Kings of Wisdom

Buddhist Pantheon
Guimet Museum.Paris.

The Vidyarāja or Kings of Wisdom (Sanskrit:विद्याराज) (known as Míngwáng (明王 kings of wisdom) in China and Myō-ō in Japan) are patron deities in the Vajrayāna Buddhist cult. Among Japanese statue collections, they rank third behind Buddhas and Bodhisattvas. His Sanskrit name literally translates to "king of knowledge," so the Chinese character "明" is used, which means "knowledgeable," or "illustrated," which has led to a variety of alternate names in other languages including "Radiant King", "Guardian King", etc. In Tibetan Buddhism they are known as Herukas.

Female versions of wisdom kings are known as wisdom queens (Sanskrit: vidyā-rājñī, Chinese: 明妃 Míngfēi, Japanese: 明妃 Myōhi).

Doctrine

In general, the Wisdom Kings serve as guardians of Buddhism and as wrathful manifestations in Buddhism. More specifically, they are protectors of the Five Wisdom Buddhas. According to the esoteric doctrine of the bodies of the three chakras (三輪 身, sanrinjin), while the Buddhas represent pure concepts, and the bodhisattvas teach through compassion, the kings of wisdom are incarnations of the command wheel (教令 輪身, kyōryō tenshin) and teach through fear, forcibly pushing non-believers towards faith.

Worship

The five Wisdom Kings were introduced to Japan by Kukai, but cults dedicated exclusively to the central king Acala (Japanese Fudō Myō-ō) soon prevailed.

Iconography

As mentioned above, wisdom kings are generally depicted as fierce deities, often with blue skin and multiple arms, and sometimes with many faces and even many legs. They are depicted with fierce expressions and wielding all kinds of weapons and are sometimes adorned with skulls, snakes or animal skins, and engulfed in flames: this is so to subdue evil spirits and threaten those who do not accept the teachings.^{[citation required]}

List of Wisdom Kings

The Five Kings of Wisdom

The Míngwáng are originally Hindu, and were introduced to Japan in the 9th century. They represent the wisdom of Gautama Buddha and guard the four cardinal points and the center.

In the Shingon tradition of esoteric Buddhism, the Five Great Wisdom Kings (五大明王, Japanese: Godai Myō-ō; Chinese: Wǔ Dà Míngwáng), also known as the Five Guardian Kings, are a group of wisdom kings who represent the luminescent wisdom of the buddha and protect the Five Wisdom Buddhas. The Five Kings are generally defined as follows.

• Acala, Japanese: Fudō Myō-ōChinese: Bùdòng Miniwáng) "The Inamovible" - Coléric manifestation of Buddha Mahavairocana
• Trailokyavijaya (三, , Japanese: Gozanze Myō-ōChinese: Jiàngsānshì Míngwáng) "The conqueror of the three planes": Colérica manifestation of Buddha Akshobhia
• Kunadali (Train,,,, Japanese: Gundari Myō-ōChinese: Jūntúlì Miniwáng) "The heavenly nectar dispenser" - Coléric manifestation of Buddha Ratnasambhava
• Yamāntaka (teenth Century 威, Japanese: Daiitoku Myō-ōChinese: Dàwēidé Míngwáng) "The victor of death" - Coléric manifestation of Buddha Amitābha
• Vajrayak wounds (US$) (US$ 6) Kongōyasha Myō-ōChinese: Jīngāng Yèchā Mingwang) "Devourer of Demons": Coléric manifestation of Buddha Amoghasiddhi

The Five Kings of Wisdom inhabit the Kingdom of the Womb. They are arranged according to the compass directions.

Others

• (Japanese): Daigensui Myō-ō)
• Hayagrīva (Japanese: Batō Myō-ōalso known as Batō Kannon)
• Rāgarāja (Japanese: Aizen Myō-ō)
• Ucchurch (Japanese: Ususama Myō-ō)
• Mahāmāyūrī (Japanese: Kujaku Myō-ō)

• Aizen Myō-ō