountains often pray to small Acala statues or portable talismans that serve as his honzon.<ref name="murakami2" /> This element of yamabushi training, known as Shugendō, predates the introduction of Acala to Japan. At this time, figures such as Template:Nihongo, who appeared before the sect's founder, En no Gyōja, or Vairocana, were commonly worshiped.<ref name="murakami2" /> Once Acala was added to list of deities typically enshrined by the yamabushi monks, his images were either portable, or installed in hokora (outdoor shrines).<ref name="murakami2" /> These statues would often be placed near waterfalls (a common training ground), deep in the mountains and in caves.<ref name="snyder2" />
The daimyo Takeda Shingen is known to have taken Fudō Myōō as his patron (particularly when he transitioned to being a lay monk in his later years), and has commissioned a statue of Fudō that is supposedly modelled after his face.<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Acala also tops the list of Thirteen Buddhas.<ref name="nichidaijisho2">Template:Cite book, Japanese Dictionary, p.748, middle row, under 「志ふさん・ぶつ.. (十三)佛」</ref> Thus Shingon Buddhist mourners assign Fudō to the first seven days of service.<ref name="nichidaijisho2" /> The first week is an important observance, but perhaps not as much as the observance of "seven times seven days" (i.e. 49 days) signifying the end of the "intermediate state" (bardo).
Literature on Shingon Buddhist ritual will explain that Sanskrit "seed syllables", mantras and mudras are attendant to each of the Buddhas for each observance period. But the scholarly consensus seems to be that invocation of the "Thirteen Buddhas" had evolved later, around the 14th century<ref name="gerhart2">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book, p.68 gives "late Kamakura Period"</ref> and became widespread by the following century,<ref name="gerhart2" /> so it is doubtful that this practice was part of Kūkai's original teachings.
ChinaEdit
Bùdòng Míngwáng (Acala) worship in China was first introduced into China during the Tang dynasty after the translation of esoteric tantras associated with him by monks such as Amoghavajra and Vajrabodhi.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Iconography of Acala has been depicted infrequently in some temples and grottoes from the Tang through to contemporaneous times, usually as part of a set depicting the Eight Wisdom Kings or Ten Wisdom Kings,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> In modern times, he is revered as one of the eight Buddhist guardians of the Chinese zodiac and specifically considered to be the protector of those born in the year of the Rooster. He is also frequently invoked during esoteric Chinese Buddhist rituals, such as the Shuilu Fahui ceremony, along with the other Wisdom Kings where they are given offerings and intreated to expel evil from the ritual platform.<ref>Template:Cite thesis</ref><ref>Template:Cite thesis</ref>
- Tang dynasty statues of Acala, now kept at Forest of Steles, Beilin Stone Museum in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China.
- Tang Acala Vidyaraja (14372153865).jpg
- Tang Acala Vidyaraja (14185590020).jpg
- Tang Acala Vidyaraja (9912784335).jpg
In popular cultureEdit
- Gary Snyder's 1969 poem Smokey the Bear Sutra portrays Smokey Bear (the mascot of the U.S. Forest Service) as an incarnation of Vairocana (the "Great Sun Buddha") in a similar vein as Acala. Indeed, Acala's Mantra of Compassionate Help is presented in the text as Smokey's "great mantra."<ref>{{#invoke:citation/CS1|citation
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- Sailor Mars from the Sailor Moon series invokes Acala through the Sanskrit chant of the Mantra of Compassionate Help during her "Fire Soul Bird" attack. Acala is flashed multiple times as a shadowed figure in flames, consistent with Japanese iconography, and in line with Sailor Mars's element of fire.
GalleryEdit
- Dazu 2007 777.jpg
12th century Song dynasty statues of Acala (left) and Yamantaka (right) at the Dazu Rock Carvings in Chongqing, China.
- Ming Dynasty mural of Hayagriva (馬頭觀音; 马头观音; Matou) and Acala (不動明王;不动明王; Budong), two of Ten Wisdom Kings (十大明王), in Dayun Temple (浑源大云寺), Hunyuan, Datong, Shanxi, China.jpg
Ming dynasty mural paintings of Acala (right) and Hayagriva (left) in Dayun Temple in Shanxi, China
- Achala statue from Tibet, 15th-16th century, gilt bronze, Honolulu Museum of Art.JPG
Gilt bronze statue from Tibet, 15th-16th century, Honolulu Museum of Art
- Hermitage Museum XX-2375 Achala.jpg
Thangka from Khara-Khoto, Western Xia, 13th century, Hermitage Museum
- Hermitage Museum XX-2374 Achala.jpg
Thangka depicting four-armed Acala, from Khara-Khoto, 13th-14th century
- Fudō Myōō.jpg
Kamakura period painting at Daigo-ji, Kyoto showing Acala with Kiṃkara and Ceṭaka
- Fudo Myoo 8 Acolytes (Nara National Museum).jpg
Acala with eight acolytes, Kamakura period, Nara National Museum
- Sword Dragon Kurikara (Nara National Museum).jpg
The Kurikara sword flanked by Kiṃkara and Ceṭaka, Kamakura period, Nara National Museum
- 四臂不動 - Four-Armed Acala (Fudō).jpg
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- Fudo, Ichikawa Ebizo V as the Mystical Image of Fudo Myoo.jpg
Kabuki actor Ichikawa Ebizō V as Acala, by Utagawa Kunisada
- Kounominezi03.jpg
Red-skinned Acala at Kōnomine-ji, Yasuda, Kōchi Prefecture
- Narita Shinsho-ji Große Friedenspagode Innen Altar 3.jpg
Statue at the Great Peace Pagoda in Shinshō-ji, Narita, Chiba Prefecture
- Hombre con horimono Fudō Myō-ō en pecho.jpg
A man with an irezumi tattoo of Acala
See alsoEdit
ReferencesEdit
BibliographyEdit
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External linksEdit
- Fudo Myo-O, 不動明王 O-Fudo-sama in Japan
- Ellen Schattschneider "Fudo Myoo (Acala)" - In: immortal wishes (2003)
- Shingon Buddhist International Institute
- Tendai Buddhist Sangha in Denver Colorado