Twelve Heavenly Generals

In East Asian Buddhism, the Twelve Heavenly Generals or Twelve Divine Generals are the protective deities, or yaksha, of Bhaisajyaguru, the buddha of healing. They are introduced in the Bhaiṣajyaguruvaidūryaprabharāja Sūtra.[1] They are collectively named as follows:

The Twelve Heavenly Generals statues in the above image were made in Japan during the Kamakura period in the 13 century and were enshrined in Joruri-ji Temple in Kyoto. Currently, five statues have been deposited in Tokyo National Museum.

Names of generals

The precise names of the generals seem to vary depending on tradition. Those listed below are from an available Sanskrit transcription of the Bhaiṣajyaguruvaiḍūryaprabhārāja Sūtra:[3]

SanskritHanziPinyinRōmajiVietnameseTibetan (Wly.)ZodiacHonji
Kiṃbhīra宮毘羅Guānpíluò
Jīnpíluò		Kubira
Kompira (Shinto)		Cung Tỳ LaJi 'jigsBoarMaitreya
Vajra伐折羅FázhéluòBasara, BazaraPhạt Chiết LaRdo rjeDogMahāsthāmaprāpta
Mekhila迷企羅MíqǐluòMekiraMê Súy LaRgyan 'dzinRoosterAmitābha
Antila安底羅ĀndǐluòAnchira, AnteiraAn Để LaGza' 'dzinMonkeyAvalokiteśvara
Anila頞儞羅ÈnǐluòAniraÁt Nể LaRlung 'dzinSheepMārīcī
Saṇṭhila珊底羅ShāndìluòSanchira, SanteiraSan Để LaGnas bcasHorseĀkāśagarbha
Indala因達羅YīndàluòIndaraNhân Đạt LaDbang 'dzinSnakeKṣitigarbha
Pāyila波夷羅BōyìluòHairaBà Di LaGtun 'dzinDragonMañjuśrī
Mahāla摩虎羅MòhǔluòMakoraMa Hổ LaSgra 'dzinRabbitBhaiṣajyaguru
Cidāla真達羅ZhēndàluòShindaraChân Đạt LaBsam 'dzinTigerSamantabhadra
Caundhula招杜羅ZhāodùluòShōtoraChiêu Đổ La'dzinOxVajrapāṇi
Vikala毘羯羅PíjiéluòBikara
Bigyara		Tỳ Yết LaRdzogs byedMouseŚākyamuni
One of the Twelve Heavenly Generals at the Tokyo National Museum.
Another one of the Twelve Heavenly Generals.

While the Honji and zodiac correspondences listed above are the standard in Japanese sources, there is variation among texts and regional traditions.[4]

  • Statues of the Twelve Heavenly Generals stand in Ngong Ping, Hong Kong.
  • The Heavenly Generals and their names were used as character material for the powerful digital monster characters who serve the "Four Holy Beasts" (Digimon Sovereigns in the English Dub) in the Digital World, from the 2001 series Digimon Tamers, albeit with the names mismatched.
  • Granblue Fantasy started to release series of playable units in 2015 which called 'The 12 Divine Generals'. Each of these units are named after the corresponding zodiac they represent. The Japanese Version use adapted Hepburn Romanization, while the English Version adapted from Sanskrit

References
  1. Mary Neighbour Parent (2001). "JAANUS - Japanese Architecture and Art Net Users System". Japanese Architectural and Art Historical Terminology (online ed.). Retrieved 2009-04-20.
  2. Mark Schumacher. "12 Divine Generals of Yakushi Buddha". A to Z Photo Dictionary: Japanese Buddhist Statuary. Retrieved 2009-06-24.
  3. "Bhaiṣajyaguruvaidūryaprabharājasūtram". Digital Sanskrit Buddhist Canon. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
  4. "薬師十二神将". Flying Deity Tobifudo. Retrieved 2019-03-02.
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